John Elway and Vic Fangio open up on the Phillip Lindsay-Melvin Gordon dynamic

DENVER — With well-over $50 million to spend, John Elway had quite the first week of free agency. Seemingly every day, Elway and Co. were signing and trading for Pro Bowl players and immediate starters.

And while favorable reviews followed nearly every big-time move Elway made, signing former division-rival Melvin Gordon was unquestionably the most controversial. After all, the Broncos already have a Pro Bowl running back beloved by Broncos Country, Phillip Lindsay.

“We know that [Lindsay] is a guy that’s had a great year for us. I know there are people going, ‘Why do you need another horse,” Elway told Alexis Perry of Broncos TV on Wednesday, addressing any skepticism immediately.

“Well, when you have an opportunity for Melvin Gordon to come in here, we felt like it was an addition to the team. He’s a guy that obviously has had a lot of success in this league,” Elway said, explaining what his new running back brings to the team. “He’s scored a lot of touchdowns and has caught the football a ton. So we feel like with him — with Melvin, as well as Phillip — that we’ve got a great one-two punch, and we’ll only get better in the backfield.”

One thing that’s certain is Gordon is an upgrade over Royce Freeman, Denver’s second running back last year. “Flash,” as Gordon’s been nicknamed, has Freeman beat in nearly every statistical category, both rushing and receiving, throughout his entire career.

Guaranteeing $13.5 million to Gordon over the next two years almost ensures he and Lindsay will pair up for at least the next two seasons in Orange & Blue. Exactly how the two will coexist remains to be determined, according to Vic Fangio.

“It’s pretty common right now in the NFL that most teams have two backs that do the bulk of the ball-carrying… [and divvy] up the third-down responsibilities,” Denver’s head coach told Broncos TV on Wednesday. “So I don’t see it as a problem getting enough work for both of them. We’re happy to have them both.”

This won’t be a new dynamic for either Gordon or Lindsay. In fact, both were the “one” in the one-two punch the last few years, with Gordon paired with Austin Ekeler on the Chargers the past three years and Lindsay leading the way with Freeman the past two years.

Defying all odds, Lindsay became the first undrafted player in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his first two seasons, despite sharing the load with Freeman. Despite sharing the backfield with Ekeler the past three seasons, Gordon’s averaged nearly 1,300 yards from scrimmage and almost 12 touchdowns per year.

The splash of signing Flash wasn’t viewed as a slight to Lindsay. It was more viewed as an upgrade to the entire offense, which was the league’s fifth-worst scoring offense last year only putting up 17.6 points per game. Additionally, despite Lindsay’s 1,000 yards on the ground, Denver had the 13th-worst rushing attack, only trotting for 103.9 yards per game.

“Ultimately, we have to score more points this year,” Elway said bluntly. “We’ve struggled on the offensive side the last two, three years, and so we’ve got to get better on that side. I think Melvin will be one of those key pieces to help us get better.”

Elway pointed to Gordon’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, but Fangio made it clear he won’t exclusively be labeled as a receiving back.

“I just think he’s a quality running back, both when he’s toting the rock and when he’s running pass routes,” Fangio said. “I think he can pass protect. I think he’s a very versatile running back in that he can do all the jobs a running back has to be asked to be done, and I’m excited to have him.”

The Colorado native has added plenty of flash to Denver’s running game the past two years. Elway and Fangio believe Flash Gordon will just add to that.