Tag: Isaiah Spiller

Chargers sign 15 players to 2024 practice squad

The Chargers announced 15 players set to be on the practice squad.

The Los Angeles Chargers began announcing members of their practice squad on Wednesday, signing the following players:

G Karsen Barnhart

TE Luke Benson

EDGE Andrew Farmer

TE Tucker Fisk

CB Matt Hankins

DL Christopher Hinton

LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste

WR Cornelius Johnson

WR Jaylen Johnson

CB Robert Kennedy

OT Alex Leatherwood

EDGE Tre’Mon Morris-Brash

DL CJ Okoye (IPP)

LB Shaq Quarterman

RB Isaiah Spiller

Teams can have up to 16 players on their practice squad, but for the Bolts, they can have up to 17 players because they have an exemption to add Okoye as an extra player through the International Player Pathway Program.

Therefore, two more players will be added to round out the group.

Fantasy football: Breaking down the LA Chargers backfield

Injury concerns, unproven upside, underwhelming veterans … this backfield has it all.

Perhaps no team has seen a bigger overhaul of skill players than the Los Angeles Chargers, which hired new head coach Jim Harbaugh and are in the process of adapting to his style. Among the departed are last year’s Week 1 starters at running back (Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders), tight end (Gerald Everett, Chicago Bears), and wide receiver (Keenan Allen, Bears, and Mike Williams, New York Jets). Even their No. 2 rusher, Joshua Kelly, remains unsigned and is unlikely to return.

It’s a lot of change, and yet, the top of LA’s backfield looks familiar … to Baltimore Ravens fans. With former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman now running the show for Harbaugh, the Bolts waded into free agency to pluck RBs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards on short-term deals. Both have a lot of experience in Roman’s offense, and Harbaugh’s desire to set a physical tone suggests the Chargers will be running more in 2024 than they did under the previous regime.

Of course, the caveat to such an approach is the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert, who is among the NFL’s best. It’s difficult to imagine they’ll fully marginalize the ascending superstar, but with their wideouts in a state of transition, a healthy dose of the ground game feels likely this season.

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.

ESPN’s Mike Clay projects Chargers’ 2024 offensive stats

ESPN’s Mike Clay takes a crack at projecting the production of the offensive side of the ball for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mike Clay is an NFL and fantasy football analyst at ESPN who uses algorithms and formulas to project player and team stats prior to the regular season.

Clay revealed his offensive projections for the upcoming season.

Let’s take a look at how he believes the Chargers’ skill players will fare in 2024.

Quarterback

Player C/A Yards TDs INT Carries Yards TDs
Justin Herbert 322/495 3,557 23 10 60 257 2
Easton Stick 39/64 423 3 2 8 37 0

Running back

Player Carries Yards TDs Targets Receptions Yards TDs
J.K. Dobbins 154 769 4 44 34 241 1
Gus Edwards 180 762 6 22 17 134 1
Isaiah Spiller 42 174 1 8 6 40 0
Kimani Vidal 13 52 0 3 2 14 0

Wide receiver

Player Targets Receptions Yards Average TDs Carries Yards
Ladd McConkey 98 63 797 12.7 5 2 14
Josh Palmer 82 53 630 11.9 4 0 0
Quentin Johnston 76 47 601 12.8 4 2 13
DJ Chark 70 38 567 14.9 5 0 0
Derius Davis 16 11 111 10.0 1 13 86
Brenden Rice 5 3 36 12.0 0 0 0

Tight end

Player Targets Receptions Yards Average TDs
Hayden Hurst 60 41 393 9.6 3
Will Dissly 38 30 266 8.9 1
Stone Smartt 16 11 113 10.3 1
Donald Parham 5 4 36 9.0 0

 

Where Chargers’ running back room stands after signing of JK Dobbins

Despite the signing of JK Dobbins, the Chargers will likely add another one in the draft.

After the Chargers agreed to terms with running back JK Dobbins yesterday, they now stand at five backs on the active roster.

Gus Edwards was signed early on the first day of the free agency to a two-year contract. With Dobbins on the roster, now two former running backs with experience in the Greg Roman system reunite with him in Los Angeles.

Edwards and Dobbins were highly productive with Roman when healthy in Baltimore. Edwards averaged 5.1 yards per carry on over 300 carries with 11 touchdowns in three seasons. On a little over 200 carries, Dobbins averaged 5.9 yards per carry with the same amount of endzone scores in two seasons after he was drafted in 2020.

The question for both backs, particularly Dobbins, is availability. While the nature of the signing is low risk/high reward, Dobbins has played just nine games in the last three seasons after suffering a torn ACL in 2021 and a torn Achilles in 2023. Edwards also tore his ACL in 2021 but has played a full slate of games in three of the last five seasons.

2022 fourth-round selection Isaiah Spiller is still on the roster and will presumably have an opportunity to compete for a spot. Spiller has been active for just 15 of his first 34 career games.

He has often been a healthy scratch for reasons that have to do with his special teams impact. Larry Rountree and Elijah Dotson have been active over him in recent seasons due to special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken trusting their contributions in the kicking game more. Under Jim Harbaugh, Ficken will still have his preferences on special teams. Spiller will either have to contribute there or make an impact as a top-two running back in the rotation itself.

Elijah Dotson and Jaret Patterson were signed to a futures deals at the end of the season. Dotson was active in four games last season due to injuries to the running back room and early special teams contributions. Both are more than likely competing for practice squad spots.

A week away from the NFL draft, the Chargers could still opt to add another running back to the roster. LA has hosted Blake Corum and Isaac Guerendo for top-30 visits in Costa Mesa while speaking to several other rushers at the NFL Combine, Senior Bowl, and pro days.

