Ronnie Hillman believes he can be a starting running back in the NFL and on Sunday he will get a chance to prove that to be true. The Denver Broncos are suddenly finding themselves with an issue of depth at the position after Montee Ball was ruled out with a groin injury. Now it is Hillman's turn in the spotlight to balance out the offense and he intends to take full advantage of it.
The third-year running back has spent most of his time at No. 3 on the depth chart for the Broncos. Last season he rounded out the running back rotation of Knowshon Moreno and Ball. This season he is playing backup for Ball. However, now it is Hillman's chance to shine, something he is confident he does well in.
"You feel a little more responsibility to go out there and perform right away, not watching somebody else go out there," Hillman said, via The Denver Post.
Hillman has just 66 yards to his name off 17 attempts this season. His career-high game came in 2013 when he put up 83 yards total. The running back has the talent to be a star. This is the same player that put up 1,622 yards in his freshman and sophomore seasons at San Diego State. He has just barely gotten the chance to see the field since getting drafted by Denver. Quarterback Peyton Manning has total confidence in Hillman's ability to pick up right where Ball left off.
"Ronnie has played at different times, in different amounts, but when you're the starting back and running out there in pregame warm-ups as a starting back, it's a different hat that you wear," said Manning. "There's no question he has a burst that is pretty unique when he gets the ball in his hands. It's our job to give him space. You can't do it with just one back in today's game, so we expect C.J. to do his job, Juwan to be ready. Those guys are both young backs, but both act like older players."
Hillman should do just fine in an RB1 spot on the fantasy rosters. The running back will be facing the Jets who have been inconsistent at best on defense. He made things work against a tough Arizona Cardinals defense when he filled in for Ball, giving the coaches plenty of confidence.