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The start to the 2022 NFL season has been, put simply, a complete and utter disaster for the Denver Broncos. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett looks in over his head. Their marquee and signing and star quarterback, Russell Wilson, looks like a shell of himself. And Denver finds itself just a half-game above the Las Vegas Raiders above the bottom of the heap in the AFC West.
The only thing that could make matters worse for Denver right now would be issues in the locker room. As it turns out, those are starting to pop up as well. The cracks in the armor began to appear at the end of Monday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos took the Charges to overtime. But neither team could muster a first down and Los Angeles won after recovering a muffed punt and kicking a game-winning field goal.
Denver wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was clearly incensed by yet another lackluster performance from the Broncos’ offense and let his teammates know about it on the sideline.
But he’s not the only Denver player to voice his frustration.
Melvin Gordon Calls Out Broncos Coaching Staff Over Lack Of Communication
Two-time Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon joined the Broncos in free agency in 2020 after beginning his impressive career with the Charges, of all teams. Gordon was solid, if unspectacular, in his first two seasons in Denver. He didn’t crack 1,000 yards rushing in either year. But he’s come close in both and proved to be a nice weapon in the passing game as well.
He re-signed with Denver on a one-year deal in April but has seen a sharp decline in playing time under Hackett. Three fumbles in three weeks saw him lose his starting job to Javonte Williams early in the season. But then Williams went out for the season with a major knee injury.
Rather than regain his spot, however, Gordon fell further down the depth chart and saw just three carries against the Chargers. After the game, he told reporters that none of the Broncos coaches explained his benching.
Melvin Gordon: No one told me why I was benched, I felt I could have made a difference. https://t.co/rER2vAlE3r
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 18, 2022
“To tell you exactly what happened? I can’t tell you. Because I don’t know,” Gordon said. “Na, no one mentioned anything to me.”
Gordon said he thought he could have helped the Broncos win, but he didn’t get the opportunity.
“Just waiting for my number to get called so I can go out there and help my teammates. It was a close game, I felt like I could’ve made a difference, but apparently not,” Gordon said. – Pro Football Talk
So to recap: The Broncos are 2-4. Their coach could get fired after one season. Their big-money quarterback might be washed, and their offensive skill position players are pissed off.
Seems bad!