Of all the weapons on the Los Angeles Chargers offense heading into 2026, their running back room may be the most vital to the health of Mike McDaniel's scheme.
McDaniel's offensive attack, of course, is heavily dependent on the ground game to help set up what he wants to accomplish through the air. If his backs are able to consistently gain yards on the outside-zone run, he can toy more heavily with motion and play-action passing attempts— something that can help maximize Justin Herbert's legs and downfield throwing ability.
With three capable backs in the fold in Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal, moreover, there's ample reason to be optimistic about what Los Angeles can accomplish on the ground in 2026.
But a hierarchy will need to be established. Hampton is obviously slated to be RB1, but there will be an ongoing competition between the speedy Mitchell and the incumbent Vidal for snaps at RB2. McDaniel has stated he'll use all three backs in every game, but it's likely that at least one will be sidelined for large stretches within the flow of the offense.
As of now, that would be Vidal—he simply doesn't have the same burst or the skill set that tailors both Hampton and Mitchell so perfectly for McDaniel's scheme. But Mitchell has now missed four practices, and even though he's not slated to miss time during the regular season, it opens up a much-needed window for Vidal to prove himself within this offense.
Kimani Vidal will get his opportunity to carve out a role in Mike McDaniel's offense
Vidal deserves his shot no matter what. He was the lone piece that helped keep the Chargers' run game afloat last season when both Hampton and Najee Harris went down, posting 525 yards and three touchdowns on 117 attempts between Weeks 6 and 13.
But while he has some shiftiness in the second level and some serious speed when he gets into the open field, he doesn't necessarily have the immediate acceleration to take advantage of the opportunities in McDaniel's scheme. We saw that show up on the tape in the preseason—with Vidal posting just 23 yards on 12 touches on the ground.
If Vidal has one thing going for him, though, it's Mitchell's injury history.
He played just 25 games over three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, tearing his ACL during his rookie season and missing much of his sophomore campaign as a result. The injury that he's suffered in Chargers training camp is not related to his rehab for that injury— that's in the past, and it's why Los Angeles felt comfortable taking a swing on him in free agency.
But when you're dealing with a player that's never taken more than 60 touches in a season, you're prone to be careful with his workload, especially if he's entering the season with a minor injury.
Even if Mitchell doesn't miss any games, that gives Vidal the chance to start the season as RB2 in terms of on-field snaps. The preseason, thankfully, likely wasn't a representative sample of what Vidal can be in this offense. The offensive line struggled to consistently create paths on the run through much of the preseason, and things should look much different when the Chargers open Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.
If Mitchell is even somewhat limited in his snaps over the first couple weeks, that gives Vidal a chance to cement himself in the offense before he can get buried by the combined forces of the Chargers' other two running backs.
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