Projecting the Chargers’ running back depth chart in 2023

Projecting what the Los Angeles Chargers running back room will look like in the 2023 season.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be breaking down the depth chart for each Chargers position.

Quarterback

Next up, I project what the running backs room will look like heading into the 2023 season.

Highlights from Day 2 of Chargers mandatory minicamp

The Chargers wrapped up their second and final day of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday.

The Chargers wrapped up their second day of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday.

To experience some of the action that went down at Hoag Performance Center, here are a few clips from the team’s official Twitter account and members of the media.

RB Austin Ekeler on contract with Chargers: ‘One more year that I’m obligated to be here’

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler spoke to the media for the first time since the end of the season.

Running back Austin Ekeler is entering seventh and what seems to be his last with the Chargers.

“For me, I understand that I have one more obligation here,” Ekeler said at mandatory minicamp.

“One more year that I’m obligated to be here. I wanted to go poke around and see if there was any other value. If not, right? Come back and have my last year. Like I said before, do what I can do here.”

Los Angeles granted Ekeler and his team permission to seek a trade in March, but nothing came out of it.

Instead, Ekeler ended up staying in L.A. after the team added $1.75 million in incentives on the final year of his current contract.

Ekeler may not have gotten what he was looking for, a hefty contract to make him one of the highest-paid running backs. Still, he plans to put his head down and play this upcoming season to the best of his abilities.

“Regardless of what happens here – whether I think it’s fair or not – look, I’m going to try to put myself in the best position I can while I’m here, but I’m also doing that off the field, as well,” Ekeler said.

“So, I’ve kept a pretty open mind, a forward-looking outlook about it.

“I’m not mad. I’m not mad about the situation or anything like that.”

Ekeler, who was signed as an undrafted rookie back in 2017, has run for 34 touchdowns and has caught 29 scores for Los Angeles. He’s amassed 7,125 total yards over that span.

Eric Kendricks praises Brandon Staley’s football acumen: ‘He knows ball, he loves ball’

Eric Kendricks seems to be impressed by Brandon Staley’s football acumen.

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has made quite the impression on veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, who spoke to the media on Tuesday about his confidence in the direction of the team.

Asked about how playing for Staley compares to his experience with other coaches, Kendricks seemed giddy to heap praise on the Bolts’ skipper.

He knows ball, he loves ball. I think that’s the main thing. I step into the locker room, the coaches love ball, the players love ball, equipment loves ball, trainers love ball. That’s what it’s all about. It’s from the whole building. When you walk into an environment and you’re surrounded by that, it makes it easier for you to get along with the program.

Though he has yet to play a game under Staley’s watchful eye, the seeds of success seem to have been planted during the Chargers’ offseason program where Kendricks has gotten acclimated to life in Los Angeles.

The relationship between Staley and veterans like Kendricks will be key to the Chargers’ success in 2023 as the team looks to compete in the stacked AFC against the best teams that the NFL has to offer.

Sebastian Joseph-Day describes Chargers’ offseason process with cogent cake analogy

Sebastian Joseph-Day broke down his offseason preparation with an excellent cake analogy.

Sebastian Joseph-Day has been a rock-solid contributor for the Chargers since signing with the team last year. A space eater in the middle of Los Angeles’ defense, Joseph-Day might not be the most widely recognized member of the roster, but his veteran presence plays a key role in keeping opposing offenses at bay.

Joseph-Day spoke to the media on Tuesday after practice, expounding on his preparation for the 2023 season. He gave reporters the broad strokes about his approach to preparation, specifically responding to a question about whether he “itches” for reps at practice.

Though he was unsure, he broke down his thought process in what could prove to be the best quote of the Chargers’ offseason.

“I mean, yes and no. The offseason is kind of like baking a cake,” the 300-pound lineman explained, mouth surely watered. “I know it’s a weird analogy, but you can’t skip one step. Each phase, at least with me and my training, you need to do this — you have to get the eggs, you have to [break] the yolk.

“It’s step-by-step. You have to put the baking soda in, you can’t take the cake out too soon. It’s step-by-step. The way I approach it, yeah, it would obviously but fun, but I’m year six in now. I really have a good schedule. I feel like a lot of vet guys have a good feel of how they ramp themselves up to make sure they’re peaking come August and July.”

