Tag: Chargers running backs

Daniel Jeremiah: ‘If you’re getting ready for your fantasy football season, draft J.K. Dobbins’

Daniel Jeremiah is a big believer in J.K. Dobbins this season.

The NFL regular season is still months away, but the pre-draft season for fantasy football will soon be in full effect, as many people are prepping for a hopeful championship year.

For the Chargers, Justin Herbert will be one of the top quarterbacks drafted, but when it comes to other skill players, J.K. Dobbins should be on your radar, at least NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah thinks he should.

On one of the most recent segments of Move The Sticks, Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks ranked the running back groups in each division. While the Chargers were last in Jeremiah’s rankings, he had high praise for Dobbins.

“If you’re getting ready for your fantasy football season, draft J.K. Dobbins, Jeremiah said. “J.K. Dobbins, when he’s been healthy has been really good. J.K. Dobbins has zero adjustment to the offense.”

Injuries have limited Dobbins following an outstanding rookie season in 2020 when he averaged 5.8 yards per carry and totaled over 800 rushing yards. In total, he’s played in just nine games in the last three seasons.

Dobbins will share the backfield with Gus Edwards and it’s expected that he will be the lead back to start the season. But Jeremiah believes that Dobbins is the more talented back.

“I like Gus Edwards, and I know he’s another one who’s familiar with the offense, who is big and can be the vulture to go down and steal touchdowns. J.K. Dobbins, if he’s healthy, he is the most talented back on that roster and he will have a monster season, provided he can stay healthy,” Jeremiah added.

Dobbins talked about how he’s healthy and ready to dispel the injury-prone narrative. If he can stay on the field, he will supply the offense with one of the most explosive backs, with a skill set that features good elusiveness and pass-catching ability.

Projecting the Chargers’ running back depth chart in 2024

Taking a crack at projecting what the Los Angeles Chargers running back room will look like entering the 2024 season.

Over the next month ahead of training camp, 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 2024 season.

RB1: Gus Edwards

Edwards, who previously played with the Ravens for six seasons, came to Los Angeles alongside offensive coordinator Greg Roman. He played for Roman in 2019, 2020 and 2022. In those seasons, he averaged at least five yards per carry. He is coming off his most productive season as a pro, as he finished with 810 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Edwards won’t have much value as a receiver, but as long as he stays healthy then he should be a threat on the ground.

RB2: J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins reunites with his Edwards after their time in Baltimore. Injuries severely limited Dobbins following an eye-popping rookie season in 2020, when he averaged 5.8 yards per carry and totaled over 800 rushing yards. He tore his ACL and LCL and damaged his meniscus in 2021. He’s played in just nine games in the last three seasons. Expected to be fully healthy, Dobbins supplies the offense with an explosive runner who will also contribute in the passing game.

RB3: Kimani Vidal

The Chargers drafted Vidal in the sixth round of this year’s draft. Vidal was Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a third-team All-American in 2023 after he rushed for the second-most yards in the FBS (1,661). He left as Troy’s all-time leading rusher with 4,010 yards. Vidal has a pro-ready skillset with the explosiveness, vision, contact balance, lateral agility, and passing game impact. I have Vidal beating Isaiah Spiller for the third and final running back spot. Spiller is a practice squad candidate.

FB: Ben Mason

The Chargers signed Mason back in April. Drafted by the Ravens in the fifth-round pick of the 2021 NFL draft, Mason has only logged one career snap. During his college career at Michigan with Jim Harbaugh, Mason played a few positions but he was most effective as a fullback. He scored seven touchdowns in 2018 and was an excellent blocker in the run game. His familiarity with Roman’s offense and his blocking prowess should land him a roster spot.

J.K. Dobbins fully healthy, ready to go in first season with Chargers: ‘There’ll be no setbacks’

J.K. Dobbins feels good and is ready to dispel the injury-prone label.

As part of the Chargers’ backfield reconstruction, they brought in J.K. Dobbins, who has battled the injury bug, most recently rupturing his Achilles in Week 1 last season.

But Dobbins feels good and is ready to dispel the always-injured label.

“You got the injury-prone [label] out there, but I think the storm is over with, and I think I’m going to take off now,” Dobbins said. “There’ll be no setbacks, and this injury-prone thing will be gone out the window.”

Injuries have severely limited Dobbins following an eye-popping rookie season in 2020, when he averaged 5.8 yards per carry and totaled over 800 rushing yards. He tore his ACL and LCL and damaged his meniscus in 2021.

