Good Morning Stormcloud! Over the next few weeks we’re going to be looking at evaluating how the Chargers have addressed each position since this time last season. We are not going to be reviewing the incumbent starters as there is plenty of turnover to get through regarding the incoming players. This evaluation will therefore include:
- Returning players who signed a new deal with the team
- External free agents who signed before the May 1st compensation pick exemption deadline
- Players who were added in any of the seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft
- Undrafted free agents (UDFA) who signed deals with the team after the draft
- Unsigned players who are listed as camp invites in media reports
Note: If a player has an asterisk after their name (*) this means that they were added during the 2024 season and have been retained
We’ll continue on offense now moving into the backfield, starting with the running backs!
Outgoing players
- J.K. Dobbins (UFA tendered)
- Gus Edwards (unsigned)
- Isaiah Spiller (retired)
- Elijah Dotson (unsigned)
The new look RB room
- Incumbent (1): Kimani Vidal
- Returning (2): Hassan Haskins*, Jaret Patterson
- In (3): Najee Harris, Omarion Hampton, Raheim Sanders
Returning
Running back is a position where you see a lot of turnover and the Chargers made a much needed overhaul of their backfield this off-season. I think it’s a shame to see Kimani Vidal’s path to playing become almost impossible as I think he could develop into a nice rotational player. He showed flashes in preseason and in his limited game action but he’ll have to earn his stripes the hard way now. As for Haskins and Patterson it’s going to come down to special teams to see how many backs the team carries especially now that Haskins short yardage role has thankfully been filled. Overall these three players will be fighting for that third back role with some other incoming pieces however unlike on other teams I find it hard to believe that whoever wins the job will see any game action at all because of the two ironmen in front of them on the depth chart.
Free Agents
Najee Harris was the Chargers’ second most expensive external free agent after signing for a 1 year deal with a guaranteed value of $5.25m worth up to $9.25m in performance based bonuses that start after he reaches 1050 yards. I think that aiming point tells us how the team sees his role. I was never a fan of Harris’ film at the Steelers as he’s a back with very little detail to his game and minimal juice to exploit open gaps. That said I can also see why he’s come into the fold as he can do a few things very well. He stays on schedule to get to the intended gap at the right time and He never leaves the field having played in every single game since he was drafted in 2021. Also, he has three down ability with decent hands and effective if not ideal pass protection skills. The Chargers saw what those skills could do last season as Najee ground out a gritty win against them and that was with a very underwhelming offensive line. He’s not flashy but he shows what consistency can offer.
Draft
Omarion Hampton was built for Jim Harbaugh’s vision for a powerful gap scheme that can be the foundation of everything else. I was a fan of Hampton since I first saw him in 2022 and he has lived up to North Carolina’s lofty expectations as he became the bell cow back who averaged 24 carries a game on his way to a 2000 all purpose yard senior season. I’ll be publishing full rookie analysis videos later in the spring where I’ll go over what made me so high on Omarion but for now I’ll say that I think he’s got the potential to be the Bolts’ focal point of their ground game for the next 5-7 years. The pick was high and I can understand the questions about the value of it (as you can read here) but that’s done now, he’s in the building and our focus should now be on what he offers.
I think his early usage will be as a relief back and for some more speed on third downs but my sneaky early prediction is that he will be the full time starter by November. He has to get used to taking snaps under center and understand how to read defensive fronts without the luxury of an RPO slow mesh so his role will likely have to grow gradually but he’s simply too explosive to keep off the field.
UDFA
I haven’t got to a lot of Raheim Sanders tape however I am aware of his journey. Sanders was recruited to Arkansas as a wide receiver coming out of high school before switching to running back as a freshman. He broke out in a big way during his sophomore year in 2022 earning second team All SEC honors with 1700 all purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. He suffered injuries in 2023 that limited him to half a season, he lost his role during that time and when he entered the transfer portal he chose his hometown school of South Carolina to be closer to his newborn son.
The few reps of tape I’ve seen show a player who’s slow to start but can really get rolling, in fact he hit the top speed of any back in the 40 yard dash at the combine. He definitely didn’t suit the Gamecocks’ zone scheme and I think he’ll do better back in a gap heavy system like he ran in his early college career. With the Bolts keeping three backs from last year it’ll be a tough ask for Raheim to break through the ranks however running back is the position where UDFAs succeed the most often so there is always a chance.
