What does Melvin Gordon bring to KC Chiefs?

The Kansas City Chiefs surprised fans with the addition of Melvin Gordon to the practice squad. What does he add at this stage in his career?

On Monday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs announced a couple of moves that raised eyebrows among their fans given that both players are familiar faces who help add some depth on offense. The most puzzling one of all was the signing of former Denver Broncos (and Los Angeles Chargers) running back Melvin Gordon.

The real question at this point is why when it comes to the Chiefs and Gordon. The Broncos released Gordon earlier this year after he continued to display fumble issues and a career-low yards/carry rate of 3.5 For the Chiefs to pick him up was a bit of a head-scratcher.

This confusion is why we reached out to Lou Scataglia, an expert on all things Broncos, to tell us what Gordon has left, why the Chiefs might be interested, and how much of this is personal.

First, I’m curious about how you or the fans felt in general about the Broncos releasing him when they did.

His release was a relief for most of the fans from what I saw but it was long overdue. Nathaniel Hackett has talked a ton about accountability but we never saw that in action when Gordon was fumbling seemingly every week. His fumbling issues went back to his first two years in Denver too.

Are you shocked that the Chiefs would be interested in Gordon?

Not at all. I do think they signed him on purpose to try and take a subtle jab at the Broncos. The Chiefs running back situation from afar also looks like it could use a veteran presence for the stretch run. Gordon still had a bit of value as a pass protector and pass catcher which fits the Chiefs’ identity.

I was going to ask what Gordon still does well. Can you elaborate a bit more? And what should the Chiefs avoid ever asking Gordon to do?

He can still pass protect and is usually trustworthy catching the ball. He’ll also break tackles occasionally perhaps more so than a typical running back. I’d say overall his vision is still there but his yards per carry is at the lowest of his career.

As for things the chiefs should avoid asking him to do; he seemed to have a tendency to fumble the ball inside the red zone and at the goal line, so I’d keep him far, far away when the offense gets inside the 20.

So you think this signing has a personal element to it for the Chiefs?

Oh, for sure. He surely saw how some of the fans reacted when he got cut so he probably wants to stick it to the team. Not so much the players but the organization itself even though we gave him a $16 million contract.