:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66532389/usa_today_13849466.0.jpg)
UPDATE: Melvin Gordon has agreed to a two-year deal worth $16 million, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Gordon will also get $13.5 million guaranteed. This isn’t the deal Gordon was hoping for when holding out last fall, but this is what the market values running backs at the moment.
Melvin Gordon is expected to sign a deal with the Denver Broncos, per Stephen Watson. Gordon held out the first four weeks of last season only to be outplayed by Austin Ekeler and probably lost value going into free agency.
The Broncos want to run the ball, as Vic Fangio is a defensive minded coach and he’ll have an inexperienced second-year quarterback at the helm with Drew Lock. This is of course bad news for Phillip Lindsay and especially Royce Freeman. Both will take a back seat to Gordon, who will take over as the main back.
Lindsay hasn’t been used as a receiver enough to feel confident that he could use a receiving role to up his touches and there is a chance that Freeman and Lindsay could end of splitting reps behind Gordon.
As for Gordon, the presence of Lindsay and Freeman can’t help. Maybe the trade one of the two, but for now, Gordon will need to play well enough to keep a big chunk of the every-down duties, but he is a useful goal-line and receiving back, which should help him continue to put up fantasy numbers as the lead in Denver.