The Denver Broncos struck gold with an undrafted rookie free agent. That player was running back Phillip Lindsay.
Lindsay made an immediate impact, rushing for 71 yards in his first game and 107 in the following week. He didn't stop there.
In his first season in the NFL, Lindsay ended up appearing in 15 games. He racked up 1,037 yards on 192 attempts (5.4 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns. At the same time, he didn't fumble once. Lindsay also managed a solid 35 receptions for 241 yards and another touchdown in the air.
All of that equaled up to an absolutely fantastic rookie season for the Colorado product. However, his journey doesn't stop there. Obviously he'll want to improve on his game in 2019. What are three numbers he should target this season?
3. 50 Yards
Phillip Lindsay was incredible last season. There's no denying that. However, he did have some inconsistent moments that had he worked out could've made his season even better. In four different games, Lindsay ran for 30 yards or less.
When he's doing that, he clearly isn't bringing much to the table. Yes you could argue that in a few of those games he simply wasn't given the ball. However, that's something you'd imagine he won't be dealing with much in 2019.
With that in mind, when he gets fed often, Lindsay needs to capitalize. The Broncos offense is far from perfect, meaning Lindsay needs to help keep a good balance. If he's running for 30 yards, he's not doing that.
To be clear, 50 yards isn't exactly superstar levels. However, it's enough to keep the defense awake. It's also a bare minimum. I'm not telling him to go out there and strive for 50 yards it's just a number he should consistently be reaching.
2. Zero Fumbles
Phillip Lindsay accomplished this last year and it's part of what made him so great. The running back never coughed up.
As mentioned before, this Denver Broncos offense isn't exactly elite. Don't expect them to be absolutely torching opposing defenses every chance they get. With that in mind, something that needs to be a major focus for them is ball control.
If the offense can limit the turnovers as much as possible, they'll look that much better. It also will help the defense, which is the side of the ball that has a higher chance of dominating in 2019.
A lot of the responsibility for this falls in the hands of Lindsay. He'll have the heavy majority of carries in 2019, meaning he'll be the second most turnover-likely player (behind the quarterback, likely Joe Flacco). Quarterback's will get their turnovers – too many blindside hits and chances for interceptions for it not to happen.
Lindsay proved last year that he can go a season without a fumble though. Can he do it again in 2019? It would certainly make things easier in Denver.
1. 1,200 Yards and 10 Touchdowns
Okay, these are technically two numbers so I'm cheating here. Phillip Lindsay was so close to both though. If he plays 16 games this should happen.
Last season the running back picked up 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He's expected to get his number called a lot more often in 2019. That means even if he simply keeps his pace of last season, those numbers should be easy money.
A good rookie year is nice and all. However it won't mean much in the grand scheme of things if the player doesn't improve after that. Year two is just as important (if not more) than year one. Can Phillip Lindsay show improvements?
Putting up numbers like that would definitely be a major step in the right direction.
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