The run game has been an issue for the Chargers over the past several seasons, but offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is starting to feel more confident in the direction that they have been moving in over the summer.
“It’s heading where it needs to be for the regular season,” Moore said.
The running back room had a staggering 214 yards and two touchdowns in their first preseason win against the Rams. The week after, the Los Angeles logged 120 total rushing yards and another two rushing touchdowns against the Saints – both of which came from quarterback Easton Stick.
“You certainly have certain concepts you feel really comfortable with – those are gonna be our kinda bread-and-butter concepts,” Moore added. “By game plans you’re gonna present different things and I think that’s part of the training camp process. You wanna expose them to the different tools that you’ll utilize through the season.”
The 2022 Cowboys finished their season with 2298 team rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns, placing them at No. 9 on the overall rushing teams of the season.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Chargers totaled 1524 team rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, which placed them at No. 30 in overall rushing out of all 32 NFL teams.
Austin Ekeler, the do-it-all-back, leads the group after becoming the fifth player to post at least 800 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 700 receiving yards and five receiving scores in a single season.
Behind Ekeler is Joshua Kelley, who has been riddled by injuries. But when healthy, he is a threat. Kelley finished the season with 69 carries for 287 yards (4.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns and caught 14 of his 25 targets for 101 yards.
Isaiah Spiller, the 2022 fourth-round pick, entered his rookie season with a lot of hype. However, that didn’t translate on the field. He only appeared in six games, partially due to an injury and logged 54 yards from scrimmage, averaging only 2.6 yards per carry. He looks to make a leap.
Moore will make in-game adjustments to the run as the quarters progress, which will be a nice change of pace for the players on the field and the fans watching.
Establishing the run identity is a critical factor in unlocking the Bolts’ offensive potential in the 2023 season, and Moore is on his way to doing just that.