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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Chargers Interested In Trading For Running Back

October 12th, 2025 at 11:54am CST by Connor Byrne

OCT. 12: The Chargers are indeed focusing on running backs leading up to the deadline, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. They’ve been calling teams about depth RBs and starters.

OCT. 11: With injuries ravaging their backfield, the Chargers could swing a trade for a running back before the Nov. 4 deadline, Daniel Popper of The Athletic writes.

The Chargers entered the season with two high-profile acquisitions leading their RB group. After opening his career with four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Steelers, Najee Harris joined the Chargers on a one-year, $5.25MM deal last March. A little over a month after adding Harris, the Chargers used their first-round pick (No. 22) on former North Carolina back Omarion Hampton. Five weeks into the season, it’s fair to say the Chargers aren’t going to get max return on either investment this year.

Harris suffered an eye injury during a fireworks accident in July, but he was ready for their season-opening win over the Chiefs in Brazil on Sept. 5. The 27-year-old picked up just one carry in that game, though. Two weeks later, Harris tore his Achilles, ending his season after he recorded 15 carries for 61 yards. Barring another pact with the Chargers, Harris will head back to the open market next year in a less-than-ideal position.

Even when Harris was healthy, Hampton was clearly the Chargers’ No. 1 back. The 22-year-old dual threat has amassed 66 rushes for 314 yards and two touchdowns through the first five games of his career, adding 20 catches for another 136 yards.

Like Harris, Hampton is now on the shelf. He injured his ankle during a loss to the Commanders last Sunday, which forced an IR placement earlier this week. He’ll miss at least four games, all of which will take place before the trade deadline.

The Chargers, now 3-2 after back-to-back losses, will turn to the unproven RB duo of Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal for the time being. They’ll face their first test as a tandem against the reeling Dolphins (1-4) on Sunday. Haskins has tallied just 64 carries, including five this year, in parts of three NFL seasons. Vidal has four attempts this season and 47 overall since he joined the Chargers as a sixth-round pick from Troy a year ago.

The Chargers have Nyheim Hines and Amar Johnson on their practice squad, though they’re hard to rely on at this point. Hines, who tore his ACL in a jet ski accident in 2023, hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2022. Johnson is an undrafted rookie from South Dakota State with no NFL experience.

Unless the Chargers find an answer from within by the deadline, the Jets’ Breece Hall and the Browns’ Jerome Ford could be logical trade targets to team with Hampton (assuming he returns), Popper observes. Hall has gotten off to an impressive start this season and has made it known he wants to stay with the Jets. However, with the Jets 0-5 and unlikely to make a miraculous charge toward playoff contention, they could part with the soon-to-be free agent.

Ford, also due to reach the open market in the offseason, enjoyed a productive run from 2023-24. He piled up 1,378 yards and seven TDs on 308 carries during that 31-game span. The 26-year-old only has 18 carries in five games this season, though, with rookie second-rounder Quinshon Judkins establishing himself as the lead back in Cleveland. Ford’s time with the Browns could be winding down, and the Chargers may be among the potential suitors.

Chargers Place DT Da’Shawn Hand On IR

October 11th, 2025 at 5:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Chargers defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand left last week’s loss to the Commanders after only appearing for four defensive snaps. The groin injury that forced Hand out of the game kept him from practicing all week, but instead of just an “out” injury designation for the weekend, the Chargers have ensured he’ll be out for the next four games after placing him on injured reserve today.

Hand looked to be having a career year in his eighth year of NFL play, but his production will certainly be hindered by this elongated absence. The 30-year-old had been working as a full-time starter for the first time in his career. Hand started eight games in his rookie campaign with the Lions but only logged five starts in the six seasons between then and now. He had already matched those five starts in his time with the Chargers this year.

Hand’s eight rookie starts were well-earned for the fourth-round pick out of Alabama, but the promising start was marred by ending the season on IR. From there, injuries continued to dictate the course of his career. He started two of the three games he was able to appear in for his sophomore campaign and was relegated to a rotational role in Year 3.

In 2021, the final year of his rookie contract, after missing the first seven weeks of the season, the Lions saw him active for three games before sending him to IR once again. Ultimately, they released him, and he spent the remainder of the year in short stints with the Colts and Titans. He played two snaps for the Titans in 2022 before being placed on IR for the remainder of that season.

After only appearing in five games over two full seasons, Hand signed with the Dolphins and had his first mostly healthy season, appearing in a career-high 16 games. Miami held onto him for 2024, and he had, perhaps, the strongest year of his career. Appearing in every game of the season for the first time in his career and making his first two starts since 2020, Hand delivered career highs in total tackles (31), tackles for loss (5), and quarterback hits (4) that season.