Gus Edwards speaks on why he signed with Chargers

The Chargers want to run the football more efficiently, so part of the process was signing Gus Edwards.

The Chargers want to run the football more efficiently, so part of the process was signing running back Gus Edwards to a two-year deal.

Edwards, who previously played with the Ravens for six seasons, came to Los Angeles alongside his former offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

“I just thought it was a great opportunity,” Edwards said. “The coaching staff they’ve been putting together is incredible. [I’m] real familiar with coach Roman and his game. And I just wanted to be part of it because I already know what his mindset is.”

Edwards 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.

Jim Harbaugh has made it known that he wants to pound the rock, and Edwards will be crucial in making that happen.

“And same with coach [Jim] Harbaugh, I already know what his mindset is — being a physical team,” Edwards added. “And I just want to be a part of that.”

In the early stages, Edwards noted that Harbaugh has been heavily involved in the action as the Chargers are underway in Phase 1 of the offseason program.

“I know his mentality — he wants to win,” Edwards said. “He’s been very into everything. He’s been in the meeting rooms with us. He hasn’t been staying away from the team. He’s been in the weight room with us. It’s been great to just see his face around.”

Chargers 2024 offseason position preview: Running back

Evaluating the Chargers’ running back room entering the offseason.

After a brief offseason contract dispute with the team, Austin Ekeler remained with the team in 2023. His production, unfortunately, was not at the level of what he had produced in previous seasons. After a great performance against Miami in Week 1, Ekeler lost a step following an ankle injury that held him out until mid-October.

After returning against the Cowboys, Ekeler had just a hair over 500 yards on 163 carries for the rest of the season. He averaged 3.13 yards per rushing attempt in that span while simultaneously not having the same type of receiving production from previous seasons. In a contract year where Ekeler effectively bet on himself, it probably wasn’t what he wanted entering free agency.

The rest of the running back room didn’t carry their weight. Joshua Kelley had just 100 yards on 36 carries in the season’s last ten games. Isaiah Spiller had several healthy scratches and finished his second NFL season, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt.

Now, of course, the Chargers’ run scheme didn’t fail entirely because of the running backs themselves. The offensive line was pretty subpar at blocking, and Kellen Moore, unfortunately, couldn’t integrate his rushing attack like he did in Dallas. But Ekeler is approaching free agency as he will enter his age 29 season. And unlike when Melvin Gordon departed, the Chargers don’t have a solid answer or replacement on the roster.

In continuing our offseason position preview series, let’s turn to the running back room entering the offseason.

4 things to watch in Chargers’ matchup vs. Bills

Here are four things to watch during the Week 16 matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills.

The Chargers host the Bills on Saturday in the NFL’s first Peacock-exclusive broadcast.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on for in the matchup.

Everything to know about Chargers’ embarrassing loss to Raiders

The Chargers were embarrassed in prime time.

The Chargers got embarrassed by the Raiders on Thursday night while the entire nation watched.

To recap Los Angeles’ 63-21 loss to Las Vegas, here is everything to know.

It’s time for the Chargers to pivot towards 2024

It’s time for the Chargers to figure out what they want to do with the bed they’ve made.

The Chargers’ postseason hopes took brutal hits on Sunday with a loss to the Broncos and what appeared to be a season-ending finger injury for Justin Herbert. It’s been time to wave the white flag on the 2023 campaign for a while, but Sunday’s events clarified that.

From a personnel standpoint, the Chargers must see which pieces they can count on going forward. In a world where the results of the games don’t matter from a win-loss standpoint, it’s time to see what the younger players on the roster can do.

Pivot to Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller carries. Build on Quentin Johnston’s first 90+ yard game for next year. There’s more than just those, but it would be a start. Given their contractual situations, Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray appear rather unlikely to be back with the Chargers next year. At this point, give Daiyan Henley or Nick Niemann snaps.

On a macro level, the Chargers have to start constructing their plan for 2024. Given the media reporting, it seems pretty sure that the macro decision on retaining Brandon Staley has already been made. Without a playoff birth this year, he will not be back. But what is to be made of GM Tom Telesco, a much less publicly forward-facing figure? Will he get to hire a fourth head coach? Or do the Chargers truly clean house?

For the rest of the season, keeping the Chargers’ coaching staff in place makes sense. Now that Easton Stick is likely the starter for the remaining four games, you may as well save some semblance of structure around him. Keep in mind that the Chargers will play against Las Vegas on Thursday Night Football this week. Short-week firings seem rather unlikely.

Another team-building aspect that LA will have to decide soon is which restructured vets return. It’s hard to remember sometimes how terribly the year has gone, but the Chargers did go all in for 2023 with four max restructures. Keenan Allen is probably a pretty safe candidate to return. But what will the Bolts do after Joey Bosa and Mike Williams suffered what amounted to season-ending injuries this year? Will Khalil Mack want to return after contemplating retirement after the 2022 season?

There’s a month left of the regular season and the Chargers should use it wisely to determine their future. While LA is not formally eliminated from playoff contention, it’s time to pull the plug. Frankly, it’s been time. This roster has looked uninspired, beat down, and pushed around all year. There’s no reason to force Herbert and other key players back out there.

I would say pivoting toward tanking for a premium draft pick should be an objective, but it doesn’t seem like the Chargers will need help doing that. Stick will start three divisional matchups and have to face Josh Allen’s Bills. They were losing with Herbert, and I’m sure they’ll find ways to lose without him. It probably will be easier.

It’s time to stick a fork in the 2023 Chargers. Frankly, it’s time to stick a fork in the “All In” contending era under Telesco and Staley. This team is all but out of everything. In a wide-open AFC, LA’s organizational incompetence and hubris dug them a hole too big to climb out of. Now it’s time to figure out what they want to do with the bed they’ve made.