Denver Broncos general manager John Elway gave more than a mere two cents to his newest addition in Melvin Gordon. Matter of fact, the Hall of Fame quarterback turned front office boss-man doled out a two-year, $16 million deal for the 26-year-old tailback.
Many questioned Elway's decision to load up on running backs without fixating on a quarterback first. Though it seems the former quarterback is more than okay with a three-string system, according to his comments to the Broncos' official website:
“Obviously we had two good backs in Royce Freeman and [Phillip] Lindsay … We know that [Lindsay] is a guy that’s had a great year for us. I know there’s people going, ‘Why do you need another horse?’ Well, when you have an opportunity for Melvin Gordon to come in here, we felt like it was an addition to the team. He’s a guy that obviously has had a lot of success in this league. He’s scored a lot of touchdowns and has caught the football a ton. So we feel like with him — with Melvin, as well as Phillip — that we’ve got a great one-two punch, and we’ll only get better in the backfield.”
As Elway sees it, Denver's points must come through the ground this season.
“Ultimately, we have to score more points this year. We’ve struggled on the offensive side the last two, three years, and so we’ve got to get better on that side. I think Melvin will be one of those key pieces to help us get better.”
Gordon is also a capable pass-catching back, though it will be up to Drew Lock — with only five starts to his name — to deliver the football right where Gordon can deal some damage.