Oregon Football: CJ Verdell would be wise to return in 2022

Although he has yet to make a decision, CJ Verdell would be wise to return to Oregon football for one final season in 2022.

Dan Lanning spoke to the media last week and stated that his top priority is retaining all Oregon football players. So far, he’s been able to do a lot of that but there have been a few key departures.

There have been a few big decisions made by key players like Travis Dye and Trey Benson who both decided to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Lanning probably wasn’t happy with either of these departures, but if one player decides to return, it would more than make up for losing two key running backs.

CJ Verdell has yet to decide whether he’s going to come back for one final season in Eugene or enter the NFL draft, but with Dye’s departure, it feels like the former is most likely.

If it’s not “likely”, it should be.

Losing Dye and Benson opens up the backfield for a two-man rotation between Verdell and Byron Cardwell and maybe some Sean Dollars (if healthy) sprinkled in.

But coming off a serious season-ending injury that killed his draft stock, it would be smart for him to prove he’s not ailing after his injury and he can still be an explosive runner. He would be in a much better spot if he put up a big final season where he showcased explosiveness after being the Ducks’ lead back.

Sure, we’d still see plenty of Cardwell like everyone wants, but he’d be that lead back that he was before his injury. Even with Dye on the roster, Verdell was the guy.

If Verdell returns, it would be massively beneficial for both parties.