Los Angeles Chargers:History shows that LA doesn’t need Melvin Gordon

The biggest storyline for the Los Angeles Chargers during training camp has been Melvin Gordon’s holdout, which has extended into the regular season.

When news first broke that Melvin Gordon would be holding until the Los Angeles Chargers gave him a new contract, fans were understandably bummed. The Chargers were steamrolling into what is a promising season and Gordon was a key part as one of the best backs in the league.

However, as this story as been drawn out, fans seem to be more and more okay with Gordon not being a Charger. Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson are a more-than-capable enough running back duo that might not be as good as Gordon, but can certainly get the job done.

The problem for Gordon is that he doesn’t really appear to have a home for the 2019 season. He has been given the okay to search for trades, but no team wants to give up the capital that the Chargers are asking for while also giving Gordon the extension that he wants.

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It has become obvious, even though the Dallas Cowboys just signed Ezekiel Elliott to a contract extension, that Gordon is not going to get the kind of money he wants, at least not this year. What could end up happening is that Gordon holds out until Week 10, where he would have to return to get his free-agent status.

Either way, Charger fans should not lose to much sleep as history has shown that the Chargers do not need Melvin Gordon to win a Super Bowl. Let’s look at past champions.

The New England Patriots, who won in 2019, 2017 and 2015, never have had that elite running back. They have had respectable pieces, such as Sony Michel, LeGarrette Blount, James White and Dion Lewis. However, it has always been a rotation, similar to what the Chargers can do, not just one primary back.

The year before was the Philadelphia Eagles’ year. They too had LaGarrette Blount and made a splash for Jay Ajayi during the year. Again, it was a rotation as their leading rushing (Blount) only had 766 yards. In the playoffs, he had 130 yards in three games, not necessarily elite numbers.

The Denver Broncos were not an elite running team, and again, relied on a two-back rotation of Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson. The team finished 17th in total rushing yards and was carried by the defense.

The last team that truly had an elite running back and won the Super Bowl was the Seattle Seahawks, who had Marshawn Lynch in his prime during beast mode. Lynch rushed for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns. But even then, he only had 39 rushing yards on 15 carries in the Super Bowl.

Does having Melvin Gordon help the team? Absolutely. Having a back of his caliber open up the playbook and help the Chargers get through the 16-game season obviously makes them a better team.

However, as recent trends have shown, having that elite running back is not what makes or breaks a team. Heck, the best part of that Seahawks team was not Lynch but was the Legion of Boom defense.

So at the end of the day, while every fan should welcome Gordon back if he does come back, they also should not lose any sleep if the Los Angeles Chargers are without him for most of the year.