Fansided

The Broncos signing Melvin Gordon doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense

By Brendon Kleen

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 29: Melvin Gordon #25 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs with the football during the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 29: Melvin Gordon #25 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs with the football during the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /
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Despite a young, developing offense and a solid tandem already in their backfield, the Denver Broncos paid pretty big to land Melvin Gordon. Why?

The Denver Broncos agreed to a two-year deal with running back Melvin Gordon on Friday, giving him $13.5 million guaranteed and $16 million total.

However, the Broncos used valuable cap space at a position where they already were set up well.

In 2019, the one-two punch of Royce Freeman and Philip Lindsay gave Denver plenty out of the backfield. Both are still very young and very cheap. Affordable production out of the backfield is what most teams dream of, yet the Broncos spent significantly to land Gordon, making one of Freeman disposable and devoting more resources to a position most saw as solid in Denver.

Both Freeman and Lindsay are versatile, while their styles complement one another well. Lindsay is smaller and quicker, while Freeman is more of a bruiser. Adding Gordon to the mix gives Denver a more reliable three-down option at running back, but that’s not something most teams really covet at this point.

To make matters more confusing, Freeman and Lindsay were owed a combined $1.5 million in 2020, making them perhaps the best value backfield in the NFL. That’s no longer the case with Denver paying Gordon.

Around the rest of the roster, the Broncos hope young quarterback Drew Lock can make good on a strong close to 2019 by helping them compete in a depleted AFC West this season (beyond the Kansas City Chiefs).

Both deep-threat Courtland Sutton and tight end Noah Fant are 24 years old or younger and coming off strong seasons. With the 15th-overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Broncos are in position to add one of the numerous elite receivers expected to go in the first round.

Regardless, Gordon is far more of a luxury for Denver than a necessity.

The Broncos’ defense ranked 13th in DVOA in 2019, so they should be set there. There’s reason to believe adding depth and continuing to invest in the trenches would be a better way to use the team’s resources while maintaining the ability to compete for a playoff spot in 2020.

Smart teams find value signings in that $6-7 million range, whereas the Broncos went for the starry name rather than a player who will make them substantively better.

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