The Baltimore Ravens are bringing in two-time Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon III to reinforce the depth in their backfield ahead of training camp. The team announced that they had come to the agreement in principle on a one-year deal pending a physical on Friday, July 21, 2023.
We’ve agreed in principle on a 1-year deal with RB Melvin Gordon, pending a physical❗️
Welcome to Baltimore, @Melvingordon25❗️
The eight-year veteran is expected to join the team next at the start of training camp where he will take his physical and according to a report from ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, the deal will sign as long as passes are worth up to $3.1 million.
Gordon was originally drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. He had a prolific collegiate career that concluded with a Heisman Trophy finalist season in 2014 in which he rushed for a career-high 2,587 yards, the second most in a single season in college football history behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.
Most of his success came in the early portion of his career where he had a three-year stretch from 2016 to 2018 where eclipsed 1,300 yards from scrimmage in a season, scored 38 total touchdowns, and earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods.
HE GONE.
The 30-year-old is entering the ninth season and has spent his entire career up to this point in the AFC West. His first five years in the league were with the Chargers followed by a three-year stint with the Denver Broncos that ended when he was waived 10 games into the 2022 season. He finished the year on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs who went in to win Super Bowl 57.
One issue that likely led to his downfall in Denver was his lack of consistent ball security. Gordon had five fumbles which was the second-most among all non-quarterbacks in last season according to Pro Football Reference. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh absolutely abhors fumbling and ball carriers at any position will find themselves in his doghouse and on the bench if they show they can’t hold onto the ball.
Veteran Provides Solid Depth & Injury Insurance
While his best days are behind him, Gordan has proven that he can still be productive in the later stages of this career. Prior to falling out of favor with the Broncos during a tumultuous season for the entire team, he had recorded over 900 rushing yards, over 1,100 scrimmage yards, and scored 10 total touchdowns in both 2020 and 2021 per Pro Football Reference.
.@Melvingordon25 gets loose for a 47-yard TD!
@Broncos back on top. #BroncosCountry
📺: #KCvsDEN on ESPN/ABC
📱: t.co/wJgbGtMl5R
Even though he didn’t catch a lot of passes in college, since entering the league, he has been a dynamic weapon out of the backfield and proficient in pass protection. Gordan averages eight yards per reception in his career and in every year that he’s played in at least 12 games, he has caught 28 or more passes.
The Ravens haven’t had the best luck in recent years when it comes to their top running backs staying on the field. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards have missed a combined 51 games in the past two years. They both missed the entirety of the 2021 season after suffering season-ending knee injuries and neither played in 10 regular season games last year as they dealt with customary setbacks that come with recovery.
Regardless of the condition of Edwards’ knee or Dobbins contract situation, it made sense to bring in vet RB. Edwards and Dobbins have missed 51 games over past 2 seasons. During that span, Ravens have had 11 different RBs get carries. Gordon essentially this year’s Mike Davis
Even though the position is far from the team’s top remaining need, Zrebiec believes that bringing in a veteran runningback “made sense” and wrote that Gordon is “essentially this year’s Mike Davis”.
Last year, the Ravens signed a veteran player at the same position from coincidentally the same draft class as Gordon who helped take reps in training camp, the preseason, and to start the regular season when needed as Dobbins and Edwards were brought along cautiously.
Davis appeared in eight games before being released but the signing of Gordon, assuming his fumbling woes are behind him, is more reminiscent of when the Ravens added veteran Kenyan Drake just before the start of last season.
It took a little bit for him to get up to speed and acclimated with the playbook but once he did, Drake had some impressive and productive games when asked to step up or start. He ran for a season-high 119 yards on 10 carries in Week 6 against the New York Giants and recorded 109 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints.
Ravens Make 7 Roster Moves Involving Current Players
On the same day that the team signed Gordon, they also announced a handful of other moves that included placing five players on the Physically Unable to Perform list, one on the Non-Football Injury list, and another on the Reserve/Did Not Report list.
We have made the following transactions ahead of training camp.
The players placed on PUP ahead of the start of training camp were Dobbins, fullback Patrick Ricard, cornerback Pepe Williams, defensive tackle Rayshad Nichols and wide receiver Mike Thomas.
Head coach John Harbaugh already previously stated that Ricard would open camp on this list due to the four-time Pro Bowler having off-season hip surgery. He also shared that Thomas suffered a separated shoulder in OTAs and that Williams was hoping to be ready to go by the time camp started but he wasn’t sure if that would ultimately be the case.
Veteran outside linebacker Tyus Bowser was the player placed on the Non-Football Injury list. Harbaugh foreshadowed this when he said that his knee “flared up for some reason” during the off-season program. Bowser missed the first eight games of the 2022 season as he worked his way back from a torn Achilles and finished the year with a pair of sacks, and a forced fumble, and four quarterback hits per PFR.
The player that was designated on the reserve/did not report list was third-year wide receiver, Rashod Bateman. The 2021 first-rounder is heading into a pivotal season and was limited or held out during the offseason program as he recovers from Lisfanc foot surgery that cut his 2022 season short after just six games.
“I have spoken to Rashod and we expect him here very soon,” General Manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement.
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Ravens Sign 2-Time Pro Bowl Dual-Threat RB to 1-Year Deal