Donald Brown not expected to play

San Diego Chargers running back Donald Brown seemed like a surplus addition in the offseason, but injuries to Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead caused him to become the No. 1 back before he suffered an injury himself. Branden Oliver, who constantly gets compared to Darren Sproles due to more similarities than just his number, has been excellent as the lead back following the injuries to the three men in front of him, but it would still be nice to get Brown back in the fold.

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Unfortunately, it looks like he still needs some time before getting back into the lineup, as the U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken reports that Brown is indeed not expected to play in this week’s rivalry game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He hasn’t practiced since suffering a concussion in the team’s Week 5 win over the New York Jets, and his inability to get healthy enough to practice is concerning. Concussions are always scary, but this is a multi-week issue and seems to be more severe than initially thought; we need to keep a very close eye on his status going forward.

Though it’s still a bit too early to tell, Brown is probably not going to be able to play in the team’s Week 8 game against the Denver Broncos, which will be in the marquee Thursday Night Football time slot, so there’s less time for him to recover before the game.