Thomas Morestead punts it 55 yards, Troymaine Pope fields the booming kick, starts running, evades some tackles, evades another, gets free, goes untouched, touchdown Los Angeles Chargers! 83-yard to the house with four seconds left!
81 YARDS AT THE END OF THE HALF 😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/I3IUjc6GeU
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) August 18, 2019
Man, what an impressive return. Especially considering how well Morestead punted it and the litter of tacklers nearing Pope. Unstoppable.
And just like that, Pope's slim chances to make the roster get a little less slim.
The 5-foot-9 running back, hailing from Jacksonville State has been around the league a few times. Pope signed on with the Chargers in 2018 after three stints with the Seattle Seahawks, and one with the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, and Houston Texans.
Despite moving around the NFL, Pope has recorded just 13 total touches for 49 yards and no touchdowns. He's also never returned a punt or kick in the league, but maybe he should be.
In fact, at Jacksonville State, Pope didn't record any punt returns either. However, he did record 20 kick returns for a total of 386 yards and no scores; an average of 19.3 yards per. But, he was effective as a running back; as through four years, Pope amassed 3,381 yards and 34 touchdowns on average of 6.4 yards per carry.
In his first preseason game of 2019 — against the Arizona Cardinals — Pope fielded one punt for eight yards. He also chipped in on offense, recording 15 yards on six attempts and two receptions for 20 yards.
Pope is facing an uphill battle to make the roster; with Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson, Detrez Newsome (injured), and Jeremy Cox on-board as Melvin Gordon's contract dispute continue. But an 83-yard punt returner should undoubtedly help his case to make the 53-man.
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