Denver Broncos: Grading every offseason acquisition so far
Melvin Gordon, running back
Contract details: 2 years, $16 million
Before we get into this, I want to share something I wrote about the idea of possibly adding Melvin Gordon back in early January so everyone knows this is not a puff piece filled with only positive vibes.
"Gordon has speed and strength, for sure, but have we seen the peak of what he is at this point? Is he worth upwards of $10 million per season? With what the Broncos currently have, I would take the field of free agents and the NFL Draft over paying Gordon as much money as he is looking for. If he were to come in at the price of $7 million per season? That might pique my interest. From January 9 article"
So, the Broncos ended up getting Gordon for $8 million per season. I would be splitting hairs if I said that really bothered me when I said I would be interested at $7 million per season.
Here’s why Gordon’s two year deal is not terrible.
1. It’s a two-year deal.
2. He’s an effective three-down back.
3. He’s done well against stacked boxes.
4. He scores a lot of touchdowns.
5. The Broncos had ample cap space to make the move.
6. Gordon has worked well in a tandem situation and doesn’t need to be a bellcow to be effective.
There are takes to the contrary as to why this is a bad deal for the Broncos, and many of those arguments are legitimate. Not paying big money to veteran running backs is typically a wise move but this is a short-term deal and calculated risk by the Broncos to try and put more points on the board.
The idea that the Broncos could have spent this money elsewhere is also a valid point to make, but there’s no question the offense needed to be upgraded somehow this offseason, and it sounds like John Elway and Vic Fangio were separately convinced that Gordon could be a good fit.
This move allows the Broncos to upgrade the offense substantially with a veteran player who brings a Pro Bowl pedigree and a chip on his shoulder after all that went down with the Chargers in the last year or so.
Nobody has to be forced to love this move for the Broncos, but unless they spent your own money, there’s no need to be outraged. This move gives Denver a much-needed veteran presence at the offensive skill positions and if Gordon isn’t constantly seeing stacked boxes, he might be able to enjoy the best years of his career in Denver.
At this point, everyone’s got to be hoping for that since the deal is done. Was it the wisest investment the Broncos could make? Only time will tell. I don’t absolutely love it, but I see the possible benefits of it.