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It appears that the Chargers may be getting some help soon, unfortunately it’s at a position that isn’t really in need of it, especially compared to the other holes currently on the team.
Chargers’ RB Melvin Gordon’s holdout could soon be coming to an end, though no final decisions have made when to report, per league sources. He had planned to return at some point in October, but could soon be moving up his reporting date.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 25, 2019
Melvin likely won’t play the week he comes back, so there’s probably at least 2 weeks before he see’s the field in a game. Aaaaand as I’m writing this:
#Chargers holdout #MelvinGordon will report to the team on Thursday, told today to the #ClevelandPlainDealer by a source close to the situation.
— Branson Wright (@BransonWright) September 25, 2019
Gordon has been a contract holdout since the start of training camp. Gordon will become an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
So if he reports tomorrow, depending on what kind of shape he’s in, he’ll likely see game time next week.
It will be interesting to see what happens between now and then with Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. If they continue to produce like they have in the games that Gordon has missed over the last two seasons, the coaches will have to make some tough choices.
They can’t just outright bench any of the 3 of them, so it will be interesting to see how they split the carries. Although, as the coaches showed with Denzel Perryman’s return, I would not be at all surprised to see them give Gordon 65-70% of the snaps in his first game back.
Another interesting decision will be who gets dropped? Gordon will likely be on an exempt list for at least this week, possibly next week as well. I doubt they move forward with 4 RBs so Troymaine Pope’s days on the roster are likely limited. Luckily we are far enough away from the preseason that he should be an easy addition to the practice squad.