Melvin Gordon’s agent recently stated that Gordon would not be attending training camp without a new contract. Consequently, he will then demand a trade. What would losing Melvin Gordon mean for the Chargers?
Melvin Gordon has been one of the top running backs in the NFL for only a few years. He has everything that coaches look for in today’s NFL: speed, strength, elusiveness, and receiving ability. When on the field, he is a dominant player who can change the game. However, he has struggled to remain healthy for a full season.
In his career, he has only one season with over 1,000 rushing yards and had a career high 14 total touchdowns in 2018.
Salary
Melvin Gordon is currently set to make just over $5.6 million in the final year of his contract. For comparison, the top three running backs in the NFL will all make over $9 million in 2019. Other notable running backs set to make more than Gordon include Jerick McKinnon, Lamar Miller, and Leonard Fournette.
This is a very large margin and, with the game-breaking ability that Gordon has, it is no surprise that he wants to get paid. It has been said, however, that the running back position is becoming less and less valuable. So, in 2019, is an injury-prone running back with very little statistical success worth a huge contract?
What will happen to the Chargers?
Last year, backup running back Austin Ekeler started three games in place of the injured Melvin Gordon. In those three games he had only 129 rushing yards and one total touchdown. This obviously seems like a gigantic statistical difference. How can a team win with such little rushing success?
Actually, the Chargers won all three of those games.
In the three games where Austin Ekeler started, Philip Rivers still performed very well, throwing for 825 yards and five touchdowns. The offense as a whole still managed to score 79 points.
The Chargers have one of, if not THE most talented rosters in the NFL. They have young, talented players on both sides of the ball, and continue to progress each offseason. Without Melvin Gordon, it is safe to assume that they are still easily a playoff team. There have been many teams that won the Superbowl without a defined lead rusher. The Chargers can do the same.
There are several free agents that could serve as a Melvin Gordon substitute. Although none are as talented as Gordon, a healthy committee of running backs is often better than a single player getting a majority of the snaps. If I were General Manager of the Chargers, I would not hurry to make Gordon the highest paid running back in the league if the team can win without him.
