Los Angeles Chargers running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. made a major impact in the preseason finale, which could help him tremendously as he aims to make the final 53-man roster.
The Los Angeles Chargers finished the preseason with a close 20-18 loss against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
While the Chargers did lose this game, several players had solid performances and have put themselves in a solid position ahead of the deadline on August 30th at 6 PM EST, when each NFL team has to cut the roster from 90 players to 53 players.
On that note, one player who really stood out was running back Greg Desrosiers Jr., who was consistently finding lanes in the run game, especially later in the second half, which almost helped the Chargers to pull off the win.
For the game, Desrosiers totaled nine carries for 118 yards, one touchdown, and averaged 13.4 yards per carry. Desrosiers was also able to add one catch for eight yards on two targets in the passing game as a receiver.
Overall, Desrosiers showed his ability to be an effective runner between the tackles, but he also showed the ability to create explosive plays on the outside.
Speaking of explosive plays, when Desrosiers was able to get outside on one play in particular he was able to generate his best play of the night as he ran for a 34 yard touchdown that showcased his speed and elusiveness in the open field.
With the performance that Desrosiers had in this game, he has put himself in a solid position when it comes to making this team, however, he does not have his spot solidified, so it will be interesting to see if he can make the final 53-man roster.
In terms of Desrosiers and his competition to make the roster, it is definitely an interesting situation especially because offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has talked about using Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal, and Keaton Mitchell throughout the regular season.
So, it does seem likely that at a minimum, the Chargers will be taking three running backs to the regular season and with that, being the fourth running back may be Desrosiers' best chance to make this team, whether that be for an offensive role or a special teams role.
Looking at Desrosiers' competition for the running back four spot, the key players to watch are Amar Johnson and Jaret Patterson. With Johnson and Patterson being the main competition for the fourth running back spot, let's take a look at how each of them has performed this preseason.
Starting with Johnson, he has been decent throughout the preseason as he has had 15 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 3.5 yards per carry. As a receiver, Johnson made a solid impact as he tallied two receptions for 68 yards on four targets.
Now looking at Patterson, this preseason he has tallied eight carries for 32 yards which has led to an average of four yards per carry. In the passing game, Patterson has recorded one reception for 15 yards on one target.
Lastly, Desrosiers has been very reliable this preseason as he has totaled 23 attempts for 166 yards, one touchdown, and is averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. In the pass game, Desrosiers has tallied one catch for eight yards on three targets.
Based on the overall performance, it seems like Desrosiers has been the most consistent out of all three backs, and has played the best the most recently with his most impressive performance coming in the preseason finale and showing the NFL that he has the ability to make big plays and can be a solid weapon out of the backfield.
So, heading into Sunday, when the roster is made final, it will be very intriguing to monitor whether the Chargers do bring four running backs into the regular season and if they do, it will be interesting to see if Desrosiers has done enough throughout camp and the preseason to earn the nod as the fourth running back to earn a spot on the roster for the start of the regular season.
