Running back Theo Riddick has made a solid career out of his skillset as a third down back. His new team, the Denver Broncos, will now be without those skills for possibly two months as the pass-catcher will miss 6-to-8 weeks after suffering a slight fracture in his shoulder in the team’s game against the Seattle Seahawks Thursday night.
Riddick was originally a sixth round pick out of Notre Dame in 2013 for the Detroit Lions. Once the team discovered his ability as a third-down back, that’s been his primary job since his second season. He caught 61 passes last year with the Lions for 384 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per reception. He added 171 yards and 4.3 yards per carry on the ground.
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His best season was 2015 where he caught 80 passes for 697 yards and three touchdowns. He hauled in 67 catches and five TDs in 2016.
Riddick was never going to be the bellcow and was likely going to work primarily as a stand in for starter Phillip Lindsay, who showed his prowess as a receiver last year. He caught 35 passes himself for 241 yards and a touchdown to go with his 192 rushes for 1,037 yards and nine TDs on the ground. Lindsay made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. The team snatched him up off the street as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado.
In other Denver news, the Broncos brought in cornerback Rashard Causey and cut linebacker Jeff Holland. The team should be familiar with Causey’s work as he was just cut by the Atlanta Falcons, the team they faced off against in the Hall of Fame game top open the preseason.
MORE INJURY NEWS
- Safety Marcus Maye was activated from the PuP list by the New York Jets. It wasn’t all good news for the team. Guard Brian Winters, linebacker Avery Williamson, cornerback Trumaine Johnson and linebacker Blake Cashman all were banged up in their first preseason action.
- San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Shon Coleman suffered a dislocated ankle in his first preseason action and will be out “several months.”
- Chicago Bears wide receiver Anthony Miller suffered a sprained ankle Saturday and linebacker Aaron Lynch is nursing a shoulder.
