The running back position in the NFL is one that has increasingly lost value over the last several years as teams are finding worth in younger, less expensive running backs instead of spending big money on well-known free agents.
Free agent Melvin Gordon is one of those running backs looking for a home next season, and the eight-year veteran knows how difficult it is to play his position in today’s NFL.
From left: Melvin Gordon, Patrick Mahomes and Clyde Edwards-Helaire of the Kansas City Chiefs participate in practice prior to Super Bowl LVII at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“I still want to play. I got some tread on the tires,” Gordon said this week on “The Jim Rome Show.”
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“It’s just so tough for running backs right now, man,” he continued. “You have a lot of running backs that’s out there. We just don’t get no love. It’s literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now. It literally sucks.
“I’m just staying ready because I know what I can do. I know once I get in camp, or I get in any camp, I can turn some heads.”
Melvin Gordon of the Denver Broncos high-fives a fan before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 13, 2022. (Silas Walker/Getty Images)
Gordon, who was drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, appeared in 10 games for the Denver Broncos in 2022 before winding up on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.
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He turned 30 years old in April and admitted that it’s been difficult for him to train not knowing whether a team will come calling.
“I’m just staying ready. It’s hard, though,” Gordon said. “It’s hard training knowing that you’re not gonna be on a team. It’s tough mentally. But I talked to some players that went through it, and I’m just taking their advice, being a sponge. And that kind of helps you get through it.”
Melvin Gordon of the Denver Broncos takes to the field prior to the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field At Mile High in Denver on Nov. 20, 2022. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
There are multiple running backs still looking for a team as July approaches, including Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook.
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Cook, who rushed for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns last season, was released by the Minnesota Vikings in June after six seasons.
Minnesota saved $9 million in cap space by making the move after June 1.
