Tag: Kevin Marks

What Sony Michel signing means for Chargers

Laying out why the Chargers signed Sony Michel and his role with the team.

The Chargers made a move quickly after setting their initial 53-man roster, signing running back Sony Michel on Wednesday.

So what does the signing mean for Los Angeles?

Added depth at running back

Despite making the initial roster, Larry Rountree III was upgradeable. That point was hammered home when a flood of talented running backs was released as part of final roster cuts, and many speculated that the Chargers would be working the phones to bring at least one of them in. The mechanics here make sense: Los Angeles likes Rountree. They kept him on the initial 53 because they were comfortable with him being the fourth running back if they couldn’t reel in any of the cuts from other teams. But undrafted free agents Leddie Brown and Kevin Marks Jr. didn’t make a strong impression this preseason, leaving L.A. without a practice squad running back in the initial 14 they announced Wednesday. By bringing in Michel, Rountree will likely move to the practice squad if he clears waivers, giving the Bolts five running backs they like and feel confident with.

Michel’s role

The depth chart at running back is much cloudier because Michel has the talent to slot in anywhere from second to fourth running back on game days. Joshua Kelley looked like a much-improved player this preseason. Getting rookie Isaiah Spiller reps will be a focal point in his development. Taking away carries from Austin Ekeler is a delicate balance – he’s one of the best players on the team, so you want him to have the ball. At the same time, lessening his workload so that he’s still relatively fresh for a potential playoff run is paramount. Ekeler is going to take the lion’s share of the work in the receiving game, however. Kelley didn’t show much as a pass catcher, but he’s a solid pass blocker. Michel will likely end up serving as the power back Rountree was supposed to be, a role that Kelley and Spiller can fill, but not as well as Michel.

Special teams

Michel’s fit on special teams is far from seamless. The 27-year-old has only taken 80 career snaps on special teams across his four seasons with the Patriots and Rams and didn’t play a single special teams snap this preseason with Miami. Michel’s primary role on special teams has also been as a returner, not a blocker or defender. Booting Rountree off the roster in favor of the veteran likely says that the Chargers are comfortable with cobbling Rountree’s special teams role together using Kelley, Spiller, fullback Zander Horvath, and tight end Tre’ McKitty.

4 under-the-radar Chargers players to watch during training camp: Offense

Here are four players on offense who should bring some intrigue as the Chargers look to build the 53-man roster.

The Chargers boast one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, with notable players at every position.

However, a few have gotten little press coverage that will be worth keeping an eye out on when the team reports to training camp in a couple of weeks.

Here are four names on offense that should bring some intrigue as Los Angeles looks to build the 53-man roster.

RB Kevin Marks Jr.

The Chargers carried four running backs last year, and I think they will take the same approach this season. Larry Rountree, Joshua Kelley, and the other undrafted rookie RB, Leddie Brown, are all fighting for those two spots, with Austin Ekeler and rookie Isaiah Spiller being the locks. I believe Rountree is safe, given he was drafted last year and offers more special teams upside. For the final spot, I lean towards Marks. Marks left Buffalo as the No. 5 all-time leading rusher in yards (3,035), fifth in carries (667), and tied for third all-time in rushing touchdowns (33). He has the physical profile, is strong between the tackles, is very patient, and when he sees a lane open up, he has the burst to get down the field quickly.

TE Stone Smartt

The Chargers kept four tight ends to start the 2021 season, but in my initial projections, I have them rolling with just three. However, if the team takes the same approach as last year, Smartt, the undrafted rookie out of Old Dominion, draws plenty of intrigue to fill out the room after showing out at spring practices. Smartt, a former quarterback, dealt with an injury in 2021 but played eight games. He finished with 17 catches for 167 yards.

FB Zander Horvath

While the primary attention will be shifted to who will fill out the running back room, there will be another position battle in the backfield, as Horvath, the Chargers’ seventh-round pick, will compete with Gabe Nabers for the starting fullback job. Horvath is an enticing player, as his athleticism and strength show up on the football field in different areas. Horvath can make an impact as a runner, receiver, and blocker. Overall, his skill set could make him the replacement for Stephen Anderson as the team’s hybrid H-back.

