Chargers will regret not adding a running back
The Chargers are probably fine without adding a running back at the deadline but when the dust ultimately settles, the team might look back at the opportunity to add one at the 2023 deadline as a missed chance.
There are two ways that a running back would have helped the Chargers at the deadline. First is the obvious impact they would have had in 2023. The Chargers' rushing attack as struggled tremendously since Week 1. A big reason for that is the bad tight end room but it also has to do with Austin Ekeler not being a great between-the-tackles runner anymore.
Joshua Kelley has shown bursts and you could make the case that he should be used more but even then, it is not like he has been a reliable engine that drives the offense. Adding a spark to the running back room certainly would not have hurt.
More importantly, the Chargers could have solved a future issue as well. If the team traded for a back with one more year under contract — say, Khalil Herbert — then the team would have had an option for next year's team as well.
Both Ekeler and Kelley are free agents after the season. With Isaiah Spiller not proving anything thus far, the Chargers do not have a single in-house option to be the RB1 next season. The only way to find one in the draft that will contribute right away is early in the draft, which cannot be justified in 2024 with other needs.