The LA Chargers have one of the most talented and deepest rosters in the entire league heading into 2022. Tom Telesco and the front office have capitalized on Justin Herbert being on his rookie deal and have crafted a roster that is truly built for a Super Bowl run.
That being said, like with every team in the NFL, there are still thin parts of the roster heading into training camp. For the most part, the Chargers are locked into these positions being thin and there is not much the team can realistically do at this point.
However, there is one signing the team could make to address one of these positions and it does not even have to be a specific player. The Chargers don't need one difference-maker to fix the depth, they just need a reliable body that can produce what the team needs them to produce.
Simply put, the LA Chargers need to sign another running back before training camp.
Austin Ekeler is one of the best running backs in the league and he is obviously a great candidate to be the RB1 on the roster. However, for the second year in a row, the depth behind Ekeler is the thing that is concerning for the Chargers.
For this reason, the Bolts drafted a running back earlier than expected and took Isaiah Spiller in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. While the team is certainly high on Spiller, trusting a rookie running back with no NFL experience to come in and take on an RB2 workload, especially in this offensive scheme, is risky.
Behind Spiller, there are no options for the Chargers to consider. There is no one that is going to fill in and be a capable RB2 and quite frankly, the team's depth options are not even great to be an RB3. Neither Joshua Kelley or Larry Rountree can be relied upon and that is a problem.
Even if the team has faith in Rountree, with the ability to add two more players to the roster it makes sense to sign a running back to a league-minimum deal just to compete for the position and give the Chargers options. That is ultimately all the team needs.
Justin Jackson is still a free agent and the Chargers should be in touch with him. While his injury concerns are a real thing, he is still very talented and could be a backup plan for the Bolts if Spiller disappoints. If the Bolts are really that worried about Jackson's injuries there are other options.
One very exciting option is Tarik Cohen, who has ties to Brandon Staley and is still only 26 years old. He too has injury concerns but he would at least give the team an option. Whether it be Jackson, Cohen, or a veteran like Carlos Hyde, there is no such thing as too much depth.
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Hopefully, the lack of depth at the position does not rear its ugly head this season but if it does, every Chargers fan is going to be wondering why the team didn't just sign one more running back at the league minimum to help.