Asked if he bakes many cakes after the cogent analogy landed with the press, Joseph-Day replied in the negative.

“No, but you know what? It just popped in my mind. After practice, I’m a little hungry, if you know what I’m saying.”

It is unclear if Joseph-Day secured himself some delectable baked goods after practice, but his explanation is sure to stick with fans like the glaze on a gateau.

Dustin Hopkins and Cameron Dicker still on even ground in Chargers’ kicker competition

An update on the Los Angeles Chargers; kicker competition between Dustin Hopkins and Cameron Dicker.

Cameron Dicker and Dustin Hopkins are duking it out during the spring as the kicker competition continues. Based on the account of Chargers’ Senior Writer Eric Smith, the battle seems to still be on relatively even ground.

On Tuesday during mandatory minicamp, both kickers took five field goals in team drills. Dicker and Hopkins each went 4/5 on their attempts.

Per Smith, adding Tuesday’s totals to their overall spring competition would make Hopkins 15 for 17 (88.2%) on field goal attempts that reporters were able to see. In the same practice window open to the media, Dicker has gone 10 for 11 (90.9%) this offseason.

With both players kicking well so far, it doesn’t seem as though we’ll get much separation prior to training camp and the preseason.

Last season, Hopkins played five games before he was permanently sidelined for the rest of the season with a nagging hamstring injury. He went nine for ten on field goals and 100% on extra points in the games he did play. The most memorable performance from Hopkins was when he hit four field goals against Denver on Monday Night Football despite his leg injury:

After Hopkins was placed on injured reserve, Dicker was the starter for the rest of the season. In 10 games with the Chargers, he was perfect on 22 extra-point attempts and was 19/20 on field goals. Prior to his tenure with Los Angeles, Dicker also started one game for Philadelphia last year. He had two game-winning field goals against the Cardinals and Falcons on the season.

The financial difference between the two kickers when the Chargers may ultimately have to release one of them is interesting. Prior to last season, Hopkins signed a three-year extension to stay in Los Angeles. With a post-June 1st cut, the Chargers would take a $1.9 million dead cap charge and save about $1.2 million against the cap with Hopkins’ $3.1 million cap number. On the other hand, Dicker has no guaranteed money as an exclusive rights free agent. The Chargers would save $870K with his release.

Another possible route could be trading the kicker who loses the competition to a team that needs one later in the offseason. The Jaguars traded Riley Patterson to Detroit for a future seventh-round pick after they acquired Brandon McManus as their new starter. If the Chargers eventually have a clear winner in the competition, they could dangle the other kicker in trade talks prior to being waived.

There’s still a lot of time left in the offseason before we’ll know who wins out, but it’s clear that both kickers are performing well so far. At this point, neither is close to clinching the 2023 job.

Chargers CB J.C. Jackson ‘right on track’ in rehab from knee injury

Chargers CB J.C. Jackson sounded off on his assessment of his 2022 season and the rehab process.

Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson is working hard to get back to full health after a ruptured patellar tendon ended his 2022 season in Week 7.

Nearly eight months after the procedure on his knee, Jackson believes it won’t be long until he returns to the football field.

“I’m right on track,” Jackson said. “Almost there.”

Jackson is scheduled to meet with Dr. Neal El Attrache, who was the one to perform the surgery last October, next week to get a better idea on a return date.

Jackson is optimistic that he will be back by training camp in July.

“I’m expecting to come out here and practice every day,” Jackson said. “That’s how I’m taking it.”

“He’s progressing. He’s been working really hard,” head coach Brandon Staley said of Jackson. “This summer will be important for him.”

Jackson signed a five-year contract worth $82.5 million with Los Angeles last offseason.

Jackson’s first season with the Bolts wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as he struggled to find his footing in Brandon Staley’s defense, leading to him getting benched. And then the injury occurred.

“Haven’t done anything. Got hurt. And I just got paid,” Jackson said about his assessment of last season. “I still got to prove to my teammates and to myself that I am still Mr. INT. I didn’t do (expletive) last year.”

The rehab process has been a long journey for Jackson, but he has used it as an opportunity to learn.

“I’ve been grinding, meeting with the coaches every other day, learning, just breaking down the defense so it can slow down,” Jackson said. “I’m going to be ready to go this year.”

