3 Denver Broncos offensive players causing concern early in 2022
Denver Broncos concerning offensive player no. 1: Melvin Gordon, RB
While some would take a dip into the hot take hot tub and say that quarterback Russell Wilson is the most concerning player on offense for the Denver Broncos right now in 2022, I would beg to differ. I think we’ve seen enough “good” from the offense in three games (moving the ball well in weeks 1-2, just not cashing in on red zone chances) to have faith that Wilson will eventually figure things out.
We even saw some glimpses of “vintage” Russ against the 49ers. Unfortunately, we also saw what has become known as the norm for Melvin Gordon. Gordon had two fumbles against the 49ers, both of which could have put the Broncos at 1-2 on the season. He also had a dropped pass which he tipped up in the air like a beach ball, and somehow nobody on the 49ers was able to come down with it. When you couple Gordon’s game against the 49ers with the extremely costly fumble in Week 1, you have an absolute disaster alert every time this guy touches the football.
Javonte Williams has plenty to improve on three games in as well. His vision on some runs has not been great, and he’s cost himself some additional yardage as a result. But at this point, everyone in Broncos Country would feel much more comfortable with 33 in the backfield late in games compared to no. 25.
Gordon, to his credit, has done well in some areas. He had a great pass protection rep on the big play to Courtland Sutton against the 49ers with Russell Wilson dropping back into his own end zone. If not for Gordon’s textbook pass pro rep, Wilson might have been sacked for a safety. With that being said, the fumbles and ball security issues vastly outweigh the pass protection.
Broncos Country has resorted to collectively holding its breath anytime Gordon has the ball. You’ve got to think everyone on the coaching staff and everyone in the front office is lying if they say they aren’t feeling somewhat the same. Gordon has three fumbles this year. He’s now up to 10 fumbles as a member of the Broncos and it feels like a terrible risk every time he has the ball in his hands.