Before he signed with the Denver Broncos in 2020, Melvin Gordon had a pair of 50-catch seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and four seasons with more than 40 catches.
Over the last two years in Denver, Gordon has 32 and 28 catches, respectively. Last year, Javonte Williams was the team’s top receiving back, totaling 43 catches, giving the Broncos’ top two backs 71 combined receptions in 2021.
That was under the old coaching staff. The new coaching staff is led by Nathaniel Hackett, the former offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.
Last year, Packers running backs Aaron Jones (52) and AJ Dillon (34) combined to total 86 receptions, 15 more than Denver’s top two backs. So it seems fair to assume Gordon and Williams might be a little more involved in the passing game this year than they were in 2021.
“If you look at the past, the experience that I’ve had with any running back — when you want to run the ball, that’s important because it helps so many different things across the board to attack a defense. But when you add them into the pass game, they’re so integral,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said last month.
“A lot of people don’t know how integral they are because they open up holes for other people and when holes close, they’re the ones that get the ball. When you get the ball to a back in space, we’re all very excited for that. I think it’s just about the quarterbacks understanding their progressions, their reads and being able to make an efficient decision to be able to get a completion. If it’s to a back, it’s usually in space and I love that.”
This is a notable development for fantasy football managers as it presumably means Gordon and Williams will both see a slight increase in value in point-per-reception leagues this season. Neither back is expected to emerge as a workhorse, so that will limit their ceilings, but both could prove to be productive RB options in fantasy football.
In real life, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson will have two more talented weapons to work with in an offense looking to take a big step forward this fall.
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