Former Chargers running back Branden Oliver has come a long way from the glory days of the NFL, and now, he's trying to prove himself more than ever before.

In his rookie season, he ran for 582 yards, added another 271 yards receiving, and looked like he was on his way to a good NFL career.

Unfortunately, the Chargers ultimately decided to cut him, and Oliver defected to the AAF.

But, as he told NBC Sports recently, just because he's no longer playing pro ball with the NFL, doesn't mean he still doesn't have a lot to prove to detractors.

“Every doctor I came in contact with told me I shouldn’t be able to play again, because of the way it snapped. Even the doctors were saying they never saw it snap like that. It was like a rubber band. You could see it moving in my leg. It’s on YouTube. You see it pop and go up and down a couple times.”

Part of the reason Branden Oliver had his share of detractors was because he missed so many games thanks to injury. But, Oliver says that he’s healthy again after a foot injury forced him to miss much of 2015, an Achilles injury forced him to miss all of 2016, and he struggled to recover in 2017, and didn’t play at all in 2018.

However, Branden Oliver also said that he feels “more mentally fit” than ever before, because he's been given a second chance to prove himself, which is exactly what leagues like the AAF exist for.