Jaret Patterson

The top end of the Chargers’ depth chart at running back is set to look extremely different in 2024. After rolling with Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley for the last four seasons, new head coach Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Greg Roman will be utilizing a new pair of backs this season.

While the pair is new to Los Angeles, they are no strangers to Roman. Roman was on staff in Baltimore from 2017-2022, spending the last four years of that tenure as offensive coordinator. Roman was in Baltimore when both Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins entered the NFL as Ravens, helping the team field a top rushing offense in the league during their time together.

For much of his career, Edwards has never really received the billing as RB1. Sharing a roster with such players as the late Alex Collins, Mark Ingram, and Dobbins, Edwards has always entered the season as RB2. Injuries to those players constantly put the Ravens offense in a position in which they needed to rely on Edwards. Even functioning in a dual-back rushing attack, Edwards has been extremely consistent, reaching at least 700 rushing yards in each healthy season.

Dobbins has not had the same consistency as Edwards. While he has been dynamic in stretches, averaging 5.8 yards per carry in his career and being seen as the Ravens RB1 when healthy, health has been a gigantic hurdle for the Ohio State product thus far. Since appearing in 15 games as a rookie, Dobbins has only appeared in nine of a possible 51 games since. He missed the entirety of the 2021 season, nine games in 2022, and suffered a season-ending injury in last year’s season-opener.

Now, Roman, Edwards, and Dobbins all enter their first years as Chargers. According to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, Edwards is looking set to enter his first ever season as RB1. Popper claims that Edwards so far looks to be “the clear lead back.” Likely a cautious approach to Dobbins’ injury-history, Los Angeles will depend on Edwards’ consistency. Edwards also displayed true RB1 potential last year, recording a career-high 810 rushing yards while finishing third for NFL running backs with 13 touchdowns behind only Raheem Mostert and Christian McCaffrey.

Behind Edwards, Popper believes that there is an open competition for touches, though he notes that Dobbins should be the clear winner, if healthy. Pushing Dobbins for snaps with be rookie sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal, Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson, and Jaret Patterson, likely in that order. Vidal, out of Troy, rushed for 2,793 yards and 24 touchdowns in his final two years of college ball, and his fresh slate in Los Angeles should favor his opportunities if he has a good camp. Spiller and Dotson have seen minimal opportunities in their three-combined years with the team, and that doesn’t seem likely to change now, while Patterson hasn’t seen much action since his rookie year with Washington in 2021.

Chargers fans looking for a glimpse at what they can expect out of their rushing offense should have little research to do other than watching the Ravens’ offensive film of the last five years. If Popper’s perception is correct, 2024 should feature a healthy dose of Edwards as the lead back with as much Dobbins as his body will allow. Vidal will likely get some work, too, should Dobbins not be up for it, while Spiller, Dotson, and Patterson could all earn some time with strong camps.