DENVER — Ronnie Hillman has been given every chance to win the job to be the Denver Broncos' starting running back, sitting atop the depth chart since the team began offseason workouts in April.
And he was still there this week, despite an end zone fumble in the second preseason game that was returned more than 100 yards by the Seattle Seahawks for a touchdown.
But now, after another fumble – this one returned for a touchdown Saturday by St. Louis Rams rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree – Hillman could be on the verge of losing that job.
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Rookie second-round pick Montee Ball (14 carries, 43 yards, TD; 27 yards receiving) played his best game of the preseason Saturday, while former first-round pick Knowshon Moreno (five carries, 33 yards; 42 yards receiving), playing for the final two and a half quarters, looked like the Broncos' most polished, confident and versatile back. Even veteran Lance Ball had a touchdown in Saturday's 27-26 win.
"When you put the ball on the ground, and you have guys like Montee and Knowshon running the ball as well as they did [Saturday], and Lance, it kind of affects your competition," said Hillman, who rushed for 34 yards on six carries and added 15 yards receiving. "Those guys did a great job. It's unacceptable, what I did. I just have to work on it."
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Broncos coach John Fox said he believed Hillman was down when Ogletree wrestled the ball free, and said he believed Hillman had worked hard lately to resolve his fumbling issues.
"I have not lost confidence in him whatsoever," Fox said.
Hillman, at age 21, is still the Broncos' youngest player. Mistakes can be forgiven in the preseason. But the regular-season opener is less than two weeks away, and Hillman has yet to show he can be trusted.
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Just running the ball, it seems, comes third on the list of must-dos for a Broncos running back to earn the task of lining up behind quarterback Peyton Manning. Knowing who to block in pass protection – and then actually following through on that block and keeping Manning upright – is job No. 1. Not fumbling the football is job No. 2.
Manning didn't single out Hillman in his postgame news conference Saturday night, but it was obvious the quarterback wasn't happy.
"It's disappointing when you don't take care of the ball," Manning said.
Part of Manning's ire was directed internally – he was responsible for one of the Broncos' four turnovers when Ogletree leaped to grab a pass that was intended for tight end Julius Thomas. Manning admitted the pass was slightly behind Thomas, but wasn't faulting his decision to throw the pass.
"I'm not sure I wouldn't have thrown it 99 out of 100 times," Manning said. "[Ogletree] made a pretty athletic play, he obviously has a pretty wide wingspan. I was surprised he was even able to get his hands on that ball. If we play the Rams again, I will remember that."
The Broncos' 27 points against the Rams was their highest total of the preseason after scoring 10 points in each of their first two. But the turnovers – four in each of the last two games – are still a major concern, especially for an offense that is hoping to play fast and build leads to help the defense account for the loss of linebacker Von Miller.
"That stuff we worked so hard on last week, we will work very hard again on it this week," Fox said. "When we have young players learning to play in the league for the first time, it can happen. We just have to eliminate that before the regular season."
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @ByLindsayHJones.
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