DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 1: Running back Royce Freeman #28 of the Denver Broncos carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 1, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Second-year running back Royce Freeman is one of the most underrated players on the Denver Broncos roster heading into 2019.

Royce Freeman is one of the most criminally underrated players on the Denver Broncos.

You can make an argument for a number of players for the ‘official’ title of most underrated player, and maybe as the offseason progresses we will take a look at that, but Freeman is in the top two or three for me right now.

I understand he was just a rookie last year, and I also understand Phillip Lindsay rightfully gets a ton of credit and attention for his phenomenal, Pro Bowl rookie season.

But Freeman is really, really good.

John Elway told Freeman when the Broncos drafted him that he wanted the former Oregon Ducks star to be the team’s ‘bell cow’ running back. In football terms, that means that he wanted Freeman to be the guy to carry the load like he did in college, taking on — one would think — at least 18-20 carries per game.

Early in Freeman’s rookie season, he was putting himself in the Denver Broncos record books by rushing for four touchdowns in his first four career games, and dating back to his preseason play in 2018, it certainly looked like Freeman was going to come pretty darn close to averaging a touchdown per game.

He was impossible to tackle on first contact.

Royce Freeman (@rolls_royce21) up the middle for the 24-yard TD!#DENvsWAS pic.twitter.com/plKUe8drhy — NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2018

Freeman was dominant at the end of the 2018 season opener against the Seahawks in a four-minute offense.

Against the Baltimore Ravens, Freeman had 49 yards after contact, six first-down runs, and three plays of 10 or more yards.

You can see above what he did against the Kansas City Chiefs.

He showed throughout his rookie year that he’s much more than a plodder or pile mover as a 220-plus pound back.

Freeman’s elite vision, quickness, and deceptive speed were all on display in his rookie season which was unfortunately hindered by an ankle injury.

It’s tough for running backs to be as productive as possible with ankle issues, obviously, but he got some of that ability back as the season wore on but he still wasn’t getting the snaps. The Broncos force-fed Devontae Booker into the lineup more as a receiver, which isn’t all bad except it cost Freeman a lot of snaps his rookie year.

He averaged nine carries per game as a rookie, and that’s certainly not ‘bell cow’ status. It wasn’t for lack of productivity per snap, either.

Freeman is a really good player and a player capable of being featured in an offense at the running back position. Phillip Lindsay will deservedly get a bunch of touches again in 2019 but the Broncos should be ready and willing to unleash Freeman at any point in time.