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Denver Broncos: 3 free agents team should avoid at all costs

By Travis Wakeman

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Robby Anderson #11 of the New York Jets in action against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on December 08, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets defeated the Dolphins 22-21. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Robby Anderson #11 of the New York Jets in action against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on December 08, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets defeated the Dolphins 22-21. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 30: Running back Melvin Gordon #28 of the San Diego Chargers fights off cornerback Chris Harris #25 of the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter of the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 30, 2016, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 30: Running back Melvin Gordon #28 of the San Diego Chargers fights off cornerback Chris Harris #25 of the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter of the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 30, 2016, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Melvin Gordon is coming off one of the worst holdouts in recent memory, possibly in all of sports.

Heading into the final year of his contract last summer, Gordon chose to hold out, looking for a new contract from the Chargers. The Chargers tried to work a deal out with him, but it wasn’t quite the money he was looking for. Instead, the Chargers decided to begin the season without him, and the running game fared just fine.

Austin Ekeler had a career year, leading to a recent contract extension, one which pretty much signals the end of Gordon’s tenure with the team.

If the Chargers can live without Gordon, a former first-round pick, and go with an undrafted guy like Ekeler, why can’t the Broncos do the same with Phillip Lindsay?

Lindsay and Royce Freeman are still a solid combination and though Gordon is not likely to get anywhere near the kind of money he held out for last summer, the Broncos just don’t need to give him any kind of money.

Gordon will turn 27 years old next month and should still have a few solid years left in him, at least. He also put up respectable numbers despite only playing in 12 games last season. But paying top dollar for a running back is just not what teams do anymore.

For example, the Los Angeles Rams gave Todd Gurley a monster contract and it doesn’t look like he’ll ever be that player again.

Teams can find success without a top-flight running back. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers went to the Super Bowl with Damien Williams and Raheem Mostert leading the charge in their backfields.

Let the Miami Dolphins, a team heavily linked to Gordon, have at it.

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