Melvin Gordon's Top Landing Spots After Austin Ekeler's New Chargers Contract

The Los Angeles Chargers have appeared to make their decision about the future of the running back position, signing Austin Ekeler to a four-year, $24.5 million contract extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. 

That makes it highly likely Melvin Gordon—who held out to start the regular season last year and watched as Ekeler thrived, perhaps limiting his own value on the market this year—will find himself playing for a new team in 2020. 

Another factor working against him is the potential for a stacked running back class in free agency:

But there are teams that could use an upgrade at running back, and Gordon remains an excellent option. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are an obvious fit. He would be a major improvement over Ronald Jones II, who has never lived up to the hype that made him a second-round pick in 2018. The Bucs have an exciting selection of skill position players led by wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Gordon would dramatically improve a run game that ranked 24th last year (95.1 yards per game). 

The Houston Texans would make sense as well. Gordon would be an upgrade over Carlos Hyde, who had a solid season in Houston's explosive offense (1,070 rushing yards, six touchdowns). The Texans may have more pressing needs elsewhere, but for the right price, Gordon could make their offense truly scary. 

The Detroit Lions have an obvious need at the position and have for several years. Kerryon Johnson is a solid player when healthy, but Gordon is a more well-rounded option and could set up a strong one-two punch. He would help to end a pretty relentless cycle of running backs in Detroit and serve as a fantastic safety valve for quarterback Matt Stafford.

The Miami Dolphins are another team that absolutely needs an upgrade at running back, though splashing cash on a win-now player like Gordon may not make the most sense for the rebuilding Dolphins. But the position absolutely needs to be addressed—Ryan Fitzpatrick led the team in rushing last year with 243 rushing yards.

That's incomprehensible. 

Other teams that could make some sense for Gordon include the New England Patriots, Washington (the injury concerns of Derrius Guice two seasons in a row could make signing a veteran option viable), the Chicago Bears (David Montgomery's rookie season was hardly inspiring), and the Tennessee Titans if they don't re-sign Derrick Henry (which would be a major surprise).