WR Joe Reed

The Chargers have a polarizing trio comprised of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Josh Palmer. But the back end of the position room remains to be seen. Among the few who will be fighting for a spot is Reed, the team’s 2020 fifth-round pick. Reed had ankle surgery in September after a training camp injury last summer and spent the season on the practice squad injured list. Before that, Reed was the primary return man as a rookie, where he logged 21 kick returns for an average of 20.7 yards. He also took five handoffs for 29 yards and a rushing touchdown. Reed has tough competition with newly acquired DeAndre Carter competing for one of the final spots. But if Reed performs, his skillset as a gadget player capable of catching, running the football, and returning kicks could push him to make the 53-man roster.

Projecting the Chargers’ running back depth chart in 2022

Taking a crack at projecting what the Los Angeles Chargers running back room will look like in the 2022 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 2022 season.

RB1: Austin Ekeler

From undrafted free agent to one of the league’s most dynamic weapons. With his multi-dimensional skillset, Ekeler posted 911 yards on the ground and scored a whopping 12 times. He also produced 70 catches for 647 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. Ekeler will get a decent amount of carries, with 200 carries a strong possibility. Further, the coaching staff will still want to use his pass-catching abilities, making him a reliable target for Justin Herbert in the flats.

RB2: Isaiah Spiller

Selected in the fourth round, Spiller was one of the top value selections after being pegged as one of best running backs in this class. Now a Charger, the hope is for Spiller to emerge as Ekeler’s primary backup after the team has struggled to establish the RB2 role since Melvin Gordon’s departure. After two years of Ekeler running the show by himself in the backfield, Spiller has the skillset to be his reliable running mate. Spiller is big, physical and elusive as a runner and also has solid hands, catching 74 passes over three seasons at Texas A&M.

RB3: Larry Rountree

Coming out of training camp last year, Rountree was pegged to be the short-yardage back, but the former sixth-round pick was hardly effective in that role despite the team’s desperate need to develop a complement Ekeler. Instead, Rountree found himself a healthy inactive by the midway point of the season and eventually served strictly as a special-teamer from Week 12 onward. Rountree finished his rookie campaign with 36 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown across 12 games. Rountree’s special teams ability ultimately nudges Joshua Kelley, who has been underwhelming since entering the league in 2020.

RB4: Kevin Marks

The Chargers carried four running backs last year, and I am confident they will take the same approach this season. Kelley is a candidate to return, but I believe one of the undrafted free agents, Marks or Leddie Brown, will earn the roster spot. I am giving the leg up to Marks, who left Buffalo as the No. 5 all-time leading rusher in yards (3,035), fifth in carries (667), and tied for third all-time in rushing touchdowns (33). Marks has the physical profile, is strong between the tackles, is very patient, and when he sees a lane open up, he has the burst to get down the field quickly. It would not be surprising to see Marks surpass Rountree as the team’s third back.

FB: Zander Horvath

The Chargers used their final selection in this year’s draft to pick Horvath, who will go into training camp in a battle with Gabe Nabers. I believe it’s ultimately Horvath’s job to lose. His athleticism and strength show up on the football field in different areas, as Horvath can make an impact as a runner, receiver, and blocker. His overall skill set could make him the replacement for Stephen Anderson as the team’s hybrid H-back.

3 undrafted free agents with best shot to make Chargers’ 53-man roster

Looking at the Los Angeles Chargers’ undrafted free agents with the best chance to make the 53-man roster.

The Chargers have a storied history of turning undrafted free agents into productive players, including a 20+ year streak of an undrafted rookie making the opening day roster that ended in 2020.

Players like future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates, special teams ace Kassim Osgood, and starting running back Austin Ekeler are among those who have made a name for themselves in powder blue after clawing their way to a roster spot as rookies.

With that being said, here are three players with the best chance to join those ranks this season.

RB Kevin Marks Jr.

Marks will have to prove that he’s more deserving of a roster spot than former draft picks Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree III, as well as fellow UDFA Leddie Brown, but he brings a quickness that the RB room lacks outside of Ekeler. As a rusher, he’s a bit too eager to find a big play instead of taking what the defense gives him, which can often turn an easy three or four-yard gain into a prolonged one or two-yard loss. However, his quick feet in space could make him a valuable receiving option if Ekeler is forced to miss time for any reason.

TE Erik Krommenhoek

If Los Angeles elects to carry four tight ends, as they did a season ago, I think the fourth spot will come down to Krommenhoek and Hunter Kampmoyer. Gerald Everett and Donald Parham will be the primary receiving threats from the position, while second-year pro-Tre’ McKitty continues to work towards rounding out his game as the versatile Y-tight end. That could leave room for a pure blocker on the roster, which fits Krommenhoek’s game. However, he’ll have to first surpass Kampmoyer and then convince the staff that the fourth tight end spot shouldn’t be passed over in favor of carrying an extra defensive lineman, where spots are also hard to come by.

