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After Broncos running back C.J. Anderson was injured midway through the 2016 season, Devontae Booker took over as the lead back in Denver.

The 2016 fourth-round pick saw the ball a lot over the next five games, but the production wasn’t what the team would have liked. Booker ran 95 times for 266 yards before seeing his role drop significantly during a three-game losing streak that ended any hope of a playoff berth for the Broncos.

Booker, who had a pair of knee surgeries after a 2015 injury while at Utah, hinted at hitting the so-called rookie wall in his first NFL season while adding that his work this offseason leaves him feeling better prepared for what’s to come.

“I think everybody’s fatigued,” Booker said, via ESPN.com. “As a pro, you have to push through it. That’s part of it … But I feel more ready this time. … You learn it’s different than college, a lot different. In college you’re winding down when things really get going [in the NFL]. You see good teams and good players start strong, finish strong.”

The Broncos signed Jamaal Charles and drafted De’Angelo Henderson to fill out the running back group with Anderson back in action, so there will competition for playing time alongside whoever the team opts to start at quarterback. That makes it all the more necessary for Booker to start strong if he’s going to show he can come up with a stronger finish to his second season.