The hits keep coming in the LA Chargers running back room. Just two weeks after Najee Harris sustained a season-ending Achilles tear, Omarion Hampton was placed on IR due to an ankle injury. He will miss at least the next four games. The Chargers signed running back Kimani Vidal to their active roster. Preseason RB Nyheim Hines was also signed back to the team's practice squad.
Will those be the only moves? Maybe the Chargers are confident enough that they can wait out the next four weeks until Hampton gets back with the guys they have. But Harbaugh has said the team will "look at other avenues as well".
6 realistic running backs the Chargers could pursue:
Ezekiel Elliott
The 30-year-old Ezekiel Elliott has remained out of the league so far this season. Before last season's playoffs, the Chargers signed him to their practice squad as they dealt with injuries in the running back room.
Elliott is certainly past his prime as a runner, but would at least bring competent pass pro and some short-yardage ability to the room. He falls into the category of short-term options that probably wouldn't be doing much following Hampton's return.
Gus Edwards
There's two members of the 2024 Chargers back to back. Gus Edwards' candidacy for the short term follows much of the same outline as Elliott's. Stout pass protection skills and at least some short-yardage ability would be able to give him a role on the team.
Still, Edwards doesn't have much juice left in the tank and is probably someone you only end up rostering for a few games. But at the very least, he's an option that would already be very familiar with Greg Roman's offense.
Jerome Ford
Jerome Ford is still getting some carries, but he's ceded the starting role in Cleveland to rookie Quinshon Judkins. The Browns also have some depth at running back after claiming Raheim Sanders from the Chargers on waivers earlier this offseason.
Ford has 500+ yards in each of the last two seasons. In 2024, he averaged a career-high 3.50 yards after contact per attempt. The efficiency hasn't quite been the same this season, but maybe a change of scenery and more of an opportunity to get carries in Hampton's absence could be appealing. The Chargers would still be looking to establish a true RB2 to Hampton when he returns, whether that's a trade/free agent target or one of Vidal and Haskins.
Dameon Pierce
Dameon Pierce is a buy-low option for the Chargers that could fit Greg Roman's scheme better than Houston's. He has largely fallen out of Houston's rotation after a breakout rookie campaign. Like Ford, Pierce is in the final year of his rookie contract and is an expiring deal.
The Chargers can probably get more value from him in their current gap-heavy scheme. In that regard, he'd complement Vidal and Haskins pretty well relative to the other backs on this list. Pierce is still only 25 years old and could probably be had for a late-day 3 pick swap given his lack of playing time. There might also be some special teams functionality here with Pierce's upside on kick returns.
Keaton Mitchell
Keaton Mitchell had a terrific 2023 campaign before tearing several ligaments in his knee, including a full tear of his ACL. He started 2024 on PUP before returning for the last few weeks. Mitchell has legit 4.38 speed that neither Vidal nor Haskins quite bring to the table. Like Pierce, he could also be a special teams weapon. The Chargers would add a little bit of elusiveness to their room with this move.
The phone lines in Baltimore seem to be open for business after the Odafe Oweh trade. Why not see what another originally Joe Hortiz-scouted player could do for the Chargers?
Dalvin Cook
This one certainly falls under the same vet snap eater case that the Elliott and Edwards suggestions follow. Cook most recently played with Dallas in 2024 and has been out of the league so far this season. The Chargers could get a chance to see what he has here for a few games while Hampton is out.
Cook spent part of the 2023 campaign with the Ravens. He's probably not a guy who's offering a team a ton of juice in 2025, but he's a name worth mentioning with that (albeit brief) connection.