What signing Melvin Gordon means for Broncos backfield

With the signing of Melvin Gordon, what does the future have in store for the other running backs on the Denver Broncos?

On Friday, the Denver Broncos signed running back Melvin Gordon to a two-year contract worth $16M, $13.5M guaranteed.

You may be wondering what this signing means for the other running backs on the roster. Well, for some, it will be of great help. For others, not so much.

Let’s break down the snap counts of last year’s running back group:

Phillip Lindsay: 513 (50.49 percent)
Royce Freeman: 506 (49.80 percent)
Devontae Booker: 26 (2.56 percent)

Let’s start with Lindsay. Honestly, I was shocked to see that Lindsay only played 50.49 percent of the team’s snaps in 2019.

As you can see, Lindsay and Freeman played almost the same number of snaps. That was expected as we were in training camp last year. It would be more of a two-headed monster.

Freeman caught 86 percent of the passes (43-of-50) thrown his way last year while running for 496 yards and three on 132 carries.

Devontae Booker did not get very many opportunities last year. He rushed just two times for nine yards. He caught 6-of-9 passes for 57 yards.

Theo Riddick, who was signed by the team in the preseason last year, missed the season with a fractured shoulder.

Who’s in, who’s out?

Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon are pretty much the only unquestioned locks to make the roster in 2020. Eventually, Lindsay is going to get paid and it should be a handsome paycheck. He has proven that he is an awesome ballcarrier and deserves a second contract from the Broncos.

Gordon is signed for two years with a highly-guaranteed contract. I expect him to see the field quite a bit even with Lindsay on the field at the same time. That could be a very fun and interesting situation created by the Broncos.

Gordon caught 42-of-55 passes (76.4 percent)  for 296 yards and a score in 2019. In comparison, Giants running back Saquon Barkley caught 52-of-73 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns in 2019 with current Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur leading the offense.

Teams don’t usually carry a lot of running backs on their roster opening day. Typically it is usually three. That means that there are going to be some cuts.

As of right now, the team’s running backs are:

Phillip Lindsay
Royce Freeman
Melvin Gordon
Khalfani Muhammad
Jeremy Cox

Drafting a running back at some point is also a possibility. There are some talented backs in this year’s draft.

Muhammad played in four preseason games in 2019. He rushed 31 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. It looked like he would make the team last year but ultimately didn’t. I think that he misses out again.

Freeman could be on his way out, as well. The Broncos could draft a running back at some point in this year’s draft, and there’s only room on the roster for so many backs. While Freeman shared carries with Lindsay in 2019, a trade to a new city could be the end of his career in Denver.

So, in the end, the running back room could look a lot different in 2020 than it did in 2019. The addition of Gordon and the emergence of Lindsay is a great situation to be in. Add another back through the draft and the Broncos could be near the top of the league in rushing yards in 2020.