The Los Angeles Chargers, needless to say, need to figure out a way to get their run game going under Mike McDaniel. With the way the passing game has unfolded this season, there's simply no other option.
In an ideal version of McDaniel's scheme, the running backs would be active alongside an athletic and physical offensive line to consistently produce gains even when the air attack falls short. Although we've seen flashes from both Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell this season of being able to accomplish that, the production simply hasn't been there.
Los Angeles is the third-worst team in the league in EPA per rushing play. Hampton is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry, and there hasn't consistently been enough space or the right timing on the ground to truly maximize his talents.
Perhaps, heading into Week 4, it's time to utilize Kimani Vidal more in certain under-center, between-the-tackles run actions. At the very least, it can't hurt to try to simplify McDaniel's scheme as the offense scrambles to find its footing.
But if the Chargers simply aren't going to find a way to utilize Vidal over the course of the season, they have enough depth on the practice squad to feel comfortable moving him—especially as the RB market ramps up.
Kimani Vidal should get his shot to help keep the Chargers offense afloat
Of course, we know that Vidal doesn't have the same burst or athleticism that make Hampton and Mitchell such theoretically perfect fits for McDaniel's scheme. He struggled with the timing of the outside-zone run during the preseason, and it doesn't seem that McDaniel feels comfortable giving him extensive touches without ample meat on the bone in the ground game.
Although McDaniel claimed this offseason that he would use all three running backs in every game, Vidal has seen just one touch through the first three weeks of the season. He did see some enhanced pass-blocking opportunities in Week 3, but that's about the extent of the Chargers' use for him to this point in the season.
Vidal has been at least a minor object of trade buzz since the Chargers added Mitchell this offseason. After all, he did help keep the Los Angeles offense afloat last season during his stint as its RB1—posting 569 yards on 131 rushing attempts between Weeks 6 and 13 when Hampton was sidelined.
In projecting the Chargers offense in 2026, though, it seemed as though moving Vidal without a true option take over as RB3 would be an ill-advised move. But the Chargers had both Gregory Desrosiers and Amar Johnson establish themselves as potentially explosive options in the preseason. Although Vidal offers a more complementary skill set to Hampton and Mitchell, what advantage does he provide the Chargers with if he's not going to see touches on a routine basis?
The Carolina Panthers may very well be in need of an additional RB with Jonathan Brooks on IR. The Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers, who also have depth concerns, may be willing to toss a mid or late-round pick in the Chargers' direction for a clearly viable playmaker out of the backfield.
Of course, Los Angeles won't be willing to make such a move if they're still in playoff contention—especially if Vidal becomes a key piece in any sort of offensive resurgence over the next few weeks. But there's a real possibility the Chargers are staring down an 0-6 record entering their Week 7 bye, and capitalizing on Vidal's remaining value could be a real option at that point if the offense simply doesn't see a need to use him.
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