Thread: Broncos sign Melvin Gordon

Maybe it's just me, but I was thoroughly unimpressed every time Royce Freeman hit the field last year. While I'm sure Royce is working hard to continue to develop as a back, he is nowhere near the level of Melvin Gordon.

Originally Posted by G_Money

Melvin's had one year (1) where he ran for more than 4 ypc. He's not a Get His Own Yards kind of guy, he's an outlet guy who makes all his money off getting a big play or a score. The rest of the time he's not especially relevant.

Big plays, especially scoring plays, matter a ton. As a tandem back I think they overpaid (although he got a higher offer elsewhere, it's reported) but I get the desire for an outlet to help the young QB. It's not like Denver's other RBs can't catch the ball though. Still seems odd.

Well...look at it this way. Maybe we get out of this combo what SD got out of Gordon and Ekeler last year...and we really only have to pay ONE of them.

Originally Posted by UnderArmour

Maybe it's just me, but I was thoroughly unimpressed every time Royce Freeman hit the field last year. While I'm sure Royce is working hard to continue to develop as a back, he is nowhere near the level of Melvin Gordon.

I have to agree on the Freeman take.

He didnt pass the eye test.


Only thing I like about Gordon is redzone play. We shall see if this pays off. Hopefully it does!

Originally Posted by G_Money

Melvin's had one year (1) where he ran for more than 4 ypc. He's not a Get His Own Yards kind of guy, he's an outlet guy who makes all his money off getting a big play or a score. The rest of the time he's not especially relevant.

Big plays, especially scoring plays, matter a ton. As a tandem back I think they overpaid (although he got a higher offer elsewhere, it's reported) but I get the desire for an outlet to help the young QB. It's not like Denver's other RBs can't catch the ball though. Still seems odd.

The value in a home run hitter is huge, especially if we don't nab a burner WR in the rest of free agency/draft. It comes down to speed and burst, right? We have more of that now at the RB level. That pairs well with the intermediate passing game with Fant, who is an absolute burner at TE. Our offense is going to eat on 5-7 yard passes that break big, while also being able to threaten down the field with Locks' arm.

I find this signing pretty shocking, but Elway is not good at drafting running backs.

Buff's politics and mine are about 180° out but in terms of football takes we're in lockstep.

I'm somewhat jelly.

This is Barnwell's take - I'm not as harsh as him, but he raises a lot of the issues I mentioned in the FA thread:

Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos

The deal: Two years, $16 million
Grade: D+

It's not quite the $10 million per year offer Gordon reportedly turned down from the Chargers around the time of his holdout, but with $13.5 million guaranteed on this deal, it's likely he sees the full $16 million from this new deal. In the end, there's probably not much difference between signing a four-year, $40 million deal with half of it guaranteed, which is likely where Gordon's Chargers deal would have landed, and signing this deal with a chance to hit free agency again after the salary cap rises in a couple of years.

For Gordon's versatility as a runner and receiver, though, he just hasn't been consistently healthy or good for very long as a pro. I covered hiss inconsistency before the 2019 season, noting that we had really seen one above-average season from him in four tries. Last season was a disaster, as Gordon's rate stats fell across the board after his return from the holdout. Simultaneously, the fumble concerns from his rookie season re-appeared -- he fumbled four times on 204 touches, including a back-breaking fumble on the goal line to hand a victory to the Titans. The Chargers were better with Austin Ekeler on the field.

If Gordon fixes the fumble problem, stays healthy and runs and catches pass efficiently in the way he has once across his five seasons, the Broncos will get a solid return on their deal here. Instead, in the process of signing Gordon, they're diminishing the role of Phillip Lindsay, who has been more efficient than Gordon over the past two years. The Broncos want to keep Lindsay's workload down and will likely swap Gordon into the lineup for Royce Freeman, but back half of a running back rotation isn't something the Broncos should be giving $13.5 million guaranteed, especially given their needs elsewhere. It might be generous to suggest Gordon is a league-average back, which is something Denver didn't need to prioritize.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...g-signing-move

Solid.

his goal line ability is nice, but that's a horrific overpay. . . should have thrown that cash at Robby Anderson. . .

Originally Posted by dogfish

his goal line ability is nice, but that's a horrific overpay. . . should have thrown that cash at Robby Anderson. . .

Is Robby Anderson the crackhead lookin' dude that told a cop he was going to **** his wife?

Originally Posted by VonDoom

This is Barnwell's take - I'm not as harsh as him, but he raises a lot of the issues I mentioned in the FA thread:

Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos

The deal: Two years, $16 million
Grade: D+

It's not quite the $10 million per year offer Gordon reportedly turned down from the Chargers around the time of his holdout, but with $13.5 million guaranteed on this deal, it's likely he sees the full $16 million from this new deal. In the end, there's probably not much difference between signing a four-year, $40 million deal with half of it guaranteed, which is likely where Gordon's Chargers deal would have landed, and signing this deal with a chance to hit free agency again after the salary cap rises in a couple of years.

For Gordon's versatility as a runner and receiver, though, he just hasn't been consistently healthy or good for very long as a pro. I covered hiss inconsistency before the 2019 season, noting that we had really seen one above-average season from him in four tries. Last season was a disaster, as Gordon's rate stats fell across the board after his return from the holdout. Simultaneously, the fumble concerns from his rookie season re-appeared -- he fumbled four times on 204 touches, including a back-breaking fumble on the goal line to hand a victory to the Titans. The Chargers were better with Austin Ekeler on the field.

If Gordon fixes the fumble problem, stays healthy and runs and catches pass efficiently in the way he has once across his five seasons, the Broncos will get a solid return on their deal here. Instead, in the process of signing Gordon, they're diminishing the role of Phillip Lindsay, who has been more efficient than Gordon over the past two years. The Broncos want to keep Lindsay's workload down and will likely swap Gordon into the lineup for Royce Freeman, but back half of a running back rotation isn't something the Broncos should be giving $13.5 million guaranteed, especially given their needs elsewhere. It might be generous to suggest Gordon is a league-average back, which is something Denver didn't need to prioritize.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...g-signing-move

Hard to argue for or against this, to be honest. But I'm still curious where we are supposed to be filling these other needs. What OL, LB, DE or CB can we NOT sign now as a result of this deal?

Gordon, when healthy is really good in the passing game. He understands spacing, tempo. He knows when to be patient, whether on routes or runs.

As I stated earlier, hes good in the redzone. Hes also great at picking up short yardage. Good hands too.


If he stays healthy, he not only can enhance Linsays role....he can lighten it while making him more effective. Lindsay can learn a thing or two from Gordon, which will possibly make him stand out even more.


Lets hope Gordon stays healthy.

Originally Posted by dogfish

his goal line ability is nice, but that's a horrific overpay. . . should have thrown that cash at Robby Anderson. . .

So, if I'm following the general thought process correctly...we were supposed to pay $12 mil or more for a 26 year old WR with zero 1,000 yard seasons and 20 career TD's...but it's insane to pay $8 mil for a dual threat 26 year old RB with 47 career TD's?

Originally Posted by dogfish

his goal line ability is nice, but that's a horrific overpay. . . should have thrown that cash at Robby Anderson. . .

Nah man. We can nab WR in this draft all the way up to rd 4 that will be way better than Robby. Also way cheaper.

Not sure the same can be said for RB (although I expect we will draft one too)