ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The last time Gary Kubiak and Justin Forsett were together on the same team, good things happened. In 2014, with the Baltimore Ravens, Forsett earned his first Pro Bowl appearance and, then offensive coordinator, Kubiak proved himself worthy of a second stint as a head coach, this time at the helm of the Denver Broncos.
The pair worked so well the first time around, why not try it again?
That was the Broncos’ mindset on Monday when they signed the veteran running back.
“He understands what we are doing,” Kubiak said on Wednesday after Forsett’s first practice with the team. “It’s nice to walk on the field today and really didn’t have a new player in a lot of ways other than a new face.”
While the reunion seems like a perfect match, especially this late in the season, Denver didn’t have much of a choice after running back Kapri Bibbs suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The next day Bibbs was placed on the injured reserve, making him the third Broncos tailback to be placed on the season-ending designation joining fullback Andy Janovich and starting running back C.J. Anderson.
On Monday, in what Kubiak described as a “blessing,” the Detroit Lions released Forsett ending his six-game stint with the team after starting the first three games of this season with the Ravens. Typically players available in December don’t have much of an impact when a new team picks them up. Forsett will be an exception.
“We feel very fortunate to get him,” Kubiak said. “Picking up players is one thing, picking up guys that can come in and get in your huddle today and run plays and pick up blitzes and do all that usually doesn’t happen, so that’s a good thing for us.”
Forsett won’t have much time to settle in as he will be Denver’s second-string running back on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
“I think he can help us really quick…I expect him to play this week,” the head coach said. “My expectations are for him to split time with [running back Devontae Booker] ‘Book, just like Kapri [Bibbs] would have…I’m hoping he can help us really quick.”
The nine-year veteran doesn’t have any concerns about playing this weekend thanks to his familiarity with the system.
“I’ve been in [Denver’s offensive system] for seven of the nine years that I have been playing in this league,” Forsett said on his first appearance with the Denver media. “So it’s all pretty familiar with me. As far as the playbook and system, I feel at home.”
Along with his one year in Kubiak’s system in Baltimore, Forsett was with, now Broncos’ quarterback coach, Greg Knapp in Seattle in his first four seasons in the league before joining Kubiak in Houston in 2012. Along with his system knowledge, Forsett credits his relationship with Kubiak for the success in 2014—where he ran for a career-high 1,266 yards.
“I’m a guy when you see me coming off of the bus I don’t wow you with appearance,” Forsett said. “I’m 5-foot-8, 197 pounds and Coach Kube’ didn’t care. We had experience with each other and he just trusted me. I got an opportunity and it was the right place right time and we have a lot of success.”
The back out of the University of California knows that he will be able to help the offense in any way asked of him.
“Shown some versatility being able to run routes out of the backfield, split out wide, run the ball,” he said. “A lot of work in the zone scheme. I want to come in and be a spark, that’s my objective.”
In the final quarter of the season, Forsett will have an opportunity to be the spark the Broncos’ running game has been so desperately looking for since Anderson went down. He will get his first opportunity on Sunday, less than a week after signing with Denver.
