The battle in the backfield will be one of the most heated competitions for the Chargers during training camp. However, it will feature one less member to begin with.
Running back Justin Jackson was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, which means that it opens up opportunities for others competing for the backup spot to Austin Ekeler.
Jackson was already on the bubble due to his inability to stay healthy on a consistent basis, but him being out to start camp does not help his case to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree III and Darius Bradwell are the others fighting for the spot.
There was plenty of hype surrounding running back Kelley, last year’s fourth-round pick, heading into the 2020 regular season after he was one of the training camp standouts.
Unfortunately, Kelley was unable to live up to the summer hype after his confidence deteriorated, following fumbles in back-to-back games early on, which then negatively impacted his special teams performance.
There’s no denying Kelley’s skillset and work ethic to produce in this league. He has the power to run through defenders, good change-of-direction, vision, burst, adequate speed and passing game ability.
However, in front of a new coaching staff, Kelley must show an improvement from last year on the ground and on special teams to be counted on as the second back.
Rountree, the sixth-round selection, may enter camp with the advantage over Kelley because he is one of the players the coaching staff drafted, which is an important factor in the roster-evaluation process.
Rountree is a well-built and productive back who is an explosive runner with good feet, contact balance and second-level vision, as well as passing game impact to be counted on to take some of the load off of Ekeler.
Bradwell, a former undrafted free agent, was one of former head coach Anthony Lynn’s guys. With very little experience and not as much buzz as Kelley and Rountree, his uphill climb may be a bit steeper.
If that’s the case, Los Angeles could anticipate entering the season with Ekeler, Kelley and Rountree. But the team may elect to bring in a current free agent like Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson, T.J. Yeldon, among others.
Only time will tell who emerges as the No. 2 RB, but it’s anyone’s game at the moment.