In total, he’s played in just nine games in the last three seasons.

“I think people all around know that it’s a high-risk, high-reward type thing,'” he said. “… But I think everyone around the league knows that whenever I am on the field, the numbers don’t lie.”

When Dobbins is on the field, he is a real treat to watch, as he makes picking up yards look effortless with excellent contact balance and lateral quickness.

Dobbins reunites with former Ravens running back Gus Edwards and offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

“He sticks with the run, and that’s the identity. You want an offense that has an identity,” Dobbins said. “You don’t want to be looking everywhere else to find your identity. You want to have it. And so I think this offense has that.”

Dobbins believes he is 100% healthy and ready to hit the practice field for training camp but is leaving it in the hands of the training staff.

“I think this organization is a great organization, and the training staff is great, and so they just want what’s best for me, and they’re taking care of me,” Dobbins said. “… But like I said, if it’s up to me, yeah, I’m out there.”

Projecting realistic stat line for Chargers RB Austin Ekeler

Breaking down how Chargers running back Austin Ekeler might do in the 2022 season.

After a hamstring injury sidelined him for six games in 2020, Chargers running back Austin Ekeler rebounded in a big way with a productive season that saw him set several personal bests.

Ekeler became a worthy Robin to Justin Herbert’s Batman. He led the backfield with 911 yards on the ground while punching in 12 scores, the latter of which was good enough for fifth among league rushers. He added 70 catches through the air, racking up 647 yards and eight more scores, which returned him to fantasy football glory. Most importantly, Ekeler remained healthy to play an entire 16-game slate, hit his career-best in rushing yards, and be crowned the league’s king for total touchdowns.

Even with the arrival of fourth-round pick Isaiah Spiller, Ekeler is the primary safety blanket for Herbert and a valuable weapon that will be asked to produce in various creative fashions. 

So what can Chargers fans expect Ekeler’s next season to look like?

Well, expect the rushing touchdowns to enjoy a bit of positive regression. With Spiller in the fold, Ekeler’s red-zone carries will likely decrease. If Spiller cuts into Ekeler’s early-down role, then it would certainly have an effect on the rushing numbers. With his longest rush going for 28 yards last season, Ekeler will need a fair amount of handoff volume to reach 1,000 yards on the ground.

But since Los Angeles added no notable receivers outside of retaining Mike Williams, Ekeler’s high-volume receiving duties are expected to be preserved. That means a lot of third-down work, where Ekeler will extend routes into the flat and test his quickness against linebackers that will look to eliminate him from the passing game. It’s a safe bet to assume offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi will develop plenty of scripted motion and predetermined reads to get the ball in Ekeler’s hands and let him make a play.

Ekeler came seven yards short of a 1,000-yard receiving season two years ago. A Melvin Gordon holdout allowed him to gobble up the majority of backfield duties. According to Player Profiler, Ekeler caught 92 of his 108 targets and averaged 10.8 yards per catch (first in the league). He ran 265 routes on 44.4% of the team’s passing plays.

Let’s compare that to his latest campaign. Ekeler ran more routes (393) on more plays (61.6%) than in 2019. He was targeted the most out of any running back in the NFL, and he racked up most receiving yards, too. Although his receptions “dipped” to 70, that mark still ranked second among running backs. 

The sixth-year back is being deployed more, which is allowing the Chargers to break open defenses and spread the ball around. While Ekeler is being force-fed less than his 2019 breakout, his numbers in the passing game are still grand enough to rank in the upper echelon of dynamic running backs. It helps when Ekeler is astoundingly good at creating for himself – he created 940 yards after evading the first tackle attempt.

Ekeler’s rushing totals should decrease a bit when factoring in Spiller’s gradual emergence. In turn, this may lead to him running over 400 routes and seeing more opportunities as a receiver. He might not score 20 touchdowns again, but Ekeler’s ability to succeed in virtually any role will be a nagging headache for defenses to keep track of.

A rushing line of 200 carries, 850 yards, and eight touchdowns seems reasonable. As a receiver, seeing Ekeler hit the century mark is not a total fantasy, but he will likely fall in between that and his 2021 season. Tab him for around 80 catches, 750 yards, and seven touchdowns.

Chargers’ Austin Ekeler calling on running backs to step up

Six games in, and the Chargers have yet to establish who the second running back is.

One of the biggest questions heading into the season was who would establish themselves as the second running back behind Austin Ekeler.

Six games in, and while Ekeler has received the bulk of the work out of the backfield, Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, or rookie Larry Rountree III have yet to prove capable of a prominent role.

