The Denver Broncos will lean on a familiar name to fill their Willis McGahee-sized hole in the backfield.
Knowshon Moreno started Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, confirming NFL Network's Michelle Beisner's earlier report. The team later announced the move and Mike Klis of The Denver Post believes the Broncos are going to give the fourth-year pro a chance to be "the man" in the backfield.
Moreno's career has been sidetracked by injury and streaky play since the team made him their first-round draft pick in 2009. He hasn't taken a snap since September or started a game since last season. Moreno was activated this week and coach John Fox obviously trusts him enough to replace the injured McGahee in a backfield that still promises to test defenses with Ronnie Hillman and Lance Ball.
Hillman has bloomed into a play-making threat for Denver, but the Broncos are concerned about his ability to pick up the blitz. It's not unusual for rookie backs to struggle with pass protection, but Hillman's snaps will suffer until he polishes this part of his game.
We expect Moreno to receive a generous helping of work against a Chiefs defense that ranks 25th against the run and should have its hands full stopping Manning through the air.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
