Coming into the season, the Los Angeles Chargers' versatility in the backfield was thought to be a strength. As long as they could get Omarion Hampton clicking and healthy, having a diversity of skill sets in the fold with Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal could, at least theoretically, make it more difficult for opposing defenses to scheme against the Chargers' run game.
Through eight winless weeks, though, it's been a weakness. As it stands, the Chargers are 23rd in the NFL in total rushing yards and 22nd in yards per attempt. Their usage of Mitchell and Hampton in tandem, especially, has been predictable, with the vast bulk of Mitchell's workload coming on outside runs.
Hampton, meanwhile, has been limited in his effectiveness by the Chargers' decision to limit his touches—he has just 89 carries for 309 yards this season, putting him far below the pace he was on even in Greg Roman's limited offense in 2025.
Now, both Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel have acknowledged the need to streamline the distribution of touches in their backfield, hinting at a larger role for Hampton moving forward. Mitchell, who signed with the Chargers this past offseason on a two-year, $9.3 million deal, was already in danger of being a cap casualty this offseason, especially if McDaniel is on his way out the door at the end of this campaign.
Harbaugh suggested Chargers would rethink 3-RB rotation and potentially adjust to promote better rhythm: "Yeah, maybe. I think that's something that we're looking at, and I think we'll try that, yeah."
— Noah Furtado (@bynoahfurtado) November 3, 2026
He has shut down questions about this before. Something to monitor.
But if Los Angeles is going to undertake this backfield shift in-season, it puts an even greater question mark over Mitchell's future with the organization.
Keaton Mitchell likely won't be a Charger for long if looming backfield shift holds
Granted, all of the pieces that came in as part of the effort to integrate McDaniel's scheme into the offense—including Mitchell, Alec Ingold, and Cole Strange—were already going to be in danger this offseason if McDaniel was relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator. As of now, that feels like the most likely scenario. The Chargers are currently 32nd in the league in EPA/play, and almost no sort of turnaround feels, at this point, feels like it could salvage McDaniel's job.
But if the Chargers are going to lean more heavily into Hampton now, it feels like Mitchell's touches could be decreasing as soon as this week. To this point in the season, Hampton has amassed 89 carries, Mitchell has amassed 39, and Vidal has amassed 29. But in recent games, Vidal's between-the-tackles skill set has been drastically more effective than what Mitchell provides.
He's averaged 4.4 yards per attempt over the past four weeks, and although that's heavily buoyed by one massive run against the Denver Broncos, he seems to be the direction the Chargers would tend to if they needed to funnel snaps to Hampton.
The other crux of the issue is, of course, cap savings. Hampton is still on a relatively cost-controlled rookie contract for a first-round running back, but Mitchell's deal is back-loaded, meaning the Chargers would owe him just north of $6 million if they were to keep him for next season. Vidal will be a restricted free agent this offseason, and that could cost the Chargers anywhere between $3 million and $4.5 million depending on the tender they want to extend.
That leaves the total cost of the Chargers' backfield for next season around $14 million, and if they're not going to use all three running backs extensively, it doesn't make much sense to spend that sort of money on that position group—especially given the benefits of having Hampton on a rookie deal.
Although Mitchell's contract is back-loaded, Los Angeles would only take on around $1.85 million in dead cap by releasing Mitchell this offseason.
We'll need to see how the rest of the season unfolds in terms of workload, but it seems, at least right now, like Mitchell may very well be the odd man out as the offense undergoes a much needed shift.
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