In an effort to add running back depth after losing both Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris to injury, the LA Chargers worked out several running backs on Tuesday and ultimately signed one: Nyheim Miller-Hines.
Miller-Hines spent the preseason with the Chargers attempting to make a return to the NFL. Miller-Hines did not make the 53-man roster and was eventually cut from the Bolts' practice squad. He was clearly still on the team's mind, though, as the Chargers re-signed him to the practice squad on Tuesday.
Miller-Hines certainly didn't beat out a murderer's row of running backs to land the coveted spot on the Chargers' practice squad. However, he did beat out someone with direct ties to Justin Herbert as a former teammate: Royce Freeman.
Chargers sign Nyheim Miller-Hines over Royce Freeman, among others
Freeman joined Miller-Hines for the Chargers workout along with several other running backs looking for a job. Veterans D'Onta Foreman and Trayveon Williams also worked out with the Bolts. Miller-Hines ultimately got the job.
Freeman would have been an interesting candidate not because he would have reinvented the Chargers' offense, but because of his direct connection to Herbert. The former Oregon Duck spent two seasons with Herbert in college before being drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Freeman was truly one of the more exciting mid-round backs in the 2018 NFL Draft but it never quite worked out for him at the NFL level. He finished with a respectable 521 rushing yards on 130 carries in his rookie season, which ended up being a career-high. He had another 496 yards in his second season and has had a combined 773 yards since 2020.
Herbert's former teammate hasn't played in an NFL game since 2023 when he appeared in 11 games for the LA Rams. Freeman has bounced around various practice squads since, although he has been completely out of a job since the start of the 2025 season.
Herbert called Freeman a "really special player" during their shared time at Oregon but it's clear he is not special enough in the NFL to get a practice squad spot. However, his direct connection with the Chargers' franchise quarterback at least got him in the door.
It's not like Miller-Hines was particularly impressive during his short stint with the Chargers in the preseason, either. He was clearly the worst of the backs the Chargers had in the room. His attempt at an NFL return looked like it would be for naught.
But alas, the Chargers are now two injuries deep at running back and are desperate. Not desperate enough to reunite Herbert with his former college teammate, though.
In the end, it won't make much of a difference. Practice squad running backs don't necessarily establish Super Bowl ceilings and in a perfect world, Miller-Hines won't even need to play in a game.
Instead, the Chargers are relying on Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins while Hampton spends at least four weeks on IR. If more injuries continue to pile up, though, perhaps Freeman gets another shot.