Melvin Gordon leaving the Chargers would be good for Chiefs

Melvin Gordon has figured out how to move the chains quite well against the Chiefs, so K.C. won’t be complaining if he leaves the AFC West anytime soon.

Over the last few days, word has leaked that Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is not happy at all with his deal. In fact, he’s so unhappy that he’s threatened to hold out of training camp if he’s not given a new deal while also demanding a trade—assumedly to a team that would value him “properly.”

While it’s unlikely that Gordon is going to go anywhere given the lack of leverage on his part, all of this is likely an exercise in futility—including this very story. However, if Gordon was somehow able to manipulate the situation to get what he wants, to force the Chargers hand to trade him to a team willing to pay him, you wouldn’t hear any concerns from the Chiefs side of the AFC West. The reality is that Gordon is looking increasingly scary against K.C.’s defense.

More from Arrowhead Addict

The good news for the Chiefs is that Steve Spagnuolo is here with a brand new defensive scheme (and mostly new players) in order to set a new precedent against the growth curve of Gordon. Yet even then, Chiefs fans should expect to see Gordon run all over the Chiefs until the team’s defense can prove they can hold Gordon.

Consider that Gordon’s own game log against the Chiefs resembles his overall growth in the league. As a rookie, Gordon averaged 2.48 yards/carry in two games against the Chiefs and totaled 112 total yards from scrimmage in those appearances. In his sophomore season, he played only 1 game against K.C. and had only 57 rushing yards. However, he also added 2 touchdowns and averaged just over 4 yards/carry—a big improvement.

In 2017, he turned a corner completely as an offense cornerstone at least against the Chiefs. In the team’s Week 3 game against the visiting Chiefs, Gordon had 79 rushing yards and a 4.65 yards/carry average. Eleven weeks later, while playing at Arrowhead, Gordon had 78 rushing yards and 91 receiving yards. It was the first major breakout effort in his fifth game against the Chiefs. He also scored one touchdown in each game.

Last year, Gordon again played only once against the Chiefs, but he put up 64 rushing yards and 102 receiving yards to show that he’s a legitimate two-way target. That was in Week 1, and perhaps the Chiefs were lucky to not face Gordon once again in 2018.

The Chiefs have certainly owned the Chargers since Andy Reid arrived, but it’s clear that the Bolts are more talented than ever coming into a new season. Gordon is a major part of that, as a player coming into his own with a nose for the end zone and the ability to move the chains on the ground or through the air.

Next. Why Mahomes is the next transcendent athlete. dark

Gordon has so little leverage that it’s silly to think that the Bolts would actually cater to his demands. If kept, it will be on Spagnuolo to stop the trajectory that Gordon has been on over the last few years against the Chiefs.

Home/Kansas City Chiefs News