Omarion Hampton injury exposes potentially disastrous Chargers reality

As the Los Angeles Chargers fell to the Washington Commanders, 27-10, in Week 5, the offense yet again staggered, with the offensive line's struggles perpetuating themselves and turnovers continuing to be an issue for the Justin Herbert-led unit.

Yet, the week got even worse when lead running back Omarion Hampton exited the game with an ankle injury in the latter portions of the contest, leaving the fact exposed that the Chargers have no clear plan for how they will execute the running game beyond Hampton this season.

While Hampton was excellent in his first game as the lead back following Najee Harris's season-ending Achilles injury, he was slightly more limited by the struggles of his offensive line against the Commanders, and Los Angeles must quickly figure out who they will tap to support him as the rookie takes on a massive workload.

The Chargers have no clear plan for who will be RB2 behind Omarion Hampton

Entering the season, many analysts projected the Chargers to have one of the most exciting run games in the league following their offseason signing of Harris and their drafting of Hampton with their first-round pick. Instead, offensive coordinator Greg Roman has largely put an emphasis on the passing game: a strange decision given the way that their pass protection has struggled so far.

Even in Week 4 against the New York Giants, when Hampton exploded for 128 rushing yards and a touchdown, he still only received 12 carries throughout the entirety of the game. Moreover, not a single other running back got a touch as the Chargers lost 21-18 against New York.

As it stands, the nominal RB2 for the team is third-year pro Hassan Haskins, while Kimani Vidal, who was drafted in the sixth round in 2024 by Los Angeles, was elevated off the practice squad yet again for their matchup against the Giants.

Yet, when Hampton went down towards the end of the game, the two backs split snaps completely evenly, with Vidal finding marginally more success than Haskins on one more carry.

It appears that, as of now, the team is not going to add depth externally to help Hampton, although there could be a move brewing as the trade deadline inches closer and closer. What has become clear, however, is that the Chargers do not have a clear plan for how they want to deploy Haskins and Vidal in complement to Hampton or if they even wish to do so at all.

While Hampton has the potential to be one of the most explosive rookies in this year's class, he cannot be asked to take on the workload that a successful Los Angeles offense should task him with alone.

Moreover, if Hampton is now forced to miss time with whatever injury held him out of the end of the game, the Chargers could be in for a serious disaster as they attempt to sort out a running back room that they have evidently devoted very little attention to.