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The Athletic's Daniel Popper left Chargers RB Kimani Vidal off his latest 53-man roster projection. Popper has RBs Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Jaret Patterson, and Isaiah Spiller making the team over Vidal, the sixth-round rookie.
Popper: "Patterson has impressed the coaching staff, and he appears to have grasped the RB3 role right now. Of the four backs competing behind Edwards and Dobbins, Patterson has gotten the most reps with the first team in practice. He was also the first running back in the [preseason] game Saturday, ahead of both Spiller and Dotson. ... Of course, it is a bit jarring to see a sixth-round pick left off the roster. But, as always, I am just basing this projection on what I am seeing. ... Vidal has also been dealing with an injury and missed four full days of practice earlier this month, including the joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams. That injury likely influenced Vidal sitting out the preseason game. This competition is still wide open. Right now, I think Patterson and Spiller have the edge over Vidal. That could change through the final two weeks of camp and, most importantly, the last two preseason games."
As Popper notes, this battle is not decided yet. But Vidal had a quiet spring and start to training camp before getting hurt, seemingly doing little to earn the No. 3 job.
Patterson and Spiller are not stiff competitors. But Vidal rookie has a lot of ground to make up -- and the sixth-round draft capital probably isn't enough to save him.
It's tough to make a case for using a draft pick on Vidal right now. We'll see if he climbs the depth chart ahead of final cuts.
We're not drafting Patterson or Spiller right now, either. The real winners here are Edwards and Dobbins, who seem set to open the season as the Chargers' clear top two RBs.
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