Chargers running back Kimani Vidal suffered a neck injury in last Sunday’s win over the Cowboys and the team added some backfield depth to the active roster on Tuesday.
The Chargers announced that they have signed Jaret Patterson off of the practice squad. They also signed running back Royce Freeman to the practice squad.
Patterson has played in four games for the Chargers already this season. He has 32 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown in those appearances. He also played one game for the Chargers last season and made 20 appearances for Washington earlier in his career.
Omarion Hampton reclaimed the top role in the Chargers’ backfield after coming off of injured reserve earlier this month. Hassan Haskins is also available heading into their Week 17 game against the Texans.
The Broncos and Seahawks have already claimed playoff berths, but both teams still have plenty to play for in Week 17.
Denver can clinch the top seed in the AFC if they beat the Chiefs on Thursday night while the Chargers, Patriots, Jaguars, and Bills all lose their games. They can also claim the AFC West title with a win and a Chargers loss or tie against the Texans on Saturday. They also win the division with a tie and a Chargers loss.
The Seahawks have a trickier path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They need a win over the Panthers on Sunday along with a Rams loss and a tie between the Bears and 49ers. The NFC West will be theirs with a win and losses or ties by both the Rams and the 49ers. A Seahawks tie would be enough if both the Rams and 49ers lose their games.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the Jaguars will win the South with a win over the Colts and a Texans loss or tie while the Patriots will take the East with a win over the Jets and a Bills loss or tie against the Eagles. A Steelers win over the Browns or a Ravens loss to the Packers will make Pittsburgh the AFC North champs.
The Texans will clinch a playoff spot with a win or a Colts loss. The Packers are in a similar situation in the NFC as they’ll book a postseason spot with a win or a Lions loss to the Vikings on Christmas.
The Bears will be the NFC North champs with a win or a Packers loss while the Panthers will take the NFC South with a win and a Bucs loss or tie in Miami.
If the Packers, Texans, Panthers, and Steelers all clinch their playoff spots this week, all 14 playoff berths will be filled before the final week of the regular season.
The AFC and NFC rosters for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games were announced on Tuesday morning.
Votes from fans, coaches and players were used to select the teams. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce led the fan vote and was named to his 11th Pro Bowl. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, and Bears safety Kevin Byard were the other leaders in that vote, but Williams is not on the initial NFC roster.
Chargers tackle Joe Alt did make the AFC roster despite playing in only six games before being shut down with an ankle injury.
Three teams — the Jets, Saints and Vikings — have no Pro Bowlers. The Broncos, 49ers, Ravens, and Seahawks each had six players selected.
The Pro Bowl Games will be held in San Francisco on February
The full rosters appear below with starters indicated by an asterisk.
AFC
Quarterback: Josh Allen*, Buffalo Bills; Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers; Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Running back: De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins; James Cook, Buffalo Bills; Jonathan Taylor*, Indianapolis Colts
Fullback: Patrick Ricard*, Baltimore Ravens
Wide receiver: Ja’Marr Chase*, Cincinnati Bengals; Nico Collins*, Houston Texans; Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens; Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Tight end: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders*; Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Offensive tackle: Joe Alt*, Los Angeles Chargers; Garett Bolles*, Denver Broncos; Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills
Offensive guard: Quinn Meinerz*, Denver Broncos; Quenton Nelson*, Indianapolis Colts; Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Center: Creed Humphrey*, Kansas City Chiefs; Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens
Defensive end: Will Anderson Jr.*, Houston Texans; Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders; Myles Garrett*, Cleveland Browns
Interior linemen: Zach Allen, Denver Broncos; Chris Jones*, Kansas City Chiefs; Jeffrey Simmons*, Tennessee Titans
Outside linebacker: Nik Bonitto*, Denver Broncos; Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers; T.J. Watt*, Pittsburgh Steelers
Inside/middle linebacker: Azeez Al-Shaair, Houston Texans; Roquan Smith*, Baltimore Ravens
Cornerback: Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots; Derek Stingley Jr.*, Houston Texans; Pat Surtain II*, Denver Broncos; Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
Free safety: Jalen Ramsey*, Pittsburgh Steelers
Strong safety: Kyle Hamilton*, Baltimore Ravens; Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
Long-snapper: Ross Matiscik*, Jacksonville Jaguars
Punter: Jordan Stout*, Baltimore Ravens
Place-kicker: Cameron Dicker*, Los Angeles Chargers
Return specialist: Chimere Dike*, Tennessee Titans
Special-teamer: Ben Skowronek*, Pittsburgh
NFC
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford*, Los Angeles Rams; Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks; Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Running back: Jahmyr Gibbs*, Detroit Lions; Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers; Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk*, San Francisco 49ers
Wide receiver: Puka Nacua*, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba*, Seattle Seahawks; George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Tight end: Trey McBride*, Arizona Cardinals; George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Offensive tackle: Penei Sewell*, Detroit Lions; Tristan Wirfs* Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers
Offensive guard: Tyler Smith*, Dallas Cowboys; Joe Thuney*, Chicago Bears; Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
Center: Drew Dalman*, Chicago Bears; Cam Jurgens, Philadelphia Eagles
Defensive end: Aidan Hutchinson*, Detroit Lions; Micah Parsons*, Green Bay Packers; DeMarcus Lawrence, Seattle Seahawks
Interior linemen: Jalen Carter*, Philadelphia Eagles; Leonard Williams*, Seattle Seahawks, Quinnen Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Outside linebacker: Brian Burns*, New York Giants, Jared Verse*, Los Angeles Rams; Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams
Inside/middle linebacker: Jack Campbell*, Detroit Lions; Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
Cornerback: Jaycee Horn*, Carolina Panthers; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Free safety: Kevin Byard III*, Chicago Bears; Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Strong safety: Budda Baker*, Arizona Cardinals
Long-snapper: Jon Weeks*, San Francisco 49ers
Punter: Tress Way*, Washington Commanders
Placekicker: Brandon Aubrey*, Dallas Cowboys
Return specialist: Rashid Shaheed*, Seattle Seahawks
Special-teamer: Luke Gifford*, San Francisco 49ers
The Chargers may be without one of their top running backs for a bit, but he shouldn’t miss too much time.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Kimani Vidal was diagnosed with a neck strain and is considered day-to-day.
Vidal had to exit Sunday’s eventual victory over the Cowboys early on in the contest.
In 12 games with 10 starts this season, Vidal leads the Chargers with 631 yards rushing. He’s rushed for three touchdowns and caught 15 passes for 138 yards with a TD.
Playing the Texans on Saturday, the Chargers’ first injury report of the week is due out on Tuesday.
The Chargers will not have one of their key defensive players for the last two weeks of the regular season.
The league announced on Monday that linebacker Denzel Perryman has been suspended for two games for repeated violations of player-safety rules.
The NFL’s announcement notes that Perryman was flagged for unnecessary roughness for delivering a forcible blow to the helmet of Cowboys receiver Ryan Flournoy while he was on the ground after making a catch during the second quarter of Sunday’s game. That action violated Rule 12, Section 2, Article 10(b), which prohibits “using any part of the helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck area.”
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Perryman will appeal the suspension, which would be heard and decided by Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson — the NFL and NFLPA’s jointly appointed hearing officers.
Notably, this is Perryman’s second two-game suspension for repeated violations of player-safety rules. The first came back in 2023 when he was playing for the Texans.
Currently, Perryman is eligible to return to Los Angeles’ active roster on Monday, Jan. 5, the day after the team’s currently scheduled regular-season finale against the Broncos.
