Initial expectations and projections for Melvin Gordon with the Broncos in 2020

DENVER — It took less than 24 hours for John Elway to replace one No. 25 Pro Bowler with another. After Chris Harris Jr. bolted for the Chargers, the Broncos added some horsepower to their backfield by signing Melvin Gordon to a two-year, $16 million contract.

The flashy move gives the Broncos two Pro-Bowl running backs. But with Phillip Lindsay coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, what will Gordon’s role be?

Here’s what Denver can expect from their new Pro Bowl running back, nicknamed Flash, in 2020.

Projections for 2020: 825 rushing yards; 4.2 yards per carry; 55 receptions; 550 receiving yards; 9 total touchdowns

Sharing the backfield with a stud undrafted back won’t be new for Gordon. Melvin goes from teaming up with the NFL’s best undrafted running back in 2017 with Austin Ekeler to the league’s best undrafted running back in 2018 with Lindsay.

While the similarities are striking between Lindsay and Ekeler on the field — they also both went to college in Colorado — there’s one major difference. Ekeler is one of the league’s best receiving backs, while Lindsay specializes in carrying the rock on the ground.

This changes Gordon’s role significantly moving from Los Angeles to Denver. Instead of focusing on being the primary ball carrier and leaving the receiving duties to Ekeler, Gordon will be paying more attention to catching the ball out of the backfield in Denver.

Now, this doesn’t mean Gordon will be Denver’s receiving back while leaving Phil as the true running back. In fact, making over ten times the amount as Lindsay, Gordon will have a significant role on the ground as well.

Since both backs will share the load on the ground, it will be very difficult for either to top 1,000 rushing yards. The two key numbers for Gordon will be yards per carry and yards from scrimmage.

The biggest knock on Gordon throughout his career is his yards per carry average. Only once has Melvin averaged over 4.0 yards per carry in a season (2018). To fairly share the load with Lindsay, Gordon will have to top 4.0 yards per carry, especially since Lindsay averages 4.9 yards per carry throughout his career.

Yards from scrimmage — rushing and receiving yards combined — will be far more important for Gordon than simply just his rushing yards. Since Lindsay struggled, especially last year, as a receiving back, the Broncos will heavily rely on Melvin for this. Without Ekeler taking away his opportunities in the passing game, Gordon could easily be looking at a career year in that respect.

Elway’s flashy signing should payoff with Flash all over the field.