The Los Angeles Chargers elevated the running back today Nyheim Hines and run back Jared Patterson from the practice squad for Thursday’s game.
Hinesa former fourth-round pick of Indianapolis in the 2018 NFL Draft (104th overall), has been a dynamic returner during his five-year NFL career while adding offensive versatility. He played in each of the last two weeks for the Bolts in standard elevation, returning seven kickoffs for 195 yards (27.9 average), including a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter of the Week 6 win at Miami to set up the game-winning drive. Hines has appeared in 82 career regular season games, making 17 starts at running back. Hines recorded 1,202 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 306 carries (3.9 average), while adding 240 receptions for 1,778 yards (7.4 average) and eight receiving scores on offense. On special teams, he had 89 punt returns for 1,015 yards (11.4 average) and two touchdowns, while adding 39 kickoff returns for 1,012 yards (25.9 average) and two scores. Hines is a two-time AFC Special Teams Player of the Week winner, most recently in Week 18 of the 2022 season after returning two kickoffs for touchdowns.
Over three seasons on the field at North Carolina State (2015-17), Hines played in 38 games, totaling 1,399 yards and 13 touchdowns on 258 attempts (5.4 average). He added 89 career receptions for 933 yards (10.5 average) and one score. Hines earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors and Sun Bowl MVP recognition for a career year in 2017, when he totaled 1,112 yards and 12 touchdowns on 197 rushing attempts (5.6 average) and added 26 catches for 152 yards (5.8 average). One of the fastest players in football, Hines also ran track for the Wolfpack, earning All-America status in 2016 for the 4×100-meter relay. He won the 4×100 meter relay outdoors in consecutive years (2016-17) and earned a total of four All-ACC honors in outdoor track and field.
Patterson has appeared in 21 career games, including one start, with Washington and Los Angeles after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He has totaled 344 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 85 attempts (4.0 average), while hauling in 10 passes for 73 yards (7.3 average) over two seasons (2021-22) in the nation’s capital. The Glendale, Maryland native spent last season on the Bolts and Commanders practice squad.
In three seasons at the University at Buffalo (2018-20), Patterson was a two-time team captain and had three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaigns. Patterson finished his career with the Bulls ranked first in rushing touchdowns (52) in program history and second in rushing yards (3,884) and 100-yard performance (15). He set single-season school records with 1,799 rushing yards and 19 touchdown passes in 2019, tying his own record a season later with 19 more rushing scores. Patterson ran for 409 yards and eight touchdowns against Kent State in 2020, the most rushing scores of any FBS player in over 25 years, ultimately earning recognition as an All-America The Associated Press and Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
