The Denver Broncos had another miserable performance in Week 11, blowing a double-digit lead for the second consecutive week in their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Looking to shake things up further, they have decided to make another change at the running back position. Veteran Melvin Gordon has been given his walking papers as the team decided to waive him on Monday afternoon, but should the Philadelphia Eagles now look to pursue him?
Gordon signed a one-year deal worth $2.5 million after spending the last two seasons in Denver but will now be looking for a team to join for the stretch run of the season.
Like every Bronco, Gordon was struggling this season to produce. He had 318 yards on 90 carries with two touchdowns. In addition, he caught 25 passes for 223 yards. The biggest issue plaguing Gordon this season was fumbling.
Gordon fumbled the ball four times in the first four games of the season, losing two of them. He didn’t fumble for five consecutive games before putting the ball on the ground against the Raiders this past weekend. Gordon fumbled ahead of halftime after gaining a first down, which led to Denver attempting a field goal that was blocked. Had he not fumbled, the Broncos would have had a few shots at punching it into the end zone to lengthen their lead.
Despite the fumbling issues, it would be surprising if Gordon went unclaimed or didn’t sign with a team quickly after clearing waivers. There are plenty of teams that were in the market for a running back upgrade ahead of the deadline that could show interest in him now.
One team that would make sense for him is the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia was in on Christian McCaffrey before he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and also checked in on Alvin Kamara. The price proved to be too much, but bringing Gordon in would only cost some cap space.
Gordon would provide Philadelphia with another pass-catching option out of the backfield and someone capable of spelling Miles Sanders on early downs. Getting back into a good offense would improve his production instantly as he averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season before the entire Denver offense sank this season.
