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So far, it has been an incredibly eventful offseason for the Oregon Ducks.
The last couple of months have seen one head coach leave, a new one get hired, a blowout loss in the Alamo Bowl, and the signing of a top-25 recruiting class that inspired some confidence in the new coaching staff under Dan Lanning.
While fans may feel confident about the future of Oregon football — and rightfully so — there are still a ton of questions that need to be answered about this team going forward. A lot of those questions will start to be answered this spring, like who the starting quarterback would be — Bo Nix or Ty Thompson? — or how Lanning’s dominant defense will translate to Eugene.
When previewing the 2022 season, ESPN recently took a swing at figuring out the biggest question mark for all top-25 teams going into the offseason. For the Ducks, that question is in the offensive backfield.
Biggest Question: Running Game
There was a time when it seemed at least possible the Ducks could see running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye share the backfield again in 2022. Then, of course, Dye announced he was transferring to USC and Verdell declared for the NFL draft, leaving the Ducks short on established names. Byron Cardwell figures to be the next man up, having rushed for 417 yards as a freshman last season, but with a new coaching staff, it’s fair to wonder how it will end up shaking out. Seven McGee is the only other returning running back who had any carries last season (14 carries for 61 yards).
You can figure that Sean Dollars will be a big part of the running game, as he is expected to be fully healthy after missing last season with a knee injury. On top of that, the Ducks just added 4-star RB Jordan James in the 2022 recruiting class, and while he likely won’t be ready for a prominent role in the offense, there’s a good chance that he can contribute.
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Over the next few months, there seems to be a good chance that Oregon looks to the transfer portal to try and fill that need in the backfield as well. There are a number of talented RBs looking for a new school as they finish out their careers, and the Ducks seem like a great landing spot for any player searching for one last place to play before making a leap to the NFL.
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