Tag: Melvin Gordon

Chiefs HC Andy Reid encouraged Melvin Gordon to keep playing despite tough free agent market

Free agency has been tough on running backs lately, but #Chiefs HC Andy Reid encouraged Melvin Gordon to keep at it and continue his pursuit of playing in the NFL.

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Melvin Gordon joined the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad in 2022 after being released by the Denver Broncos. There was no promise that he’d get an opportunity to play and in the end, he was never elevated from the practice squad or activated for a game. His impact came from working on the scout team, being a positive presence in the locker room and being prepared should the team need him.

In a recent appearance on the Jim Rome Show, Melvin Gordon told all about his desire to continue playing in the NFL, the advice he received from Andy Reid and his frustration surrounding the free agent market for his position.

“I still want to play,” Gordon said. “I’ve still got some tread left on the tires. Coach Reid kind of sat me down and he told me, ‘You still can play.’ It’s about the right situation.”

Will that right opportunity ever come for Gordon, though? With stars such as Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette still available, he could be waiting a long time for the “right situation.”

“It’s so tough for running backs right now, man,” Gordon continued. “You have a lot of running backs that’s out there and 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 any camp, I can turn some heads. I know what I need to do. I know my mistakes that I’ve made and you have to be able to correct them, but I’m ready to go.”

Gordon isn’t wrong about the devaluation of the running back position in free agency in the NFL. Not only are players at the position available in abundance, but they’re not receiving much money when they are signed. Running back also happens to be one of the toughest positions to remain healthy while playing. As of 2019, running back had the highest rate of injury in the NFL (20.7%). The risk versus reward of playing the position in the NFL simply isn’t there given the longevity situation.

For Gordon, he says it’s all about staying prepared for whatever opportunity may come his way. It’s probably a little easier to get through knowing that he just won a Super Bowl as a member of the Chiefs.

“I’m just staying ready,” Gordon said. “It’s hard, though. 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 it kind of helps you get through it.”

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Melvin Gordon thinks Russell Wilson has MVP season in him

Things could be on the upswing for the former Wisconsin Badger.

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To say former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had a tough debut year with the Broncos is an understatement. After finally forcing his way out of Seattle, Wilson found his new NFL home in Denver, and things didn’t exactly go as according to plan.

Wilson easily had the worst year of his career as the Broncos cratered to 5-12. Wilson’s reputation was sullied drastically as he and his team became the punchline of every joke. However, things could be on the upswing for the former Wisconsin Badger. Denver hired head coach Sean Payton this offseason, and one former teammate of Wilson’s thinks it will be a key difference-maker.

Former Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III believes that under Payton, Wilson can return to being an MVP-caliber player.

Gordon’s three-year tenure in Denver came to a halt last year when the Broncos cut him because of his costly fumble issues. He was quickly picked up by the division rival Kansas City Chiefs, with whom he earned a Super Bowl ring.

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Which Badgers would’ve been EA Sports’ NCAA Football cover athletes since 2014?

Which Badgers would’ve been cover athletes on EA’s NCAA Football video game?

The last time that EA Sports released their NCAA Football game was 2013 and the game is set to return in 2024. Many have speculated which college football athletes would’ve been selected as cover athletes for the game over the last decade and for the sake of it, I’ve compiled a Badgers only list.

Wisconsin has had many “star” players in the Big Ten and many hometown favorites, but the program has also churned out some of the absolute best players in the country over the last 10 years.

Listed below, I selected the Wisconsin players that I felt most deserved to be on the cover for each of the Badgers’ last 10 seasons, choosing to go without any repeats.

Rams rookie Zach Evans was compared a 2-time Pro Bowl RB before the draft

Two draft experts compared Zach Evans to 2-time Pro Bowl RB Melvin Gordon, which is high praise for the Rams rookie

Zach Evans is joining the Rams as a sixth-round rookie but there’s a good chance he outplays his draft position in Los Angeles. It was surprising to hear his name called so late in the draft after he was ranked in the top 150 by a lot of analysts, but the Rams are thrilled to have landed him at No. 215 overall, even if they had to move up 37 spots to make it happen.

He’s a running back who brings good size, physicality and speed to the offense, proving to be a big-play threat for Ole Miss and TCU during his career in college. Not many running backs manage to average 6.9 yards per carry across three seasons like Evans did.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar ranked Evans as the seventh-best running back in the class and he compared the Rams rookie to a two-time Pro Bowler: Melvin Gordon.

Farrar also compared Kenneth Walker III to Gordon in 2022, but he feels Evans is more powerful in his lower half than Gordon or Walker.

NFL Comparison: Melvin Gordon III. Last year, I compared Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III to Gordon, and it fit — everywhere from the slashing running style to the embryonic receiver abilities to the occasional garish whiffs in pass protection. Walker turned into an asset for the Seahawks in his rookie season, and Evans reminds me a lot of both backs in his predilection for consistently exhibiting speed and agility, and I think that Evans is more powerful at his base than either of those backs.

Evans turns out to be the Rams’ version of Gordon, they should be very happy. Though he only rushed for 1,000 yards once, he’s averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his career and scored 55 touchdowns despite missing time with injury almost every season.

Farrar wasn’t the only analyst to make that pro comparison, either. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein did the same, likening Evans to Gordon in his scouting report and giving him a fourth-round projection with the third-best grade of any running back in the 2023 class.

That’s some high praise from Zierlein.

