Broncos, Phillip Lindsay, together again? “I’d love it,” former Pro Bowl back says

BOULDER — Phillip Lindsay is looking for a gig. The Broncos are looking for another tailback. Just saying.

“Hey, man, I would be excited to be back home,” the former Broncos Pro Bowl back and CU star told me after watching the Buffs’ 2022 spring football showcase from the north end zone Saturday at Folsom Field.

“I mean, it’s up the street. My family wouldn’t have to move anywhere. I’d love it.

“I love Broncos Country. I love the fans. They’re some of the best fans I’ve ever seen.”

Come on, George Paton. Throw us a bone here, huh? You’ve already nailed the offseason the way Steph Curry does a 3-pointer. The Russell Wilson trade shook the NFL and made the AFC West stand up and take notice.

Why not bring Lindsay back into the fold to provide a little lightning out of the backfield to Javonte Williams’ thunder? The man’s 27, not 34. Those tires, the ones that put up two straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Broncos right out of the chute, have still got plenty of tread left.

“Honestly, for me, it’s about finding the right opportunity, finding the right fit for me,” said Lindsay, who ran for 209 yards on 77 carries with the offensive-line challenged Texans and Dolphins last fall.

“So I’m taking my time, more than not being in a rush to go to some OTAs right now. Honestly, I want to be on a team where they’re going to be able to utilize me the right way. So that’s what I’m looking for right now.”

No, Lindsay won’t ever be confused with Austin Ekeler when it comes to catching balls out the backfield. He’s not the blocker that Williams is.

But few poured more of their soul into every dang play as a Bronco than Lindsay, a 5-foot-8 back with a 6-7 heart, the first undrafted rookie tailback to ever grab a Pro Bowl berth.

“Right now, I’m ‘Daddy Day Care,’ a house-husband,” Lindsay cracked. “That’s my role. Right now, I’m a family man.”

He’s a community man, too, Denver and Buffs proud to the absolute last. The former South High standout spoke to the current CU players earlier this spring. Lindsay said he liked what he saw from Buffs quarterback Brendon Lewis during the spring scrimmage-slash-showcase Saturday, especially given the growing pains that Lewis had to work through on the field last fall.

“I think he’s matured a lot,” Lindsay said of the Buffs’ signal-caller.

“I liked the running back (junior Deion Smith), he’s developed in the couple years he’s been there. And I think overall, I liked the size (of the roster). I think that they’re a lot bigger than when we first started. So I’m excited to see when (coach Karl) Dorrell gets his transfers in. And when he also gets some of his recruits.”

Have you seen that schedule, though, Phil? TCU at home in the opener on Sept. 2, on paper, looks to be the easiest mark of the month. The Buffs head to option-happy Air Force in Week 2 (Sept. 10) and to powerful Minnesota for Week 3 (Sept. 17) before opening league play against sunshine Chip Kelly and UCLA (Sept. 24). The Zoomies (10-3), Gophers (9-4) and Bruins (8-3) averaged nine wins last season.

Spoiler alert: Every web site, every magazine, every expert, is going to peg CU for either last or next-to-last in the Pac-12 South this fall.

Lindsay, no shock, wasn’t buying any of it.

“If that’s the case, if we always relied on people predicting something, we wouldn’t play the game,” the former Buffs bell cow countered. “What would be the point of playing? It doesn’t matter about predictions, where somebody sits down and thinks somebody’s good. You’ve just got to go out there and you’ve got to showcase (yourself).

“These kids have got to come out here, these young men, during the summertime and if they really put that work in and they really get that camaraderie down, the sky’s gonna be the limit.

“(They’ve got), I like to call it, a quiet confidence … and hopefully, as time goes on, you guys will be able to really see what these kids are going to bring to the table. Because I think that there’s a lot more hidden talent there than people think.”