EDGE Ty Shelby

Shelby is probably the most talented UDFA the Chargers signed, although he has a long way to go before he’s considered a finished product. All-Pros Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are locked in, as is veteran Kyle Van Noy, which leaves one or two spots up for grabs between Shelby, 2021 fourth-round pick Chris Rumph, and Canadian Football League signee Jamal Davis II. Tom Telesco’s regime has proven willing to give draft picks a long developmental leash, putting Shelby at a disadvantage in the EDGE4 race behind Rumph. Carrying five pass rushers is a possibility, especially if Van Noy will split time at inside linebacker, but this is a talented roster with very thin margins. Expect whichever combination of the three that don’t make the opening roster to be priority practice squad additions.

Buffalo 17, Marshall 10: Camellia Bowl 10 Things To Know

>Buffalo 17, Marshall 10. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Buffalo win over Marshall in the Camellia Bowl.

Buffalo 17, Marshall 10. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Buffalo win over Marshall in the Camellia Bowl.

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Buffalo 17, Marshall 10: Camellia Bowl

10. It’s been a really, really rough run for Conference USA. The American Athletic Conference might be having problems this bowl season, but champion UAB got its bowl game canceled, North Texas got run over by Appalachian State in the Myrtle Beach, Louisiana Tech couldn’t handle Georgia Southern in the New Orleans, and Florida Atlantic lost to Memphis in the Montgomery. And now this – this one really hurt.

There are still chances with WKU against Georgia State in the LendingTree and UTSA vs. Louisiana in the SERVPRO First Responder.

9. In an AWFUL start to the bowl season, we’ll take this. There wasn’t any offense, the passing games struggled, and it wasn’t scintillating football, but both defenses were fine and it was close late with a whole lot of drama. It was the first bowl game out of the six played so far that wasn’t a double-digit uggo.

8. Don’t make mistakes, stay in the game, let the defense try to win this. The Marshall gameplan almost worked, but the O needed more out of QB Grant Wells. The Freshman all-star threw five picks against Rice, hit just 35% of his passes against UAB, and he didn’t take too many chances. He set up the lone touchdown with a nice throw, but he finished with just 114 passing yards and no touchdowns.

7. The Marshall offense was inept, but the Bulls was excellent at keeping control of the game when things weren’t working. They held on to the ball for way over 35 minutes, converted 8-of-15 third down chances, and they made the tempo work. It helped that the Herd offense was no threat for a huge chunk of the game, especially in the first half.

6. Now Lance Leipold needs to figure out how to win a MAC Championship. The UB head coach had the best team in the league for the last three years but went 0-2 in the MAC title game. His 2018 lost the Dollar General Bowl, but now he and UB are on a two-game bowl winning streak. On the other side, after going 6-0 in bowls as the Marshal head coach, Doc Holliday and the Herd have lost their last two.

5. It was an interesting late sequence. With the score tied at 10 in the final minutes and with Buffalo with the ball on the Marshall 2, Marshall – with no timeouts left – tried to let UB score to get the ball back, but the Bulls didn’t want to. With Buffalo’s shaky – to be kind – kicking game, it went down on first down, but ran it in on second down rather than run down the clock further. It all worked out in the end for the Bulls as the final Herd drive stalled.

4. Marshall’s offense died down the stretch this season. There weren’t any turnovers, but the production never came back after getting shut out by Rice and struggling against UAB in the Conference USA championship. There was one good second half scoring drive, and there was a chance to take over the game with the ball on the UB 1. The Herd settled for a field goal, and that was it.

3. The Marshall defense put did everything it could until the final UB games-inning drive. It got hit hard by the tough Buffalo running game and the power on the offensive interior, but it allowed just 295 yards of total offense and held up fine despite having to be on the field way, way too long.

2. Neither side had their star. Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson was the marquee name, but he hurt himself in the MAC Championship and sat out. That hurt, but UB had other options – more on that in a second. Marshall couldn’t afford to lose RB Brenden Knox from its struggling offense – he’s leaving to turn pro early – and it showed.

1. Buffalo had Kevin Marks, and Marshall didn’t. With both teams missing their star running backs. anything out of the offenses would be gold. All year long, Marks played second-fiddle to Patterson, but he always rocked when he got his shot. He got his shot against Marshall, ran 35 times for 138 yards and a score, and he carried the O that struggled throughout.

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