Evans has a lot to prove and he dealt with his own injury struggles in college, but he’ll get an opportunity to contribute early on as the No. 2 or 3 back behind Cam Akers and Kyren Williams.

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Wisconsin offers four-star running back from Florida

The Badgers offered Byron Louis, a four-star class of 2025 running back from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thursday.

The Badgers offered Byron Louis, a four-star running back from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thursday. The 5-foot-10, 180 pound athlete still has two more seasons of football at American Heritage before he’d potentially join a collegiate program as a member of their class of 2025.

Louis has now received 24 Division 1 offers, including programs like Georgia, Ohio State and USC. That being said, Wisconsin is known for producing star running backs like Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball and Ron Dayne amongst others.

Head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo will look to improve upon the early success of current halfback Braelon Allen in 2023 and Louis could potentially be next up to be a star in the Badgers’ backfield.

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WATCH: Happy 30th birthday to Melvin Gordon, relive his best Badger moments

Happy birthday to Melvin Gordon!

One of the all-time Badger greats at running back is celebrating his 30th birthday today. Melvin Gordon’s 2014 season will go down as one of the best at any position in Wisconsin football history.

In a year where he finished as the Heisman runner-up, Gordon racked up 2,740 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns, while also adding 153 receiving yards and three scores in the passing game.

His greatest moment on the field as a Badger? The iconic 408 rushing yards against Nebraska that will go down as one of the best running back performances in the history of the sport.

Check out the best of Gordon’s Wisconsin career.

Melvin Gordon was brutally (and hilariously) honest about his role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run

“I got carried, baby.” – A man who knows his role well

One thing about Melvin Gordon is that he’s going to be brutally honest about things, no matter what. That’s just how he’s always been.

That definitely didn’t change after he won his first and only Super Bowl with the Chiefs. Gordon was a late roster addition for the Chiefs in the season made to bolster their running game for the playoffs.

Things, obviously, turned out extremely well for Gordon. He didn’t have to do essentially anything at all but got a Super Bowl ring out of it. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Gordon seems to think so, too. He was asked about the difference between his brief stint with the Chiefs in comparison with his time on other teams and his answer was brutally honest while also being hilarious.

In short, the man said he was “carried.” And he’s thrilled about it.

“The difference? Oh the difference is I didn’t do s***. I got carreid. I got carried, baby.” 

This is so perfect, y’all. The honesty. Melvin Gordon is a grade-A truth teller, man. We absolutely love to see it.

Fans thought this was too funny.

Badgers tied for all-time lead in top RB award

Is Braelon Allen the next Doak Walker Award winner from the Badgers?

The Doak Walker Award, established in 1990, is awarded to the nation’s top collegiate running back every season. Named after Walker, a former RB at Southern Methodist (1945-1949), it’s the highest honor a ball carrier can earn for their position.

Wisconsin has produced some of the best running backs in the country in the last couple decades and has gained some steam as the “running back university”. In the end though, the Badgers have never been able to get over the hump and make a national championship, regardless of their backfield talent. Looking to the future, new head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo have reassured fans that the running mentality will not be erased moving forward, but only time will tell.

Overall, the Badgers have had five winners of the Doak Walker Award, tying them with the Texas Longhorns for most ever. Here’s a look into the impressive athletes to don the Badger red and white:

Melvin Gordon will get a Super Bowl ring from Chiefs

The Chiefs gave practice squad players Super Bowl rings when they won in 2019, so Melvin Gordon is expected to get one this year.

Melvin Gordon had quite a season in 2022.

After going unsigned as a free agent through March and most of April, Gordon re-signed with the Denver Broncos on a one-year, bargain contract just before the NFL draft.

Gordon began the season as a rotational backup behind Javonte Williams and he fumbled four times in the team’s first four games. Despite those fumbles, Gordon started the next six games following Williams’ season-ending injury.

Gordon fumbled a fifth time in Week 10, and that proved to be his final game with the Broncos. Denver cut him the next day, and Gordon ended up signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as a practice squad player.

Gordon did not appear in any regular season or postseason games with the Chiefs this season, but after KC defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 on Sunday, Gordon is now in line to get a Super Bowl ring.

Gordon posted a photo with the trophy on Twitter on Sunday night.

The Chiefs gave rings to practice squad players when they won Super Bowl LIV in 2019, so it seems safe to assume they will do the same for Super Bowl LVII this year.

Gordon is now scheduled to become a free agent in March. His final stats with KC: 0 appearances, 0 rushing yards and 1 Super Bowl ring.

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Two former Badgers part of Super-Bowl winning Chiefs

Rookie linebacker Leo Chenal and running back Melvin Gordon became the next two Badgers to be a part of a Super-Bowl winning team.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday and two Wisconsin Badgers were a part of the winning side. Rookie linebacker Leo Chenal and running back Melvin Gordon became the next two Badgers to be a part of a championship team.

Chenal had gone without a tackle through the Chiefs’ first two playoff games, but he turned it on when it matter most. He recorded a season-high six tackles while registering his second sack of the year as well. He certainly looks geared up to be a big part of the Kansas City defense moving forward after he compiled 41 tackles while playing in all 20 of the team’s contests this year.

For Gordon, his contributions were from the sideline, operating as an extra running back option on the team’s practice squad. The 29-year-old joined the team in late November after he was dropped by the Broncos and regardless of involvement, it was nice to the the Badger legend with a Lombardi in his hands.

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