Jackson could boost the Chargers’ defense if he can get back to live-game shape and play like the All-Pro corner he once was with the Patriots.

I’m confident that in training camp, once he gets to working with his teammates, that he’ll be able to showcase the real player that he is,” Staley said.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert shows updated throwing mechanics at OTAs

Justin Herbert went to work on his throwing mechanics this offseason and it is noticeable.

Over the course of the 2022 season, the Los Angeles Chargers had their struggles. From injuries to the offensive scheme, it wasn’t an easy road to the playoffs — and someone whose production was reduced because of this was quarterback Justin Herbert.

Since entering the league in 2020, Herbert has stood out among young quarterbacks, touting impressive stat lines, athleticism and an elite pocket presence. In 2021, he remained one of the top five QBs in the league in nearly every possible stat. The expectation was that production would continue to increase, but with a rib injury, an injured roster and a scheme that failed to highlight his best qualities, the production dropped. Yet through these highs and lows in his first three years, one thing has been consistent: his throwing mechanics.

For his first three seasons, Herbert often used a low-release, sidearm throwing motion. It continued into the 2022 season and could have been a byproduct of his rib injury or just a general coaching strategy on Shane Day’s part. As we watch Herbert in OTAs this summer, we can see a clear change in the way he passes the football. His release is higher, the arc of the pass is lifted and thankfully the velocity is still elite.

This is very good news for Chargers fans. With a healthy wide receiver corps and an exciting new scheme from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, the uptick in Herbert’s production should be highly noticeable. Even at 6-foot-6, Herbert struggled with batted passes because of his lower release and a more predictable offense in 2022. The higher release should reduce the amount of batted balls. On top of this, Moore’s projected offensive scheme will allow Herbert to increase his yards per play.

Many elite quarterbacks in the NFL end up working on their mechanics and having success afterward. We saw this happen when Josh Allen had the opportunity to focus on his mechanics with now Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Immediately after working on his mechanics, Allen was having MVP-level seasons and leading his team to the playoffs year in and year out. Daboll continued this success by elevating the mechanics and production of Daniel Jones in 2022. This type of work bodes well for the future of the Chargers franchise QB.

Chargers OC Kellen Moore ‘excited’ to work with RB Austin Ekeler

Kellen Moore should get a lot out of Austin Ekeler.

The Chargers will have a crucial piece of their offense in the fold this upcoming season, as running back Austin Ekeler agreed to a revised contract with incentives up to $1.75 million.

Plenty of people are excited to see Ekeler in the blue and gold for the 2023 season, especially his new offensive play-caller Kellen Moore.

“Excitement,” Moore said. “Really excited to get to work with Austin. I think that he’s been, obviously, one of the top guys in this league. He has had such an impact on this place. Really excited to start building this thing together and building his role in this offense. I’m really, really excited.”

Los Angeles hopes to improve their run game, led by Ekeler, after finishing near the bottom of the league last season. And with Moore calling the shots, there’s a good chance for a turnaround, as he engineered three top-10 rushing offenses in the four seasons as the Cowboys offensive coordinator.

Additionally, Ekeler should continue to be a weapon as a receiver. Dallas implemented RB Tony Pollard heavily in the passing game. Pollard had a 21.8% target share when on the field for receiving snaps, which ranks 23rd among 116 running backs from 2019 to 2022.

Chargers mandatory minicamp, which begins on June 13, should mark the first time Moore and Ekeler are able to start establishing a concise connection and get a good game plan going.

See it: Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Quentin Johnston gets reps together for first time

Justin Herbert linked up with his newest weapon for the first time on Monday.

Phase 2 of the Chargers’ offseason program continued at Hoag Performance Center in Costa Mesa, CA, on Monday.

Following the team’s rookie minicamp, most of the veterans took the field, marking the first time quarterback Justin Herbert and his newest weapon, wide receiver Quentin Johnston, linked up.

In his media availability this past Friday, Johnston said that Herbert hadn’t reached out to him since he was drafted but had followed him on Instagram.

It’s good to see Herbert and Johnston getting reps and developing chemistry early on.

The former TCU product will use this summer to refine his route running and clean up drops that he dealt with in college, but there is still plenty of excitement surrounding the speed and yards-after-the-catch ability he is bringing to the offense.