Former Broncos running back Melvin Gordon is back in the NFL

Among standout running backs, Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott remain unsigned. Saquon Barkley could sit out the season. And the perceived value of running backs isn’t what it once was, leading to consternation among those who practice the craft of toting the oblate spheroid.

One of those expressing such frustration was Melvin Gordon.

But now he has a new home.

And it’s with a team that is a perennial playoff contender.

Gordon agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens on Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The contract could be worth up to $3.1 million.

A RB deal: Veteran free-agent Melvin Gordon reached agreement today on a one-year deal worth up to $3.1 million with the Baltimore Ravens, per league source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 21, 2023

It’s the latest turn in a career that has seen a slew of Dickensian twists. He began in San Diego as a first-round pick, followed the team to Los Angeles, played 2019 on a fifth-year option, then jumped to the Denver Broncos in 2020. He had two of his three best average-per-carry seasons in Denver … but he also saw his fumble rate spike. He was left unsigned for nearly two months last year, came back to the Broncos, didn’t make it out of November … and then landed in Kansas City, earning a Super Bowl ring whilst on their practice squad.

A 2022 to forget … and to remember

Last year could have been a novel until itself. It began with a fumble in Seattle on fourth-and-goal. It ended — in Denver, at least — with a fumble near the goal line in Week 11 against Las Vegas.

In between, he also had the game-winning touchdown for the Broncos in their Week 3 win over San Francisco, a triumph that was, in retrospect, the apex of their season.

But in that game, his fumbling problems persisted. He fumbled twice — although the Broncos retained possession after both. And as a result, the Broncos de-emphasized him a week later at Las Vegas.

When he entered in the second quarter, disaster struck, with a game-changing lost fumble the Raiders returned for a touchdown. It seemed as if that would be the last time Gordon carried the football for the Broncos … until Javonte Williams tore knee ligaments one quarter later. Overcome by emotion, Gordon broke down during a postgame press conference.

Gordon remained a part of the offense until Week 11. Then, after the fumble to help set up the second defeat to Las Vegas, the Broncos mercifully cut him.

That he played a chunk of last year with a nerve problem in his arm didn’t make a difference to a mostly unsympathetic fan base.

“I had no feeling in my arm, nothing,” he said in Phoenix leading up to Super Bowl LVII.

“I probably shouldn’t have played, but I knew it was my last year [with the Broncos], and I just didn’t want to sit. I’m more of a warrior. People don’t know that.

“It’s not an excuse because I could have carried it in my left hand the whole time. So, it’s still my fault.”

While on Kansas City’s practice squad, he got a chance to achieve a dream: earning a Super Bowl ring.

Now, Baltimore will give him one more chance to realize another dream — one that he had five months ago.

“I had a dream last night, man. I broke a run for, like, 80 yards and a touchdown, man, and I literally woke up and wanted to cry, because it wasn’t real,” he said five months ago. “So, that’s where I’m at with my mindset. I just want to get out there and feel that pigskin in my hand and just go crazy.

“I love football, I live for this, and I’m just not ready to let it go. I know my time is coming soon — especially at my position.”

But not quite yet.

“As long as I continue to work hard like I do … I’ll have a shot and an opportunity,” he said earlier this year. “And that’s all I can ask for.”

Now, Gordon has it.

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