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C.J. Anderson snagged his first 1,000 yard season of his career in 2017 as the Denver Broncos workhorse running back. He ended up with a solid mix of very good games and some very bad ones, but he remained the most consistent runner in the backfield from the start.
He gained that 1,000 yards by being on the field for just over 50% of the offensive snaps last season, which makes his feat even more impressive.
C.J. Anderson Stats 2017
| Week | Att | Yds | Y/A | TD | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Att | Yds | Y/A | TD | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
| 1 | 20 | 81 | 4.05 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | 25 | 118 | 4.72 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 12 | 1 |
| 3 | 8 | 36 | 4.5 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 |
| 4 | 20 | 95 | 4.75 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 4.25 | 0 |
| 6 | 9 | 17 | 1.89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 10 | 44 | 4.4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 0 |
| 8 | 15 | 78 | 5.2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | 9 | 13 | 1.44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 10 | 54 | 5.4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | 13 | 37 | 2.85 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 |
| 12 | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 15 | 67 | 4.47 | 0 | 4 | 43 | 10.75 | 0 |
| 14 | 22 | 48 | 2.18 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 15 | 30 | 158 | 5.27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | 16 | 88 | 5.5 | 1 | 7 | 45 | 6.43 | 0 |
| 17 | 18 | 61 | 3.39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 245 | 1007 | 4.11 | 3 | 28 | 224 | 8 | 1 |
C.J. Anderson PFF Grade
According to Pro Football Focus, Anderson was the sixth best running back in the entire NFL with an overall grade of 85.9. His grade when carrying the football was fairly close to his overall grade at 85.5, but more impressively is that he finished second in the NFL in pass blocking for running back with an 83.0 grade.
Anderson’s elusive ranking ranked 11th, while his pass blocking efficiency was the best in the NFL by a wide margin. PFF’s “Pass Blocking Efficiency” rating for Anderson was 97.4, a full two points above the second best running back on the list.
C.J. Anderson Contract
Anderson has two more years left on his deal, but with zero dead money and a $4.5M price tag he could be facing the chopping block as the Broncos look to retool their offense heading into 2018.
2018 Status
I personally think we will not see Anderson in a Broncos uniform in 2018. His contract situation and the Broncos affinity for Devontae Booker will make him a cap casualty, especially if the team goes hard and heavy for Kirk Cousins in free agency.
Anderson has had a fine career in Denver and I wouldn’t be upset if he somehow makes it past the cap decisions and back onto the Broncos roster in 2018. He has worked hard and has been a good leader on this football team.