LA Chargers: 3 players who disappointed against the Rams

RB Joshua Kelley

It's weird to put Joshua Kelley as one of last night's "losers" because I didn't think he did anything too bad during my viewing. But statistically, Kelley did struggle with eight carries for just 19 yards. He also got to work with a better version of the offensive line than Rountree did later on.

Rountree's "win" is what could really cause problems for Kelley going forward. As of now, my intuition would tell me that the Chargers probably will keep four running backs (sorry, Darius Bradwell). What could change my confidence in that prediction is if Rountree continues his rise during the preseason while Kelley continues to struggle.

This new coaching staff was not responsible for taking the former UCLA back in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. It does speak volumes that they took their guy in Rountree with four running backs already on the roster.

We'll see how severe Justin Jackson's groin injury is within the coming days, but his spot still feels safe to me with how he and Austin Ekeler can affect the passing game. Rountree and Kelley are a rather similar mold of hard-nosed power back. The special teams influence of Rountree is another factor to consider if the Chargers do end up keeping only one of the two.

There's plenty of time to reverse the current Kelley trajectory, much like I discussed with the special teams. But it really wouldn't shock me if he's RB4 when the preseason is all said and done.