The Green Bay Packers finally have Josh Jacobs back, but their struggles running the football haven't disappeared. A 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions exposed more problems in the backfield, even with their leading running back making his season debut.
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, one national writer has suggested looking to the Los Angeles Chargers for help. The proposed addition isn't a household name, but he handled a significant workload just last season and could immediately challenge for the No. 2 job in Green Bay.
In an Oct. 29 article on eight trades he'd like to see before the deadline, USA Today's Jacob Camenker proposed a deal sending Chargers running back Kimani Vidal to the Packers.
Camenker pointed to Green Bay's lack of production without Jacobs and the limited opportunities Vidal has received playing behind Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell in Los Angeles.
The 25-year-old Vidal has 109 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries this season, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. Those are modest totals, but last year offered a better look at what he could do with consistent touches.
Vidal appeared in 13 games and started 10 in 2025, when he rushed for 643 yards and three touchdowns on 155 attempts. He also caught 16 passes for 136 yards and another score while helping fill in for an injured Hampton.
Camenker viewed that experience as a reason Green Bay should consider him ahead of its current backups.
"Vidal could immediately become the top backup behind Jacobs and serve as an upgrade over MarShawn Lloyd (2.6 yards per carry) in that role," Camenker wrote.
The Chargers selected Vidal in the sixth round of the 2024 draft out of Troy. He has played a reduced role this season, although his current average is higher than it was during his heavier workload last year.
Green Bay spent its first six games without Jacobs, who was on the Commissioner's Exempt List while the NFL reviewed an off-field matter. He returned against Detroit, recording 36 rushing yards on 11 carries and catching five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.
The running game still produced just 60 yards on 19 attempts. Lloyd added 20 yards on six carries, while receiver Savion Williams supplied the remaining four yards on two rushes.
Lloyd has 142 yards and two touchdowns on 54 carries this season, an average of 2.6 yards per attempt. Kaleb Johnson has contributed 104 yards on 28 carries, and the Packers have not found a dependable complement to Jacobs.
That was central to Camenker's suggestion. Vidal's work in place of Hampton last season showed he could handle more than a handful of snaps if Green Bay needed another runner to take over.
There is also uncertainty involving Jacobs beyond the field. Although the NFL removed him from the exempt list and cleared him to return, its personal-conduct review remained ongoing. Camenker raised the possibility of further discipline as another reason Green Bay could use insurance in the backfield.
Vidal is playing on a one-year deal and is scheduled to be a restricted free agent in 2027. Camenker did not specify what the Packers should offer Los Angeles, and there has been no report that the two teams have discussed him.
For a Green Bay offense built around Jordan Love and trying to regain balance on the ground, the proposal would add a younger back with recent starting experience rather than another high-priced star.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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