The Baltimore Ravens added running back Dalvin Cook to their main roster Wednesday ahead of the AFC Divisional Round this weekend. The team will waive running back Melvin Gordon to make room for Cook.

This exchange of veteran running backs on the roster will not significantly impact the Ravens, the first-seeded team in the AFC heavily favored to beat the Houston Texans this weekend. But the team has been eager to add Cook to the main roster for some time after acquiring him near the end of the regular season.

“We view him as a potentially very valuable weapon on our offense,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters last week. “Dalvin Cook is a high pedigree, highly decorated player. He’s still got talent and ability, he’s smart, he’s in great shape. He’s in football shape, he looked very good in practice.”

Baltimore chose to keep Cook on the practice squad for the final game of the regular season, at which point the Ravens had already made the playoffs. The team then had a bye in the Wild Card round, making this weekend the first time that Cook can contribute to the team in a meaningful way.

Cook last played for the New York Jets in Week 15 of the regular season, where he finished a disappointing stint with a single four-yard carry.  The seven-year veteran mostly played behind Jets star Breece Hall and struggled in 2023, rushing for 214 yards on 67 carries.

In Baltimore, Cook will likely play a similar role as the team’s change-of-pace back behind the likes of Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. But the running back told reporters last week that he was eager to play for the Ravens in any capacity.

“You see the guys up front moving people,” Cook said. “For me, it’s always been electric getting behind a line like that. When the opportunity opened, I was ready to go.”

The Ravens are currently the second betting choice to win their year’s Super Bowl, trailing just the 49ers in the NFC. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to drive Baltimore’s offensive production, but Cook will join an army of running backs at the team’s disposal.

Broncos running back Melvin Gordon could be facing league discipline after being cited for a DUI and speeding after he was stopped by police last Tuesday. If the league decides to not take action then Gordon could also face a team suspension. “We are aware of the situation involving Melvin Gordon,” the Broncos said in a statement Wednesday morning. “Our organization has been in communication with him and is in the process of gathering more details.”

The Broncos’ week five game against the Patriots was canceled after a COVID-19 outbreak within the Patriots organization effectively giving the Broncos a short bye-week which players expressed their frustration with, but it seems like this arrest came on one of the Broncos days off.

In a similar incident Broncos safety, Kareem Jackson was suspended for the final two games of the 2019 season after a September DUI arrest last year, also in downtown Denver. Gordon leads the Broncos in carries (65), rushing yards (281) and rushing touchdowns (3).

It is expected that for most, if not all, of the 2020 NFL season will be played without fans in the stands because of the coronavirus pandemic. This will surely be an adjustment for many NFL players, who are used to playing in front of 60,000-plus people each game. For some players, though, there will not be much of an adjustment.

While speaking with former NFL cornerback Marcus Cromartie, current Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon said that playing for the Los Angeles Chargers have prepared him for playing in front of no fans. “Bro, we didn’t have fans anyway,” said Gordon. “We didn’t have many Chargers fans at the game. I’m just going to be honest. We didn’t have many Chargers fans at the game. Much loyalty, love, but we didn’t have many. So I’m not missing anything.” The video was also posted to Cromartie’s Twitter.

Although taking a jab at his former team, Gordon is not wrong. For the last three seasons, the Chargers have ranked last in attendance amongst the NFL’s 32 teams. This is due to the fact that the Chargers were playing at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, which is home to the MLS’ LA Galaxy, and can hold only 27,000 fans. For comparison, Soldier Fieldhas the smallest capacity amongst all 2020 NFL stadiums with a capacity of 61,500 people. 

The Chargers will be moving into the new SoFi Stadium along with the Los Angeles Rams once the 2020 season starts.

With Los Angeles Chargers training camp now off and running, starting running back Melvin Gordon‘s presence remains absent. Although most indeed expected a holdout from him, it now appears fans may never see Gordon take the field in Chargers colors ever again.

Gordon’s agent reportedly alerted the Chargers’ front office and the media that his client, Gordon, formally requested a trade this week. Unsatisfied with the $10 million dollar yearly offer that the Chargers extended towards him, Gordon now awaits a chance to relocate to another club, one that intends to meet his financial requirements.

Although Gordon clearly illustrated his disinterest in it, the offer in place certainly poises to pay Gordon admirably. If Gordon were to sign the deal, the contract would make him the fourth-highest-paid running back, behind David Johnson, LeVeon Bell and Todd Gurley. Although this one appears beyond fixing, Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys continue to endure a very similar situation this offseason, as Elliott continually pursues a heavier wallet as well.

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Last year, Gordon rushed for 885 yards, ten touchdowns and maintained an impressive 5.1 yards per carry despite dealing with some ongoing injuries. Gordon’s talents also helped the Chargers post an impressive 12–4 record and develop a winning culture immediately after the team’s relocation from San Diego.

