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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The San Diego Chargers fear they have lost running back and kick returner Branden Oliver for the season after he injured his right Achilles tendon in the exhibition game against Minnesota on Sunday.
Oliver was injured on a running play late in the second quarter and needed to be carted off of the field. The Chargers say they will make a final determination on his status after further examination on Monday. But a clearly disappointed coach Mike McCoy said the team was preparing to be without Oliver for the foreseeable future.
"It is a bummer for someone who has come back, worked so hard and given so much to the organization," McCoy said after a 23-10 loss to the Vikings. "We are going to miss him."
Oliver was third on the depth chart at running back behind Danny Woodhead and Melvin Gordon. He was also the team's top kick returner and was entering his third season after being an undrafted rookie in 2014.
"For a guy who works so hard and does everything the right way, it's a shame," McCoy said. "It is a part of the business and I think as a player you look at this as an example of the fact that you never know. Some guys in this business have really bad luck."
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