Ronnie Brown should move up depth chart over Donald Brown

This weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, I will be hoping to see more Brown in the backfield. Not Donald Brown, but Ronnie Brown. Donald Brown has been one of the biggest disappointments on the roster this season. He has not provided anything meaningful to the team this year and he could be a player that Tom Telesco releases at the end of the year. Telesco admitted his mistake when he released Derek Cox last season. Why not do it again with Donald Brown at the end of this year.

Last week against the San Francisco 49ers, Donald Brown dropped a huge 3rd down toss that would have picked up a big first down that could have gotten the Chargers out of a jam. The ball was thrown perfectly. It hit him right in the hands and the ball hit the grass. He had a chance to make a play and didn’t make it. That has been his story all season.

Brown has participated in 12 games this season and he is averaging 2.5 yards per carry with only has 184 total rushing yards. That is the lowest marks of his career. Dallas Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray picked up 179 yards rushing in week 14 against the Chicago Bears. Donald was supposed to be the back that we leaned on when Ryan Mathews was out with injuries. That is the reason why we signed him to a 3-year $10.5 million contract. Ryan has missed most of this season with injuries and Donald still has not been able to produce. The deal has not been worth it.

It was painfully obvious how bad the run game is when Ryan Mathews is not on the field. The offense struggled without Ryan Mathews on the field last season. They have struggled again this year. Ryan has barely been on the field this season with injuries and that has kept the Chargers at the bottom of the league in run production. The Chargers rank 29th in the league with 1255 rushing yards this season. Where are you Donald?

We have seen what Donald Brown has to offer this year. It has been miserable seeing him on the field. It is time to get the ball to someone else. Ronnie Brown seems like a better option for the offense at this point. He helped carry the team in the playoffs last year against the Cincinnati Bengals and could be someone that is trusted in the final game of the regular season.

Oct 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Ronnie Brown (30) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

What is there to lose at this point? Donald Brown didn’t do much in the first place. Ronnie Brown should move up on the depth chart to take his spot.

Ronnie is not an every down back. It isn’t what we would ask him to do though. He was used as the primary back when Ryan Mathews was out in the past. If he were to move up on the depth chart this season, he would take more of the Danny Woodhead role. He would come in on 3rd down and during obvious passing downs. It likely is the best role for him. He has the best hands out of the backfield on the team. He can pick up the blocks for Philip Rivers. He can still pick up some yards in the run game.

If Ryan Mathews is out on Sunday against the Chiefs, then Ronnie Brown should get more work. Branden Oliver will get the load on the early downs and Ronnie will come in to play third down and get the work in the 2-minute drill. Even if Ryan were to get into the game, Ronnie would be a great option to take that third down back role. We need more Ronnie! We need whatever we can get to win this game!