With a scenario involving the Georgia product off the team growing more likely as each day passes, look for Austin Ekeler to shift into a starting role and carry Gordon’s workload as the team continues to prepare for the upcoming season. Often serving as a ball-carrier during Gordon’s health-related absences last season, Ekeler rushed for 544 yards and scored three touchdowns. Ekeler also threatened defenses as a pass-catcher and hauled in 39 passes to tally up 404 receiving yards.

Melvin Gordon is set to hold out on the Los Angeles Chargers, the AFC West favorites, ahead of his contract talks that have been denied by the franchise.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says that the Chargers will stop his contract talks entirely if he fails to show up to training camp. Gordon is set to make over $5.5 million this season in his final year of his rookie contract. He feels he’s earned a long-term deal and wants a secure fund. It’s unknown why the Chargers won’t extend his deal.

“I want to end up with the Chargers. That’s my home,” Gordon said, according to Pro Football Talk. “I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Man, I don’t want to go back to the Chargers, dah, dah, dah.’ Like that’s the team that blessed me with an opportunity. They started my life. They changed my life. Of all 32 teams, that was the team that called me. I can’t forget them for that.”

Gordon remains one of the more promising and efficient running backs in the league after racking up over 5,000 total yards in his four seasons with the Chargers. Gordon had 10 rushing and four receiving touchdowns last season.

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“But it’s an opportunity right now where I know I need to take advantage of it. You know, I want to get paid,” Gordon said, according to Pro Football Talk. “That’s just kind of what it is. Hopefully I end up a Charger. That’s the goal. I want to end up with the Chargers.”

The Chargers could be without the two-time Pro Bowler when the upcoming season starts, but have backup options in case this comes to pass. Austin Ekeler obtained almost 1,000 yards last season from being Gordon’s backup. Justin Jackson is also an option, as he was a rookie last season and racked up 341 yards. The Chargers will be looking to build off their 12-4 season from last year and to make a run to the Super Bowl behind Philip Rivers. 

One week after Melvin Gordon made it public that he would sit out unless the Los Angeles Chargers gave him a contract extension, there seems to be no end yet in sight. In a move that could cause animosity between Gordon and the locker room, the Chargers players continue to have his back.

“They’re all behind me. They all got my back,” Gordon told ESPN in a sit-down interview with Sam Alipour this week. “They all told me, ‘You know what — we don’t speak on contracts — but you just go and do what’s best for your family.’ And I’m glad I got that support from them.”

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Gordon, 26, enters the final year of his rookie contract this upcoming season. The former first-round pick out of the University of Wisconsin averaged 114.6 yards per game from scrimmage last season and scored an additional 14 total touchdowns. After watching New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell sitting out the entire season last year for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gordon and several other running backs in the NFL are in support of Bell’s decision and resolution.

“A lot of running backs have reached out to me just saying go out and get what you deserve,” Gordon said. “A lot. A lot of starters. A lot, a lot of backs.”

Despite the issues obviously between Gordon and the Chargers organization, Gordon still loves playing for the team and wants to continue to do so.

“Just because we’re going through contract issues right now doesn’t mean I want to get traded,” he said. “I love being a Charger. I don’t want them to feel like I don’t want to be there.”

“I’m prepared to do what I got to do, but as I said, I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Gordon said.

Training camp for the Chargers begins next Thursday.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon has threatened to demand a trade if no extension is reached between him and the Chargers by the time training camp opens up in August, his agent Fletcher Smith told ESPN.

Gordon’s agent also said that the running back did not wish to go this route, but due to a lack of progression on an extension between Gordon and the Chargers, felt that this is the only way to voice his frustration in a way that will get the attention of the Chargers. Whether it be an extension with the Chargers or a trade to another team, Gordon feels that this is the best way to get a resolution to his situation.

Other top running backs across the NFL — David Johnson, Todd Gurley, and Le’Veon Bell all recently have received new contracts recently. Gordon, who has rushed for nearly 2,000 yards in the last two seasons, feels that he is also deserving of a new, illustrious contract extension. Gordon is said to be unwilling to sign a new contract that does put his salary near or equal to what those other backs are earning annually.

Gordon, 26, is heading into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. The Chargers picked up his team option for a fifth season last April. The Kenosha, WI native is scheduled to earn $5,605,000 this season.

During the 2018 NFL season, Gordon averaged 5.1 YPC and recorded 14 total touchdowns for the Chargers. Gordon also averaged 114.6 yards from scrimmage per game, the best average of any Charger since Ladanlian Tomlinson averaged 121.8 yards from scrimmage per game in 2007. Since failing to rush for any touchdowns in his rookie season, Gordon has 1,079 touches from scrimmage (2nd in the NFL during that span only to Gurley), 5,205 scrimmage yards (2nd in the NFL during that span), and 38 total touchdowns (2nd in the NFL during that span).