Should Broncos pay for backup RB?
Interesting how the opinions of some Broncos fans about running back Melvin Gordon have changed in the last six months.
Throughout last season: Javonte Williams needs more rushing attempts and Gordon should be moved on.
Throughout this offseason: Bring back Melvin in a supporting role!
Nearly a month into free agency, Gordon, who led the Broncos last year in rushing yards ( 918) and touchdowns ( eight), remains on the market.
The Broncos can afford Gordon as the second running back because his leverage has evaporated and they could sign him to a deal in the range of $ 2 million.
Would it be rare? Kind of. Canvassing the other 31 team depth charts revealed that seven teams have at least two running backs with 2022 cap hits of at least $ 2 million: Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Seattle.
The Browns have Nick Chubb ($ 5.2 million) and Kareem Hunt ($ 6.25 million), followed by the Seahawks’ Chris Carson ($ 6.1 million) and Rashaad Penny ($ 5.4 million) and the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs ($ 3.8 million) and Kenyan Drake ($ 3.8 million).
The Colts re- signed backup Nyheim Hines ($ 5.1 million cap hit) to play behind reigning rushing champion Jonathan Taylor ($ 2.1 million); that disparity is matched only by Baltimore ( starter J. K. Dobbins is at $ 1.5 million and backup Gus Edwards is at $ 4.5 million).
If the Broncos are committed to a work- share arrangement between Williams and Gordon, they have the cap space to make it happen. Williams’ cap hit, the second year of his rookie deal, will be $ 2,014,944 ( 38th among running backs according to Over The Cap).
But if they want to produce an uptick in Williams’ usage ( he and Gordon had 203 carries apiece last year), they could go the veteranat- a- minimum- salary route and a player like Sony Michel ( Rams), Darrel Williams ( Chiefs) or Carlos Hyde ( Jaguars) or use a Day 3 pick on a player like Alabama’s Brian Robinson, Florida’s Dameon Pierce or South Dakota State’s Pierre Strong. A third option is leaning more on Mike Boone, who never got untracked last year after a mid- August quad injury.
The Broncos have an affordable and productive weapon in Williams for three more years on a great contract. To secure cap flexibility, pairing him with a rookie should be Option A … unless Gordon plays for the veteran minimum ($ 1.12 million for a player with seven years of service time).
Around the league Puzzling Saints’ decision.
The first major picks- for- picks trade of the draft season happened Monday when New Orleans sent Nos. 18, 101 and 237 this year, a 2023 first- rounder and a ’ 24 secondrounder to Philadelphia for Nos. 16, 19 and 164 this year. Huh?
The deal makes total sense for Philadelphia, which had three first- round picks this month and now has two apiece in 2022- 23. If Jalen Hurts doesn’t progress this year, the Eagles have plenty of chips to move up in next year’s draft for a quarterback.
But I’m confused about the Saints. Do they really think the AFC South is there for the taking since Tom Brady un- retired? They do, evidently. The second part: Who are they coveting at No. 16? One guess is a Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, but more likely it is a left tackle to replace Terron Armstead, who signed with Miami.
Benefit of top- 30 visit. At last month’s annual league meeting, general manager George Paton said the Broncos would likely use all of their 30 visits with draft prospects, which are allowed for the first time since 2019.
“Right now, we’re in the 20s and we always like to save 5- 6 just in case something comes up in our ( draft) meetings,” Paton said.
What do the Broncos get out of the day- long visit to the facility?
“For one, if the guy didn’t go to the combine, you get a physical,” Paton said. “For two, there are some guys you didn’t get a feel for at the all- star games or combine or they didn’t go and you just want to get to know them. And ( third), some are, you’re just really ( wanting to meet) with a ( potential undrafted) free agent and just show them what you’re all about and it’s a recruiting tool.”
Manning on Instagram. Former Broncos quarterback/ local resident Peyton Manning created an Instagram account late last month and he has 176,000 followers through late last week.
“Speaking of being a rookie and an amateur … I held out as long as I could,” he said in a phone interview.
Don’t expect Manning to be chronicling his every- day life, though.
“I like to use it to highlight other people and projects and not just about me, if you will,” he said, referring to his Omaha Productions’ shows involving his brother, Eli, and Abby Wambach ( soccer) and Vince Carter ( basketball). “That was the reason I decided to get involved with it.”
Run on receivers. The Broncos took care of their receiver business last November, signing Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick to extensions and then making the Russell Wilson trade without giving up Sutton, Patrick, Jerry Jeudy or KJ Hamler. Good thing they don’t need a receiver because as many as seven could be drafted in the first round, led by Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson ( as early as No. 4 to the New York Jets) and
USC’S Drake London ( No. 9 to Atlanta).