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After not playing a snap in Week 4, Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is officially in the fold of the gameplan for Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. However, the two-time Pro Bowler won't be a bell-cow,
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the expectation is that Gordon splits carries with Austin Ekeler on Sunday. The two sharing the workload should come as no surprise; Gordon missed all of training camp during a contract holdout and Ekeler has more than filled-in for the star back.
In four games, Ekeler has 56 rushes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 270 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 24 receptions. The third-year undrafted back has tallied 15 first downs on the ground and 11 as a pass-catcher, per Pro Football Reference.
It makes sense to get Ekeler involved, considering how good he has been for the Chargers offense. In obvious news, it also makes sense to get Gordon going; who, when healthy, is one of the NFL's premier running backs.
Gordon has amassed at least 1,375 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns in each of his last three seasons in the NFL. In 2018, despite playing 12 games, he totaled 885 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 175 attempts. He also reeled in 50 receptions for 490 yards and four touchdowns. For the year, he averaged 6.1 yards per touch.
With Gordon and Ekeler sharing the backfield, the Chargers boast one of the NFL's more talented running back tandems. The 0-4 Broncos will have their hands full attempting to an offense that boasts more stars outside of the run-game.
