Los Angeles Chargers: Pre-camp 53-man roster projection

Running back (5)
Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson, Detrez Newsome, Derek Watt (fullback)
Cut: Jeremy Cox, Troymaine Pope
Potential surprise cut: None
Obviously, this list will look a lot different if the team decides to trade Gordon, rather than pay him the money he is looking to make. He is the clear-cut No.1 running back on the roster and the team doesn’t have that every-down back behind him. Of course, many teams go with a complete committee approach in today’s NFL and the Chargers have some versatile players behind Gordon in Ekeler, Jackson and Newsome.
Cox is a tremendous prospect. Undrafted out of Old Dominion, he is a tough, straight-ahead runner and it would not be a tremendous surprise to see him beat out Newsome for a roster spot. He will be no worse than a practice squad addition and he should be a fun player to watch this summer.
Of course, the contract situation surrounding Gordon has dominated talks lately and a potential trade would really shake up the offensive backfield. If the Chargers were to trade Gordon, would it be best for the team to sign a free agent such as Jay Ajayi, Alex Collins or Chris Ivory, or would a four-man rotation of Ekeler, Jackson, Newsome and Cox be better?