Denver Broncos Were Smart To Hang On To C.J. Anderson

To say that this offseason has been brutal to the Denver Broncos would be an understatement. They have managed to salvage one piece of it, though.

Running back C.J. Anderson is coming back to Denver as they’ve matched the offer sheet given to him by the Miami Dolphins. It’s a wise move, and while it may not take the sting entirely out of the team, it certainly does help a bit.

Seeing how both Anderson and Ronnie Hillman were headed to free agency, it was important the Broncos held on to at least one of them.  Not unless Gary Kubiak was ready to drop Juwan Thompson into the starting lineup, which he’s never seemed to want to do. With all the now inevitable shakeup coming to the Broncos’ offense, some measure of stability from last year was sorely needed.

Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought Anderson was the better back than Hillman. Now that you can explain Anderson’s early struggles based on the injuries no one knew about, I always thought he just looked better and a bit more consistent when he fixed himself up. Guys like Hillman will always have their place in the league, but to me speed guys that attack the edges come second to a guy who can cut into a defensive line and make things happen.

And as a nice little added benefit for the team, thanks to Miami the Broncos now have Anderson locked up for four years. It might be more expensive, but it’s not that large of a cost. Now the Broncos have a spot filled for the immediate future, which becomes especially more important if they have to slug Mark Sanchez or some other underwhelming veteran out there. Quarterback could be an ugly spot in Denver if they don’t get a little lucky, so Anderson might be more important than people think.

Hillman seems like the next logical step, and I think they’ll be able to get him. I haven’t heard much interest in him from anyone else, so a return to Denver could be a strong possibility. But for now Denver got themselves a win with Anderson, and they’ve got to hope now he can continue being just as good as he’s been for them.