Melvin Gordon, Phillip Lindsay Will Share Broncos RB Duties, Says HC Vic Fangio

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway and head coach Vic Fangio said Tuesday there will be a backfield timeshare between free-agent signing Melvin Gordon and the returning Phillip Lindsay in 2020.

"Pretty commonplace in the NFL right now to have two backs share the running back duties," Fangio told reporters. "There's a lot of work to be had for the both of them. We'll see how it unfolds." 

Elway added: "The discussions we had with it, we thought it was important to have two really good backs. In landing Melvin, we thought it was a good combination with Phillip."

Lindsay has exceeded expectations since signing with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2018.

He earned a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie after rushing for 1,037 yards on 192 carries (5.4 YPC) to go along with nine touchdowns. He added 1,011 rushing yards and seven scores in 2019.

The 25-year-old Denver native told Mike Klis of 9News he won't give up the No. 1 spot on the depth chart without a fight, though.

"When camp comes around it's going to be a battle," Lindsay said Monday. "I'm not just going to sit there and give somebody the job. They can. But I'm going to go out there and I'm going to battle."

He made it clear the situation isn't personal, saying "Melvin's not my enemy. He's my teammate. He needs to do his job but best believe I'm going to do my job."

Gordon, who signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Broncos, said he's willing to share carries with the Broncos' incumbent starter.

"These last few days I've been watching film on him as well just kind of seeing how they open things up for him and analyzing him a little bit," Gordon told reporters. "I think we can be a great one-two punch. Me and Austin [Ekeler] were kind of that one-two punch. I feel like we were one of the better tandems in the league. I just hope to continue that with Lindsay."

He averaged 17 touches last season with the Los Angeles Chargers while splitting time with Ekeler.

The Broncos will likely lean heavily on their rushing attack and short-yardage passing game next season to take pressure off second-year quarterback Drew Lock. That should create enough opportunities to keep both Gordon and Lindsay busy in 2020.