ENGLEWOOD — When Melvin Gordon signed with the Broncos in 2020, he knew he’d be competing with Colorado native and fan favorite, Phillip Lindsay, for the starting running back spot. 

But what Gordon probably didn’t know was just how much Broncos fans loved Lindsay, who left the Broncos and signed with the Texans this past offseason. After going undrafted out of the University of Colorado and signing with the Broncos in 2018, Lindsay quickly became one of the most beloved players on the Broncos roster, leading them in rushing in 2018 and 2019. 

And when Gordon was brought in to compete with Lindsay, he could feel the pressure. Gordon has rarely spoken about his relationship with Lindsay, but opened up about it Wednesday at training camp. 

“It’s pretty self-explanatory. A lot of people love Phil here. It’s as if I had gotten drafted to Wisconsin, to the Packers or something like that,” Gordon said. “You just kind of feel like you’re taking away from their guy. So, you know, it was in my head a little bit. But like I said, I got over it, I kind of dealt with what it was.”

Gordon went onto explain that partway through the season, when the Broncos were still in the hunt for the playoffs, he became more focused on the team and not so much on sharing carries with Lindsay. Today, Gordon said he and Lindsay are friends. 

“Phil’s a good dude. Me and him had our conversations. Good dude, great dude. We still talk. I wish him the best with everything he got going on,” Gordon said. “I gave my advice to him, I always did when we were out there. It looked like we were competing against each other. People thought we were bumping heads. I still gave my advice to him because at the end of the day, it’s bigger than both of us. But right now, like I said, my mindset shifted more toward getting to the playoffs rather than what everybody else thought about me.”

Now, with Lindsay gone, Gordon is considered the Broncos’ top back, after leading them with 986 rushing yards. But the Broncos have brought in to backs to compete with him in former Vikings running back Mike Boone and rookie Javonte Williams, who many believe is the Broncos’ running back of the future. 

But Gordon said his mindset has changed since last season with Lindsay. He knows he has to compete with Williams and Boone, but is also focused on himself and what’s best for the team. 

“At the end of the day, you’re always competing. They’re always bringing someone in here to take your job. That’s just the nature of the business,” Gordon said. “They brought Javonte in here to be a dog, a dog amongst dogs. But we’re going to come out here and compete every day. I’m not really worried about that. I got too caught up in that last year with Phil, and you know what, it’s not about that. It’s not about that at all.

“When I’m coming out here, I’m thinking about what can I do to help make the team better? What can I do to make myself a better player? I have the utmost confidence in myself.”