LA Chargers: Joshua Kelley made history in Week 1 against the Bengals

4. Joshua Kelley, 2020

As already teased, Joshua Kelley comes in with the fourth-most yards from scrimmage in a Charger rookie running back debut since the 1970 merger. I know that there is a lot to digest in that sentence, but to outline how good he was, every running back ahead of him on this list were first-round picks.

Kelley was a fourth-round pick and one that a good portion of the fanbase did not even want. This shows why Tom Telesco is the one that is a football general manager and we are the ones that are writing about the sport.

I cannot stress enough how good Kelley was in this game. Yes, he had 60 yards from scrimmage on 60 rushing yards and a touchdown, but it was so much more than that. He looked confident out there, showcased an ability to make tacklers miss and really cemented himself as the team’s short-yardage back.

Kelley had a big 26-yard run on a third and one early in the second half and had a beautiful eight-yard run where he put three Bengals’ defenders in the spin cycle in the backfield.

Austin Ekeler is still the RB1, there is no doubt about that. But as we said before the season, the Chargers are better off without Melvin Gordon and Kelley showcased why. Gordon is talented, but Kelley is exciting, is a much cheaper option and has already made his mark.

Speaking of Gordon…