There is a new dynamic duo brewing down in Dove Valley this year in Denver. They have Drew Lock ready to drop dimes on opposing defenses. A head coach and general manager attacking the off-season like never before. A brand new guard in Graham Glasgow to keep Drew off his back. Possibly, the biggest signing that brings the brunt of this new storm is running back Melvin Gordon.
Denver Broncos Dynamic Duo
You see it more often in the NFL now that most teams have a tandem of runnings backs they use. The days of the number one bell-cow back are gone. With the average career of most running backs being three years it would behoove teams to invest in more than one. Unfortunately, for running backs most teams and general managers do not like to pay big dollars on a second contract. This is why you see most teams have one guy making the money and usually a rookie or retread backing him up.
This is the case in Denver with running backs Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon coming out of the backfield. Although, you would think that the guy with back to back 1,000-yard seasons would the big money guy. Phillip Lindsay is going into his third year with Denver and clearly the motor of this offense. So when the signing of Gordon came down you can bet it ruffled some feathers. General manager John Elway made sure to calm the waters assure Denver’s dynamic duo both can coexist.
Denver’s Duo
One of the biggest problems with the Denver Broncos last year was converting third downs. They finished 30th in the NFL with a 31.7 percent conversion percentage. For a team that wants to put up huge numbers, this is not helping them achieve their goal. For this reason alone, Denver found it necessary to bring in Melvin Gordon. Once he came back from a contract hold out, Gordon converted 60 percent of his third-down runs as reported by Jeff Legwold.
Even with a sluggish start to his season after a contract holdout, Gordon converted 60 percent of his third-down rushes into first downs overall. Lindsey converted 20 percent of his third-down chances.
So, on third downs this upcoming season you can expect to see number 25 lining up next to Drew Lock. Consequently, Lindsay will see his production on first and second down increase since he is better inside the tackles. He took the lion’s share of snaps last season when it was split between him and Royce Freeman. Both players complement each other very well and bring the perfect skill set to make this running attack dangerous.
Denver is doing the right thing by bringing in another Pro Bowl running back into the fold. Most pundits and critics will say that the contract was too expensive based on past production. Denver is only paying one running back right now with Lindsay and Freeman still on rookie deals. The advantage being on Denver’s side since they can put off paying another big contract for a year and possibly cut Gordon loose if he busts. With Gordon catching passes on third down and Lindsay breaking huge gains on early downs, this team is poised to torch defenses.