Therefore, Ekeler said he is looking for one of them to claim that role: “Someone’s got to step up.”

The Chargers’ offense is heavily predicated on passing the ball, as they have only run the ball 139 times, which is the third-fewest in the league.

But of those attempts, the output outside of that of Ekeler has been below average.

Jackson has only totaled 22 yards on ten carries while adding seven catches for 34 yards. Kelley has six rushes for 24 yards. Rountree has the most carries out of the trio (24) but has only produced 60 yards.

All the while, Ekeler has 598 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns.

While it isn’t the offense’s calling card, it’s clear that better results are wanted out of the running game. So until someone proves themselves, running backs coach Derrick Foster will continue to take the committee approach.

Facing a Patriots defense that has been stout against the run, ranking 11th in the league, allowing 105.6 yards per game, it might be a tough task for one to pull away from the pack.

RB Austin Ekeler among players on first injury report of 2021

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler was a non-participant on Wednesday.

The Chargers had their first practice of the week in preparation for the regular season opener against Football Team.

Here’s a look at Wednesday’s practice injury report for Los Angeles, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter account:

The most notable player who was a non-participant was running back Austin Ekeler. He worked off to the side with trainers during the portion of practice open to reporters, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

The severity of his injury remains to be seen and it could be precautionary for all that we know, but it’s worth noting that Ekeler missed six games last season with a hamstring injury.

The status of Ekeler will be closely monitored the next two days. If whatever reason, he can’t go then the team will turn to Justin Jackson to get the start, while Joshua Kelley and rookie Larry Rountree back him up.

Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga was a full participant, and head coach Brandon Staley said that he is trending towards playing this weekend.

Chargers 2021 Training Camp Position Battles: Who will serve as backup to Austin Ekeler?

The battle royale in the Chargers’ backup will be one of the most intriguing in training camp.

Among the most intriguing positional battles lies in the backfield, where there will be an audition for the spots behind RB Austin Ekeler, who will be a key piece in Joe Lombardi’s system with his multi-dimensional skillset.

Those candidates vying for the jobs are Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, rookie Larry Rountree III and Darius Bradwell.

Jackson, who’s entering Year 4, has only played in 29 out of 48 regular season games. While he’s struggled to stay healthy, he’s been a good compliment to Ekeler, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

When he’s on the field, Jackson brings great vision and elusiveness coupled with pass-catching skills. Another thing to note is that Jackson is entering the final year of his contract.

Kelley, the 2020 fourth-round pick, dealt with growing pains last season. He experienced back-to-back fumbles early on in the season, which deteriorated his confidence when running the ball and on special teams.

Prior to that, Kelley was one of the most impressive players at training camp last year.

Rountree, the sixth-round pick, joins L.A. after proving himself as one of the most productive backs in the SEC the last three seasons at Missouri, having posted 3,720 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Bradwell, a former undrafted free agent, was one of former head coach Anthony Lynn’s guys, so he will really have to prove himself to the new coaches to earn a roster spot.

You can make the argument for Jackson getting cut because he has missed 19 games due to injuries. However, he’s arguably the team’s second-best back when healthy.

You can make the argument for Kelley getting cut based on his showing in his rookie campaign. However, he could make a major turn for the better in his sophomore season.

Given the fact that the new coaching staff used one of their draft picks on Rountree, I can’t see a scenario where he’s let go of unless he was to get hurt this summer, and that alone may give him a slight advantage over Jackson and Kelley.

With very little experience and having a crowd of guys ahead of him, Bradwell is the one who will likely be on the outside looking in.

This will be one of the toughest decisions that the coaches will have to make, which could ultimately come down to who shines on special teams, an area that will be pivotal in 2021.

My prediction is that the team decides to head into the season with four backs; Ekeler, Jackson, Kelley and Rountree.

As for who finishes second in carries to Ekeler this season, I believe Rountree does. In Year 1, he has to skillset profiles well to grow into be a well-rounded back that can contribute on multiple downs.

Chargers RB Joshua Kelley sets lofty goal for 2021 season

Chargers running back Joshua Kelley wants to have a big impact in the 2021 season.

There was plenty of hype surrounding running back Joshua Kelley 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.

Now heading into Year 2, Kelley will be in a three-man battle for two spots behind Austin Ekeler alongside Justin Jackson and rookie Larry Rountree III.

If he earns a spot on the 53-man roster, Kelley not only wants to show he’s capable of having a bounce-back season, but assert himself as one of the top rushers.

