Melvin Gordon laments the state of free agency for running backs: 'The worst position to play in the NFL'

With roughly a month to go before NFL training camps open, a number of veteran running backs remain available on the free-agent market. Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette are among the bigger names still looking for a team.

Two-time Pro Bowler Melvin Gordon is also among that group, and he's not satisfied with the way things have gone this offseason. Gordon was brutally honest about the state of running back free agency, saying, "It's literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now."

Gordon made those comments during a radio appearance on the Jim Rome show.

Gordon said he still wants to play and has a lot to still contribute to a team. But added that it's difficult for running backs to get attention on the market.

"It's just so tough for running backs right now, man," Gordon said. "You have a lot of running backs that's out there. We just don't get no love. It's literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now. It literally sucks."

He's not wrong. In addition to Cook, Elliott, Fournette and Gordon, Kareem Hunt, Mark Ingram and James Robinson are still available. That group has combined for 13 Pro Bowl appearances and can't find work.

At the same time, running backs tend to break down early. Players get drafted and receive a ton of playing time while on their rookie deals. They get hit between 300 and 400 times a season for multiple years before they are eligible for a significant pay raise.

When that time comes, only the elite players get mega-contracts. Many of the players who sustained all those hits en route to multiple 1,200 yard seasons get pushed to the wayside in favor of someone younger or someone with more tread on their tires.

All of the running backs still available on the free-agent market have likely already played their best football. It's tough for teams to shell out significant money on players they know are already in decline.

Barring major changes to the collective-bargaining agreement, Gordon and other running backs will likely find themselves in this situation for the next couple of offseasons. The way the league is set up, it's foolish to pay running backs big money once they hit the free-agent market.

Until something changes, it's tough to argue Gordon's point. Running back is currently the worst position to play in the NFL.