Los Angeles Chargers get their running back in predicted trade with NFC South team

The Los Angeles Chargers have injuries to their top three running backs, but with a 5-3 record on the season, they should be looking to be buyers ahead of the November 4 trade deadline. 

It has been reported that the Chargers are 'desperate' to find a running back before that date, as Najee Harris is out for the season and Omarion Hampton's return to the lineup seems weeks away. The team may have come off of that a little bit with the recent play of Kimani Vidal, but more depth is going to be necessary. 

There are a few running backs around the league that have been talked about as potential options ahead of the trade deadline, and names like Breece Hall and Jerome Ford have been connected to the Chargers. However, Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News has come up with a name that is a bit of a surprise: Rico Dowdle of the Carolina Panthers. 

Iyer described trading Dowdle as the best move the team can make. 

"The Panthers need to move either Dowdle or Chuba Hubbard to clear up their force backfield committee. Given they paid Hubbard with a recent extension and Dowdle is a pending free agent with more appeal elsewhere, the latter is the better choice. The Chargers continue to fall apart in the backfield, down to relying on just Kimani Vidal, with Hassan Haskins now hurting with both Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris already on the shelf. Dowdle could clean that up for a strong AFC playoff contender", wrote Iyer. 

It's an intrigiung idea, and Iyer lists good reasons for it to happen, but the Panthers signed Dowdle in free agency this offseason and likely didn't do that with the idea of him playing less than half the season for the team. The Panthers are currently 4-3 and far from the "sellers" that many thought they might be at one point during this season.

In addition, Dowdle has looked better than Chuba Hubbard this season. Unless the Panthers were to get a wild offer that couldn't be turned away, this trade idea seems unlikely. 

The Chargers are going to need another running back. Until Hampton and Haskins can get back on the field, Vidal is the team's lead back with several guys on the practice squad being the only other options. 

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