The Los Angeles Chargers, more than anything else, need to be looking at the future of this roster at this year's trade deadline.
At 0-6, this campaign has already effectively gone out the window. Whether or not the front office wants to give Mike McDaniel a chance to save his job over the remainder of the season, the thought process needs to be focused on 2027 and beyond. Where can Los Angeles retrieve draft capital for players who likely won't be on the roster next year? Where can they trim things back and make the picture clearer for whoever comes into the fold next?
Obviously, this goal can't be accomplished entirely at the trade deadline. But it would be an unmitigated disaster if the Chargers didn't somehow get a head start charting their path forward beyond this disastrous campaign.
In all likelihood, that process involves Omarion Hampton and the backfield. Los Angeles' three-back combination of Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal was meant to give them a variety of skill sets, depth, and optionality in McDaniel's outside zone-heavy run game. Instead, the rotation has taken away from what Hampton does best—operating as a bellcow back with heavy touches and major explosiveness both between and outside of the tackles.
If Los Angeles wants to fully commit to Hampton as that type of player, regardless of McDaniel's scheme, moving on from either Mitchell or Vidal at the trade deadline—and capitalizing upon the deficits on an RB-needy team—may very well be their best option.
Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell should both be trade candidates as the deadline rapidly approaches
Now, neither Mitchell nor Vidal have been particularly disappointing this season. Mitchell has posted 139 yards on 35 carries through six games, averaging 4.0 yards per attempt on moderate touches. While Vidal was hardly used as a rusher across the first three weeks of the campaign, he's since found a role operating between the tackles in McDaniel's offense. He's posted 109 yards on 21 carries after seeing just one touch between Weeks 1 and 3.
But the run game as a whole has been underwhelming. The Chargers are middle-of-the-pack in both total rushing yards and yards per attempt to this point in the season. While that looks solid compared to their numbers in the passing game, it's still a major disappointment when considered in relation to the expectations that were placed upon this scheme prior to the season.
That being said, there's likely nothing wrong with keeping all three backs in the fold in the short-term. At the very least, it gives Los Angeles some insurance in case of injury—especially with Gregory Desrosiers being claimed off the practice squad this week.
But it feels unlikely, at least at this point, that the Chargers will be willing to keep all three backs through this offseason. Hampton is still on a cost-controlled rookie deal—he'll earn roughly $4.5 million next season. But Vidal's salary will be bumping up at least to the rate of the 'right of first refusal' tender, which was set at around $3.5 million last season. Mitchell, for his part, will be owed $6.1 million in 2027, although he comes with just a $1.9 million cap hit if he's released.
That's a projected total of around $14 million for a three-headed backfield that hasn't yielded the results the Chargers obviously hoped for.
If the plan is to move off of one of Mitchell or Vidal this offseason anyways, then shopping them at the trade deadline to RB-needy teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers would be a smart move on the organization's part. Even if it yields just a sixth-round pick, it would allow Hampton to start to carve out and become comfortable in his role as a true lead back within this offense.
At the very least, Los Angeles needs to have a concrete plan for Hampton and his usage. Anything else, given the way this season has gone, is unacceptable.
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