Melvin Gordon weighs in on the Broncos quarterback situation
May 17, 2021, 11:39 AM
Broncos running back Melvin Gordon joined Michael Robinson and Brian Baldinger on NFL Total Access: The Locker Room podcast and touched on the Broncos quarterback situation.
During the podcast Gordon was asked by Robinson what was going through his mind when rumors began that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could potentially be traded to Denver, and he didn’t hold back.
“I was like Super Bowl, for sure Super Bowl,” Gordon said. “It’s Aaron Rodgers, he’s a Hall of Famer and top quarterback. His leadership would definitely carry a team, regardless of what team it is.”
Denver was reportedly close to a trade for Rodgers on NFL Draft night, but have continued to be the center of trade rumors and speculations for Rodgers. Gordon said the MVP will make a difference wherever he goes.
“He would come in and make a difference,” Gordon said. “We don’t know the situation right now, but he would bring the best out of a lot of people over there.”
Baldinger asked Gordon if he was surprised that the Broncos were on the top of Rodgers’ list, but pointed out Denver’s strong offensive line and weapons that make the Broncos a unique team.
Gordon said while he was training at House of Athlete during the offseason he ran into then-Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and predicted his trade to the team.
“I went up there and trained for a couple days and saw Teddy and said ‘hey bro, you’re going to be a Bronco just watch’, and that was before it happened and that was wild,” Gordon said.
The Broncos acquired Bridgewater from the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft in exchange for a sixth-round pick, but head coach Vic Fangio said it would be a “50-50” split of snaps between Bridgewater and Drew Lock.
Lock has faced an enormous amount of scrutiny during the offseason and Gordon says he can hear the noise.
“Right now he is stuck trying to prove it to the fans, coaches and all these people that he’s ‘the guy’,” Gordon said. “He hears the noise … I think he just has to get over that because he has the swagger, he has the confidence and he’s fearless out there.”
General manager George Paton promised a quarterback competition when he was hired by the Broncos, but Gordon pointed out that Lock has never had a true leader in the quarterback room to learn from.
“He didn’t have someone in front of him to really learn from … so he’s been having to do it on his own,” Gordon said. “Brining Teddy [Bridgewater] here and giving him that competition is really going to bring the best out of him.”
The quarterback competition between Lock and Bridgewater will be the storyline of training camp, but Gordon can already tell Lock is changing.
“We are definitely going to see another side of Drew,” Gordon said. “I can tell in meetings already … that he’s confident.”