Have we seen the last of Philip Lindsay in a Denver Broncos uniform?
A lot of news and information has been swirling around the Broncos. Justin Simmons received the franchise tag, pushing back any major contract news. Shelby Harris is a guy George Paton wants to keep in the fold. But for some reason, Lindsay is not a top priority for the Broncos right now.
Cecil Lammey of Nick and Cecil on 104.3 The Fan joined Ian St. Clair and me on the MHR Radio Podcast. He had an interesting take on what could be happening with Lindsay.
While George Paton has said that Denver will be tendering the hometown favorite, Cecil said the tender will likely be an original round. Without getting too far into the weeds, this means that if another team offered Lindsay a contract, the Broncos would receive no compensation if he chose to leave.
Cecil also pointed out that Lindsay would probably receive a healthy amount of interest in this case. He also made a point to mention the fact that Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur seems to be unimpressed with Lindsay.
Cecil also noted Shurmur’s very ‘meh’ attitude about Lindsay, when he arrived in Denver, and how the OC didn’t really utilize the RB in the best way throughout the season.
There’s no doubt that Phillip Lindsay has spent his entire NFL career proving to people who doubted him that he belonged. He has had some issues with durability, but has been one of the best players on the field when he has been healthy.
With the issues that surround Melvin Gordon, it seems like an obvious decision to stick with Lindsay, cut Gordon because he has no cap hit, and draft someone in rounds 2-4 that can fill the void. The problem is Shurmur in this case.
He doesn’t use Lindsay in the best way possible, and that means he can’t be his most effective in a system in which he does not fit. It also means the Broncos may choose not to match any offer that is made for Lindsay.
Phillip Lindsay moving on from the Broncos would be disappointing for the fans. He has been one of the few bright spots on offense since joining the team as an undrafted free agent.
Hopefully, George Paton sees the value in keeping Lindsay. If not, he will be breaking big runs for some other team, while the Broncos continue to struggle to find offensive production.