“I want to rush for 1,000 yards, however that can be,” Kelley said. “I have a lot of high expectations for myself but I think I can reach them if I keep working and keep trusting the process.”

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, decent speed and passing game ability.

However, in front of a new coaching staff, Kelley must show an improvement on special teams in order to make the squad, along with an increase in confidence when running the ball.

Only time will tell if Kelley is able to meet his goal, let alone make the team, but one thing is certain and that is that he wants to have a huge impact on the team this upcoming season.

Who will claim backup running backs spots for Chargers in 2021?

The backup running back spots will be one of the most compelling position battles at Chargers training camp.

We are a little less than three weeks away until Chargers training camp begins, which marks the period that players will fight for spots on the 53-man roster.

Among the most intriguing positional battles lie in the backfield, where a few players will be auditioning for the spots behind RB Austin Ekeler, with those being Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree III and Darius Bradwell.

Jackson, who’s entering Year 4, has only played in 29 out of 48 regular season games. While he’s struggled to stay healthy, he’s been a good compliment to Ekeler, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

Jackson brings great vision and elusiveness coupled with pass-catching skills.

Kelley, the 2020 fourth-round pick, dealt with some growing pains last season. He experienced back-to-back fumbles early on in the season, which deteriorated his confidence when running the ball and on special teams.

Prior to that, Kelley was one of the most impressive players at training camp last year, showing out in all phases.

Rountree, the sixth-round pick, joins L.A. after being one of the most productive backs in the SEC the past three seasons at Missouri, having posted 3,720 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Rountree is an explosive runner who has good feet, contact balance, second-level vision and ball protection awareness, as well as passing game impact and special teams ability.

Bradwell, a former undrafted free agent, was one of Anthony Lynn’s guys, so he will really have to prove himself to the new coaches to earn a roster spot.

You can make the argument for Jackson getting cut because he has missed 19 games due to injuries. However, he’s arguably the team’s second-best back when healthy.

You can make the argument for Kelley getting cut based on his showing in his rookie campaign. However, he could make a major turn for the better in his sophomore season.

Given the fact that the new coaching staff used one of their draft picks on Rountree, I can’t see a scenario where he’s let go of unless he was to get hurt.

This will be one of the toughest decisions that the coaches will have to make, which could ultimately come down to who performs more optimally on special teams this summer.

My prediction is that it will be Ekeler, Jackson and Rountree, with Kelley resorting to the practice squad. But I wouldn’t be all that surprised if the team includes Kelley into the mix heading into the regular season.

Projecting the Chargers’ running back depth chart in 2021

There’s Austin Ekeler. Then who?

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

Quarterback

Next up, I project what the running backs room will look like heading into the 2021 season.

RB1: Austin Ekeler

From undrafted free agent to one of the league’s most dynamic weapons. With his multi-dimensional skillset, Ekeler has totaled 1,901 yards on the ground and 2,079 receiving yards as well as 25 touchdowns in four seasons. Ekeler will get a decent amount of carries, but the coaching staff will still want to use his pass-catching abilities, which will see him line up in the slot aside from just the backfield. Under offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, Ekeler should receive a great amount of reps since he’s historically gotten his running backs involved more than almost any other team.

RB2: Justin Jackson

The second running back spot is where it becomes interesting. This will be a competition between Jackson, Joshua Kelley and sixth-round pick Larry Rountree III. The former Northwestern product gets the nod heading into the season, given his experience and production, when he is on the field, as he’s only played in 29 out of 48 regular season games. Jackson brings great vision and elusiveness coupled with pass-catching skills, and he’s averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Ultimately, the coaching staff will be holding hope that he can stay healthy. If so, he’s an ideal compliment to Ekeler who can impact the game in both facets.

RB3: Larry Rountree III

Assuming that the team rolls with three running backs into the regular season, Rountree wins the job over Kelley. Rountree joins L.A. after being one of the most productive backs in the SEC the past three seasons at Missouri, having posted 3,720 yards and 40 touchdowns. Rountree is an explosive runner who has good feet, contact balance, second-level vision and ball protection awareness, as well as passing game impact, projecting as a short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Another thing that gives Rountree the edge over Kelley is that he is one of the new coaching staff’s players. That’s an important factor with the roster-evaluation process.

What happens with Kelley?

The Chargers could send Kelley to the practice squad since he could still develop into a decent player after struggling with fumbles and confidence issues last season. Even if the team does ultimately roll with four running backs, I still believe Rountree has the advantage over Kelley.