RBs Are 'Kind of Screwed!' - Melvin Gordon

Melvin Gordon earned a Super Bowl, but it wasn't supposed to come like this. 

Less than a year after he earned a second straight season with at least 900 yards, Gordon was reduced to practice squad status appearing on that of the Kansas City Chiefs. Gordon didn't play a down for his former divisional rivals but the former San Diego/Los Angeles Charger and Denver Bronco was nonetheless granted a Super Bowl ring.

Six months later, Gordon is clinging to his NFL career in an effort to stick around on the Baltimore Ravens' roster, signed in late July to compete for one of the backup running back spots. In that span, several similar stories have broken out, ones that potentially make Gordon one of the lucky ones. Gordon commented on the devolving discussion around the running back spot, predicting a relatively dire outlook for the near future.

"We're kind of screwed, I feel like, for the next couple years," Gordon said at Ravens camp, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley, referring to do the current collective bargainning agreement's expiration in 2030. "So, the only thing we could do is just kind of stack it and just ball out."

Gordon earned two Pro Bowl nominations and 6,144 rushing yards from 2015 through 2021 with the Chargers and Broncos. That's good for the third-best in the NFL in that span, but seven of the top 11 rushers on that particular list are not an NFL roster. 

At least Gordon, 30, has a helmet to call his own. Ezekiel Elliott and Kareem Hunt, the NFL's rushing leaders from 2016 through 2018, do not appear on any current NFL rosters and the last two are on thin ice as is. Jonathan Taylor requested a trade when the Indidnapolis Colts while Josh Jacobs will play this Las Vegas Raiders seasons on the franchise tag (as will elite playmakers Saquon Barkley and Tony Pollard). 

The conversation around the running back partly stems from recent history that seems to hint that well-paid rusher isn't a necessity on the path to the Super Bowl: since 2009, only two champion rushers (including Baltimore's Ray Rice in 2012) made at least $2 million. Last year's rushers for the champion Kansas City Chiefs (Ronald Jones, Jerrick McKinnon, Isiah Pacheco) made less than $2 million combined in base salary (not counting the $3.4 million cap hit for Clyde Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve).

Running backs have pondered what to do with the situation and another recent leader, Tennessee's Derrick Henry, has reportedly organized a series of Zoom meetings for rushers to discuss their next steps. Gordon believes that talking won't accomplish anything, instead encouraging his fellow ground threats to continue to bide their time until the next CBA negotiations.

"At the end of the day, the talking and this and that is not going to get anything done," Gordon said. "I think we just have to shine in the brightest moments when we get to the playoffs. The backs that are on that team got to take initiative to be like,  you know what, I'm going to take over."

"The league is changing, and it sucks to say it's a passing league. But you still need a great run game. Let's not get away from that."

Gordon's first chance to help make those moments comes on Saturday night when the Ravens open a three-game preseason slate against the Philadelphia Eagles (7 p.m. ET, WBAL/NFL Network).

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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