Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell was not seen not practicing on Thursday. He was working off to the side with a trainer along with WR Brenen Thompson. The absence marks his sixth straight missed practice.
Mitchell suffered a setback last week that started this series of missed practices. He did not play in the teams' final preseason game vs. the Rams as a result. The injury itself is currently undisclosed as the Chargers don't have to start filing injury reports until Week 1's practices.
A concerning trend for Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell has emerged. Will he be able to play in Week 1?
On Monday, Chargers GM Joe Hortiz was asked about a potential IR placement for Mitchell and his chances to play in Week 1. He answered with this:
“That’s what he’s working for. Yeah. He’s working through something, but nothing [major] Let's put it this way: we could put him down on IR today like we did with Denzel [Perryman] and we did not do that. So if that kind of answers your question.”-Chargers GM Joe Hortiz
Not putting Mitchell on IR during the 53-man roster cutdowns likely means it's not a major injury that would require 4+ games. But there's of course a range of outcomes between zero or less than four games missed. The Chargers are also likely playing it safe on their end in the Week 0 practices given Mitchell's injury history.
The Chargers do have solid depth at running back with 2025 rushing leader Kimani Vidal still on the team. The question for the room at large is how quickly they can pick up OC Mike McDaniel's running scheme. Between Hampton, Mitchell, and Vidal, the three running backs registered 16 carries for 22 yards in the preseason. There were definitely scheme blocking issues, but there were also cutback lanes not properly taken on film.
But perhaps the Chargers preseason performance shouldn't be overindexed. They seemed to do well enough in the joint practice vs. the 49ers. Omarion Hampton is poised for a breakout season based on how he played last year when healthy.
The Chargers would obviously prefer to have Mitchell as opposed to the alternative. In terms of creating explosive plays, Mitchell was second to De'Von Achane in explosive designed run rate last season (46.0% to 46.1%). But health and availability have been the main storylines of his NFL career and part of why he's no longer with the Ravens.
A Chargers running back room with all three of their players involved is a dangerous one. And hopefully that can be the case when the team takes on the Cardinals next Sunday.
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