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.

Brandon Staley on scratching Isaiah Spiller for Elijah Dotson: ‘We just felt like he would be the best guy’

Chargers RB Isaiah Spiller was inactive on Sunday in a rather surprising turn of events.

Before the game on Sunday, Chargers running back Isaiah Spiller was listed as inactive in a somewhat surprising turn of events.

Spiller had competed with Joshua Kelley for reps behind Austin Ekeler throughout the offseason. Undrafted rookie Elijah Dotson got the nod over the former fourth-round draft pick.

Head coach Brandon Staley put it relatively shortly at his Monday presser on why they made the move:

We just felt like he would be the best guy that would give us the best chance to beat the Dolphins.

While Staley didn’t expand much on the teams’ internal thought process, it feels like special teams had to be considered. Dotson factored in as the teams’ backup returner for stretches of the preseason behind wide receiver Derius Davis. If anything happened to Davis, it seems like the team valued Dotson’s ability to step in more than Spiller being the third or fourth back in the rotation.

Last year, special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken played Larry Rountree over Spiller for similar reasons. In a full running back room, Spiller’s special teams limitations have him drawing the short end of the stick.

Ekeler’s ankle injury will be something to monitor throughout the week. As of now, it’s too early to make any game projections without proper practice status reports. If Ekeler does sit out, Spiller would likely make his regular-season debut. If the former Western Colorado product is available, it will be a matter of what the team wants more against the Titans. Do they value the extra special teams support or another body in the running back room?

Assuming for a second that Ekeler is unavailable, it would be intriguing to see who has more of a role in the offense between the two backs above. Spiller has been in the system for longer, but Dotson did have highlight-level speed and burst in the preseason. It’s more food for thought for Kellen Moore’s run game as the Chargers enter Week 2.

Projecting Chargers’ offensive depth chart for Week 1 vs. Dolphins

Here’s how we project the Chargers depth chart to look for the start of the regular season.

The Chargers are just days away from their season opener against the Dolphins

The positions are set after finalizing their 53-man roster, but the team has yet to release the official depth chart.

So let’s dive into how the offensive side of the ball could shape up heading into the 2023 season, highlighting who is likely to start and serve as depth pieces behind them.

Quarterback

Starter Backup Reserve
QB Justin Herbert Easton Stick

The Chargers elected to roster two quarterbacks instead of three, as they have frequently done in the past.

Running back

Starter Backup Reserve Reserve
RB Austin Ekeler Joshua Kelley Isaiah Spiller Elijah Dotson

Kelley will get most of the carries behind Ekeler to start the season. He earned every bit of the backup job, flashing when he was on the field last year and during the summer. Spiller had a great training camp and preseason, too. He will be playing more snaps as the season progresses. Dotson will likely be an inactive player on game days.

Starter Backup
WR1 Keenan Allen Quentin Johnston
WR2 Mike Williams Derius Davis
WR3 Josh Palmer

Allen and Williams will be the top two receivers, while Palmer gets the majority of the snaps as the third receiver early on. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will draw up plays for Johnston to take advantage of yards-after-the-catch skills. Davis will primarily serve as the return specialist, with some gadget plays and to keep the defense honest with his speed here and there.

Tight end

Starter Backup Reserve Reserve
TE Gerald Everett Donald Parham Tre’ McKitty Stone Smartt

Nothing surprising here. Everett will be the featured tight end, with primarily receiving responsibilities. Parham is another option as a receiver and should have blocking duties, as he was one of the best in that department before dealing with his respective injuries. McKitty will strictly be a blocker, but he will need to show improvement in this area after underwhelming during the summer. Smartt will be a core special teamer, but he deserves offensive snaps after proving to be the best tight end during training camp and preseason.

Offensive line

Starter Backup Reserve
LT Rashawn Slater Foster Sarell
LG Zion Johnson Brenden Jaimes
C Corey Linsley Will Clapp
RG Jamaree Salyer Jordan McFadden
RT Trey Pipkins

The starting five have been set in stone for quite some time, so there aren’t any changes here. Sarell will be the primary swing tackle, meaning he will slide in at the left or right tackle should an injury occur to Slater or Pipkins. McFadden is the swing guard. Clapp is the swing center. Jaimes can play all interior spots.

Chargers OC Kellen Moore on running back room heading into season: ‘Austin’s the guy’

Chargers OC Kellen Moore spoke on the deep running back room.

The Chargers running back room had a highly successful preseason. As a result, they are carrying four backs on the 53-man roster: Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller, and Elijah Dotson.

It should be no surprise that Ekeler remains the leader of the group and will continue to have a high workload.

“We got four running backs we feel confident about. Austin’s gonna carry the load and you know, we’ll need those other guys as we go through the season” Moore said.

Ekeler didn’t touch the ball in the Chargers’ preseason this past August, and neither did any other starters on offense.

In 2022, Ekeler rushed for 915 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. On top of these rushing numbers, Ekeler had 722 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

As a versatile back, Ekeler will continue to be the go-to guy in the running back room and aid in opening up the offense for quarterback Justin Herbert.

“Austin’s the guy, certainly we feel really really confident about Austin. But I think as the season goes on… we want to be able to utilize those other guys,” Moore added.

Kelley, Spiller, and Dotson showed out in preseason, combining for a total of 542 yards and three touchdowns over three games.

With Moore’s new offensive system, the running back room should excel by utilizing different looks and a planned rotation to help alleviate some of the pressure from RB1 Ekeler.

This will allow Ekeler to use his energy more efficiently and be explosive off the line throughout the game rather than slowing down in the second half from too many carries.

With four running backs on the roster, the Chargers are sure to make an impact on the ground.

Everything to know from Chargers’ preseason victory over 49ers

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ 23-12 victory over the 49ers.

The Chargers defeated the 49ers in the final preseason game on Friday.

Here’s our recap of the Bolts’ 23-12 victory over San Francisco:

Chargers OC Kellen Moore on run game identity: ‘It’s heading where it needs to be’

The Chargers are going to prioritize explosive plays in the passing game and an efficient rushing attack.

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.

6 storylines to follow in Chargers’ preseason finale vs. 49ers

Be sure to keep an eye on these six storylines as the Chargers square off with the 49ers on Friday night.

The Chargers face off against the 49ers on Friday night before head coach Brandon Staley and company begin their trimming of the roster to 53 players next week.

Here are six storylines to watch for during Los Angeles’ final preseason matchup against San Francisco: