Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon saw just three carries for eight yards in only eight snaps in Monday night's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He appeared to be benched after halftime and looked visibly frustrated during and immediately after the game, and he took to Twitter to not-so-subtly hint at how he felt following his lack of snaps.
Gordon, 29, liked multiple tweets that said he should either request to be traded or cut by the Broncos. A few tweets even suggested a swap for similarly-disgruntled Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers.
Gordon saw his role diminish considerably in Week 6 even after he saw an uptick in snaps following Javonte Williams' season-ending ACL tear in Week 4. Gordon started Week 5 and played in a season-high 41 snaps in the 12-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
But somewhere between that game and the second half of Week 6's loss, the Broncos lost faith in Gordon. He saw zero second-half snaps and instead watched Mike Boone and recent acquisition Latavius Murray play the rest of the game in the overtime loss to the Chargers.
Ball security has been an issue for Gordon this season: He leads all running backs with four fumbles on the year and has lost two. But he hasn't lost the football once since Week 4.
Gordon had no answers for his apparent benching when asked after the game. He told NFL Network's Bridget Condon in the locker room that it "hurt a little" to stand on the sideline and watch the game without the ability to help and that he didn't know why he didn't play in the second half.
Gordon was questionable with neck and ribs injuries going into Monday night's game but denied he aggravated any injuries. Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett confirmed Gordon didn't get injured in the second half as well.
What comes next for Gordon and the Broncos is unclear, but the running back did tell Condon they'll likely have a conversation about his status with the team moving forward. Gordon resigned with the Broncos this offseason on a one-year deal following two years with the team. He has 201 rushing yards on 55 attempts with one touchdown and is averaging just 3.7 yards per rush.