With less than one week until the Broncos head to Chicago for a preseason face-off with former head coach John Fox and the Bears, competition in the Denver backfield is heating up with every practice.

“We have a great group of backs out there right now,” Broncos RB Kapri Bibbs said at training camp Friday, per the team’s news release. “I think that’s why (coach Gary Kubiak) is comfortable with us having the four backs that we do.”

Unfortunately, with excess talent, comes the harsh reality that one or two of these talented young running backs is not going to make the 53-man roster this fall. After spending the majority of the past two seasons on the practice squad, Bibbs is not looking to make a name for himself in 2016 and prove he deserves a roster spot.

“I’m very hungry. I’m very, very hungry,” Bibbs said. “I think that’s just from these past two years where I thought I was going to get my opportunity, but that wasn’t what it was.

“Now that this year they are telling that this is the year that I go out and showcase and have my opportunity, I am going to take full advantage of that. I’m going to go out and get it.”

Since his playing days at Colorado State, Bibbs has known for being one of the fiercest competitors on the field at all times. Who does Bibbs credit for instilling that mindset? His mother.

“She used to come in every day before I went to practice and was like, are you ready to go get it?’ I’d be like, ‘is this how it is,’ and she’d be like, ‘you just have to go out there and believe that you are the best person out there. You have to believe that nobody can stop you.’ That’s when I started believing it and that’s when I started loving football and I starting (being) good at football. She definitely turned that page for me.”

Bibbs has been one of the most talked about players on the team throughout training camp, receiving praise from the local media and coaching staff for his efforts this summer. After struggling to protect the QB in pass-protection situations early in his career, Kubiak likes what he has seen out of Bibbs so-far.

“He really is,” Kubiak said. “We’re protecting, he’s protecting. That’s been a big issue with him. He is playing well for (special teams coordinator] Joe (DeCamillis), banging for a player every day. That helps the player. I think Kapri is a different kid. He sees an opportunity and he’s taken advantage of it so far.”

If Bibbs is going to make the roster, it will probably have to come at the expense of Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson. Hillman is a fifth-year veteran and Thompson’s ability to play all over the field has made him a valuable commodity the past two seasons.

Standing out in pass-protection, as well as special teams could be the difference for Bibbs in 2016. As we get closer to the regular season, running backs will be one of the position groups to keep an eye on for Broncos fans. Will 2016 be the year Bibbs makes a name for himself or have we seen the last of him in the orange and blue?