Denver Broncos: This is how the team likely plans to use Melvin Gordon in 2021

Heading into the 2021 season, the Denver Broncos seem to be building quite the offensive backfield.

Though the Broncos moved on from fan-favorite Phillip Lindsay during the offseason, there has been a lot of talk about second-round pick Javonte Williams and free-agent signing Mike Boone since that transaction.

The Broncos moved up in the second round of the draft to select the hard-running Williams out of North Carolina. The decision to bring in Boone was tied to his time with George Paton with the Minnesota Vikings.

But the Broncos still have Melvin Gordon and he should enter the year as the starting running back. Gordon had an up-and-down 2020 season with the Broncos, but 2021 will be an important one for him for a couple of reasons.

For one, it will be the second year of the two-year deal he signed in Denver. As a result, he will be looking to showcase his absolute best in order to earn a new deal for Denver or one from another team in the league.

Gordon still has the talent to be one of the league’s best backs, but at 28 years old, he’s fast approaching that dreaded 30-year old age mark where most running backs begin to break down or just fall flat out of the league.

If Gordon has two or three more years of productivity left in him, he is going to have to prove it by starting with a strong 2021 season.

What does 2021 hold for Melvin Gordon?

Given the fact that the Broncos have the young Williams and Boone, who is a smaller back who will also be used on special teams, all signs could point to one thing: The Broncos running the wheels off of Gordon this season.

And why not? The team is not committed to him beyond this season and using a high draft pick on Williams signals the team may not have many plans for him beyond this year. Following the draft, I talked about how it likely won’t be long before Williams overtakes him as the starter,  but it makes just as much sense to slowly ease Williams in while giving the bigger workload to Gordon.

Then in year two, Williams could take over as the full-time starter and use the experience he earned as a rookie to build on. Denver’s decision with Gordon would be easy. If he was of any value, they could sign him to a smaller deal to be the backup to Williams. If another team wanted to give big money to a 29-year old Gordon, let them.

It makes plenty of sense for the Broncos to ride Gordon as far as they can and plug the younger, fresher Williams in at the right intervals. For the 2021 season, that seems the best path to success. In 2022 and beyond, the backfield belongs to Williams.

Gordon most likely knows that already as well but auditioning for the other 31 teams, or even a reduced role in Denver in the future should be enough motivation to have a much better season than last year.