Broncos' Nathaniel Hackett sidesteps question about Melvin Gordon's lack of playing time

Melvin Gordon's lack of touches in Monday Night's loss drew a response from Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon made his opinion clear on his lack of usage in Week 6 after the Broncos' Monday Night Football loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. When asked about the situation on Tuesday, head coach Nathaniel Hackett dodged the question, indicating that Gordon did nothing wrong and that the two would be meeting to discuss the matter in the near future, via James Palmer.

“Melvin didn’t do anything wrong”. Hackett said. He also said the two of them are going to have a conversation. He said Melvin is a competitor and wants to play and he likes that. https://t.co/xFV68R1qId

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) October 18, 2022

Hackett even complimented Gordon on his desire to get into the game, saying that he appreciates the veteran RB's competitive spirit. In an attempt to explain the lack of touches for Gordon during the game, Hackett said that the team didn't get to run many plays in general during the second half and was a fan of what Latavius Murray was doing in the backfield, prompting his decision to keep rolling with Murray.

Murray led all Broncos rushers with 15 carries in the game. He picked up a total of 66 yards (4.4 per carry) and did not score a touchdown. Wilson was next with four carries for 23 yards, while Gordon was given just three rushes and picked up only eight yards. Mike Boone was the only other player to record a carry, going one yard on one touch.

Gordon didn't hide his frustrations after the loss, and now Hackett has attempted to clear the air over the veteran's complaints. The Broncos' approach to their rushing attack has been confusing, to say the least. When Javonte Williams was healthy, Gordon was competing with him and stealing carries away from the young star running back. Now that Williams' season is over, it would stand to reason that Gordon would absorb a bigger workload, however, that hasn't been the case.

Since Williams went down in Week 4, Gordon has had two games with just three carries, and one game with 15. To say the least, it's been inconsistent on the Broncos' end.