5 players who Broncos need to be great in 2019

The Denver Broncos spent a third round pick on Oregon running back Royce Freeman during the 2018 NFL Draft, and the expectation was that he would come in and start as a rookie. Well, a rookie certainly became the feature back for Denver last season, but it was an undrafted free agent from the University of Colorado who filled that role.

Phillip Lindsay was an absolute beast during his time at Colorado, racking up nearly 4,000 yards rushing, and finding the end zone over 35 times on the ground. During the 2018 preseason, he impressed the Broncos coaching staff so much that he made the team as the No. 3 running back out of camp, and even asked Hall of Famer Terrell Davis if he could don his No. 30 jersey.

Lindsay did not disappoint Davis, or the Broncos, rushing for over 1,000 yards as a rookie, and being named to the Pro Bowl. In a season where plenty of Broncos underachieved, Lindsay showed he belonged at the NFL level, and will once again need to carry the load for the Broncos entering Year No. 2 in the NFL.

With a new quarterback under center, and some solid additions to the offensive line, you can expect the Broncos to rely on Lindsay early and often in 2019. Fangio is going to want to make sure he can get this ground game going, while playing solid defense, which should be a nice formula to improve on the six wins from a year ago.