Irish in the NFL: Theo Riddick will fit nicely with the Denver Broncos

It appears former Notre Dame running back Theo Riddick has a new team.

Theo Riddick was released by the Detroit Lions last weekend. The move wasn’t much of a shock, considering that Detroit has a three-down back in Kerryon Johnson and a crowded depth chart at the position behind him.

As of right now, it looks like former the Notre Dame star will sign with the Denver Broncos.

He’ll be a good fit in Denver. As a pass-catching specialist out of the backfield, Theo Riddick adds an element of diversity to the Bronco offense that wasn’t there before. Phillip Lindsey and Royce Freeman are both capable pass-catchers, but they butter their bread as traditional, between-the-tackles backs.

Riddick gives Denver an elite receiving threat at the running back position on obvious passing downs. His presence — whether or not he is targeted on a given play — is going to change the way teams defend the Bronco passing attack.

New Denver head coach Vic Fangio has first-hand experience watching Bears running back Tarik Cohen do plenty of damage against opponents in the passing game. He also has had to gameplan to stop Riddick twice a year for the last four seasons.

He understands the value of having such a dangerous receiver at the running back position.

What you’ll likely see is a 1-2 punch of Lindsey and Freeman in the running game with a healthy mix of packages that include Riddick running routes. It won’t quite be to the level that New England utilizes James White, but Theo Riddick will absolutely be an instrumental part of the Denver offense as the season rolls along. He won’t be a fantasy star, but he will play an important role.

At 28 years of age and making his living primarily as a receiving threat, Theo Riddick probably has 3-4 good seasons of NFL football left in the tank. Here’s to him making the most of his remaining opportunities playing football professionally.