Buried at fourth on the depth chart until starting running back Willis McGahee suffered a knee injury, former first-rounder Knowshon Moreno has a chance to prove he wasn’t a bust.
And his quarterback knows it.
“It’s a great opportunity for Knowshon,” Peyton Manning said, via Mike Klis of the Denver Post. “He hasn’t played, but he will be a part of it. It’s going to be a three-man committee. Hey, this is the NFL. You are kind of used to where it doesn’t matter what year you are or how old you are. If you’re on an NFL roster, you’re expected to go in there and contribute and do your job.”
Joining Moreno will be Ronnie Hillman and Lance Ball. The team worked out Steve Slaton and Jacob Hester this week, signing neither. McGahee is eligible to return to the roster for the AFC title game, if the Broncos make it that far.
In his rookie season, Moreno racked up 947 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, with another 247 receiving yards and two more scores. Since then, however, his career has bottomed out, due to injury and ineffectiveness. He gained 779 yards in 2010 and 179 in 2011. He has eight carries for 15 yards in only two appearances this season.