2. Larry Rountree and Joshua Kelley
We decided to lump Larry Rountree and Joshua Kelley together as it is really the same situation. The LA Chargers running back room has been horrible behind Austin Ekeler and it starts with the lack of quality depth in Larry Rountree and Joshua Kelley.
Justin Jackson shows flashes of brilliance but he is always hurt and outside of a big play here or there is not all that consistent. However, he has at least brought something to the team. These two have not.
I wrote before the season that the running back room would be a problem for the LA Chargers and that is exactly what it has been. It was obvious very early on with Kelley that he was not going to be up to NFL standards when he posted a worse DVOA in 2020 than Frank Gore. Frank Gore!
So what did the team do? They drafted a running back in Rountree who is virtually identical in run style and traits. And what do you know? It has been the same song and dance for Rountree, who has not offered much of anything since Week 1.
The two running backs have carried the ball 38 times for 102 yards. They have a combined two receptions for three yards. It has been that bad and the Chargers front office is showing an inability to draft quality late-round running backs in each of the last two drafts.
With Jackson hitting free agency and the disappointment of Kelley and Rountree, the Chargers are going to have to take another crack at it in the 2022 NFL Draft.