Sometimes contract disputes get resolved quickly. Remember last week when we were worried about Josh Jacobs agreeing with the Raiders? He signed. But sometimes they drag on, with LeVeon Bell the extreme example the other way. So best to pay attention to the Melvin Gordon situation.
Gordon is in the final year of his deal, and has told the Chargers he won't report to training camp without a new contract. Though this is the first I can recall seeing of anything, presumably there have been talks previously which hit a snag or something.
Maybe the Chargers will make Gordon happy and this will all be resolved quickly. But the other possibility is that it drags on, and we all get a look at what a Justin Jackson-Austin Ekeler committee would like.
Some might jump all over Ekeler, but he's been an awful lot better as a No. 2 than a starter. Last year he started three games that Gordon missed. Only one was particularly impressive.
| EKELER AS STARTER | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds |
| Tenn. | 12 | 42 | 3.5 | 0 | 5 | 26 |
| at Pitt. | 13 | 21 | 1.6 | 0 | 5 | 22 |
| Cin. | 15 | 66 | 4.4 | 1 | 2 | 28 |
So an average of 68 total yards in those games, with 1 TD, and his only good game against a really awful Bengals team.
More likely, it would be Justin Jackson as the main running back, with Ekeler playing in passing situations and maybe getting a few more carries than he would behind Gordon. Jackson, a seventh-round pick a year ago, got significant snaps in five games last season; here's how they went.
| JACKSON WITH 7-PLUS TOUCHES | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | |
| Ariz. | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| at Pitt. | 8 | 63 | 7.9 | 1 | 1 | 19 | |
| Cin. | 7 | 12 | 1.7 | 0 | 2 | 23 | |
| at K.C. | 16 | 58 | 3.6 | 1 | 3 | 27 | |
| Balt. | 1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 7 | 47 | |
A couple of strong games against Arizona and Pittsburgh, so-so at Kansas City. He also caught 13 passes, so he's not a zero in that area. If Ekeler were to get banged-up, Jackson might be able to play full-time.
If you're participating in an early best-ball draft these days, makes sense to bump both guys up the rankings -- even more so if you select Gordon, who needs to be drafted slightly more conservatively. Often, these things get resolved quickly. But not always.
--Andy Richardson