Reasons for change
Harbaugh and Roman want a run game you can set your watch to with consistent consistency. Najee is as consistent and on schedule as it gets but not in the best way, he will give you what is blocked for him every single time but nothing more. This is a classic over correction to the team’s frustrations with J.K. Dobbins last season, Dobbins is a fantastic evasive back with some of the most controlled footwork in the league but he tried to create too much and fell out of sync with the blocking scheme too often to ignore. That will drive any coach mad but with Gus Edwards falling off a cliff post injury and very little else found in the backups, they had no choice but to carry on playing him until the playoff loss where despite his early flashes he saw absolutely no action when the game was on the line.
“It hurt, it really hurt in the moment but I sat back and talked to Joe and coach and coach Jim and my teammates.”I’m mature. I’ve matured and I’ve learned from some things so hopefully next time, if I’m with the Chargers and we’re in the playoffs, hopefully next time I can do a better part helping the team win. Hopefully, the ball does come my way the next time, if there is a next time.”
J.K Dobbins on not getting the ball in the second half of the playoff loss
This wasn’t the only time he was benched and this plus choice of replacements tells us a lot about what the team are prioritising at this position. This also ties into the other two backs they signed in late April; Sanders is a guy who offers little in terms of explosive traits but he’ll bury his head and fight for the extra yards in his intended gap. Hampton however is both, he’s the guy who can stay on schedule but he’s unbelievably explosive at the same time so it’s clear what the team saw in him.
Position Reset Evaluation
This is a very positive result for me as the Chargers added running backs who better fit what they’re trying to be and whilst offering more upside. Then again that’s what you’d expect from a priority external free agent and a first round pick at a position that was very recently considered non-premium. To go from bargain contracts to one of the most expensive running back rooms in the league is a sign of who this offense wants to be. The failures of the Texans’ game will not be repeated on Jim’s watch.
There is now a path for Dobbins to return to the fold after the Chargers used the rarely seen UFA Tender tag on him a few days ago. This was more of a way of getting something back for him if he did sign elsewhere however the team have since taken back Dobbins’ jersey #27 which was held by the 7th round rookie safety RJ Mickens for a less than a week. The rumor mill has been firing since and if J.K. is happy to be a backup I think it would be a fantastic addition to the unit.
In the tape I watched, Kimani’s good runs were when he decisively hit the hole and kept his feet moving. He had a tendency to stop, chop his feet and then have no momentum to burst through tackles. The dude has skills. If he can learn to plant his foot and go, he may be the 3rd back on this team. If not, he’s Joshua Kelly.
I would be extremely surprised to see Dobbins return to the Chargers. It would be surprising if no other team is willing to sign him for equal or better money… his UFA tender is only worth 110% of his 2024 salary, which means it is worth just $1.1M.
It seems to me that Dobbins would be motivated to play elsewhere unless at least one of Harris and Hampton suffer a major injury before he signs somewhere. If Harris and Hampton are healthy, Dobbins won’t have any real opportunity to demonstrate to other teams that he should be a player they target for a bigger contract next offseason.
I posted in the QB reset thread about the challenging roster position crunch. I don’t think it is a lock that the Chargers will keep 4 RBs on the final 53 man roster. Given the team’s offensive identity, though, that seems likely.
If so, I think Hampton, Harris, and Haskins are in, assuming Dobbins does not come back. If Dobbins were to return, I assume he would be RB3, and that would probably make it a lock that the team would keep 4 RBs, since Haskins is a core special teams player.
If Dobbins is not back and the team keeps 4 RBs, I expect Sanders to beat out Vidal for that 4th spot. Vidal had an opportunity to impress last season due to injuries to Edwards and Dobbins, but he didn’t:
Averaged 3.6 ypc and only had 7 first downs on 43 rushing attempts
Had a fumble and 3 drops on 8 targets
Had the 2nd lowest PFF pass blocking grade on the team
Only played 6 special teams snaps, so he was a non-contributor there
IMO Vidal would need to show something much better in camp and preseason than his play last year in order to make the roster.