The Facts: Just how big the crowd is at running back for the Broncos can best be explained by the fact that the team's leading rusher in a season that ended with a Super Bowl win -- Hillman -- is in a battle to keep his roster spot. "I'm always (behind) the eight ball, but I always find a way out of it,' Hillman said. "I plan to do that again this year.'
Diehards Line:
While C.J. Anderson led the Broncos down the stretch and into the postseason, Hillman led the team in carries (207), rushing yards (863) and rushing touchdowns (seven). But Hillman now finds himself in an all-out, every-rep-matters competition to reclaim the kind of workload he had in the offense. In addition to Anderson, the Broncos used a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft to bring in Devontae Booker. Add in Juwan Thompson, who can play both running back and fullback, to go with rookie fullback Andy Janovich, whom the Broncos selected with a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, and you can see even more of the crowd forming around Hillman. And that doesn't include Kapri Bibbs, who has consistently drawn praise from coach Gary Kubiak throughout the offseason. In other words, Hillman needs a strong camp just to stick around.