The strong two seasons in Miami led to a decent contract in Los Angeles, where he would finally get his chance to start full time. With 10 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and a sack through only five games, Hand was on track to set multiple new career highs. Considering he wasn’t placed on IR immediately following his injury diagnosis, it seems likely that he’ll be a strong candidate to return to the active roster once his practice window has been opened after four games have passed.

Taking Hand’s slot on the 53-man roster will be practice squad offensive tackle Bobby Hart. A former starter for the Giants and Bengals, Hart hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2022. Hart was added to the practice squad recently as Los Angeles deals with injuries to starting tackles Rashawn Slater (season-ending) and Joe Alt and backup tackles Trey Pipkins and Savion Washington.

Joining Hart to reinforce the offensive line off the practice squad this weekend will be David Sharpe. Unlike Hart, as a standard gameday practice squad elevation, Sharpe will revert back to the practice squad following Sunday’s game. The team’s other elevation will be used on recent practice squad addition Nyheim Hines, who will back up Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal as they fill in for Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris, who both currently reside on IR.

Odafe Oweh Surprised By Timing Of Ravens-Chargers Trade

October 9th, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

When Odafe Oweh woke up in Baltimore on Tuesday morning, he had no idea he would end the day on the opposite side of the country playing for a different team.

In the afternoon, Oweh found out that the Ravens had traded him to the Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman, and less than 24 hours later, he was practicing in Los Angeles.

“Initially I was shocked with how everything happened,” Oweh said on Wednesday (via Chargers editorial director Eric Smith). “I had no prior knowledge to what was going on.”

Later, however, Oweh mentioned (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) that he was more surprised by the timing of the trade than the fact that it happened at all. He discussed an extension with the Ravens in the offseason, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but talks did not get far. At that point, Oweh knew that 2025 would be his last year in Baltimore. The Ravens felt the same way and were not planning to re-sign him after the season, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.

“I definitely didn’t think it was gonna happen before the [Ravens’ Week 7] bye,” Oweh added, but he indicated that he was not caught completely off guard by the move.

Though the two teams’ head coaches are brothers – Jim and John Harbaugh – the relationship between their general managers was largely responsible for the deal. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz worked under Ravens GM Eric DeCosta for several years before he moved to Los Angeles last offseason. The Harbaughs did not talk until after the trade was completed, per Zrebiec.

Both Oweh and Gilman are expected to suit up for their new teams in Week 6.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

October 8th, 2025 at 8:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Many months remain before teams know where they are picking in the 2026 draft, but many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the Browns, Rams and Cowboys’ efforts, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/8/25

October 8th, 2025 at 6:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

Khalil Dorsey was recently nursing a wrist injury, and that issue will now sideline him for at least the next four games, as the cornerback landed on injured reserve today. After getting into the first four games of the season for the Lions, Dorsey didn’t see the field for Week 5. The majority of his playing time has come on special teams this season.

Kevin Givens is back at practice after landing on IR before the season even started. The defensive tackle has been working his way back from a pectoral injury that wiped out the first month of his 2025 campaign. According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, the defensive lineman will be evaluated throughout the week to determine his availability for Week 6. Givens is coming off a 2024 season where he compiled a career-high 3.5 sacks.

Ravens, Chargers Swap OLB Odafe Oweh, S Alohi Gilman

October 7th, 2025 at 10:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Harbaughs are making a deal. The Ravens are trading edge rusher Odafe Oweh to the Chargers in a pick-swap exchange also involving Alohi Gilman, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report.

Baltimore will trade Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Los Angeles for Gilman and a 2026 fifth-rounder, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. This will move a former first-round pass rusher to a Chargers team missing Khalil Mack on the edge. Oweh is tied to a fifth-year option; no substantive extension talks are believed to have occurred between he and the Ravens.

[RELATED: 2025 NFL Trades]

This trade, 12 years after Jim and John Harbaugh agreed on an Anquan Boldin swap when Jim was with the 49ers, also reunites Oweh with Chargers GM Joe Hortiz. The Bolts hired Hortiz from the Ravens; he was Baltimore’s director of player personnel when the team drafted the outside linebacker in 2021.

Oweh is tied to a $13.25MM fifth-year option salary. It has not been reported the Ravens will pick up any of that tab, with Schefter adding the AFC North team will save around $8MM with this trade. Gilman is tied to a prorated $3.5MM base salary, giving the Ravens some flexibility as they attempt to recover from a disastrous defensive start. While it is a bit surprising to see the Ravens give up on a former first-round pick who played well in 2024, Oweh is unsigned beyond this season.

Baltimore did not re-sign Matt Judon after franchise-tagging him in 2020, leading to the Oweh draft choice, and the team did not bring back Jadeveon Clowney in 2024. The Ravens ahve searched for a long-term OLB piece post-Judon, using Oweh and veteran stopgaps — Kyle Van Noy the most notable — during this period. Baltimore picked up Oweh’s option in April 2024 and then saw him post a 10-sack season also including 23 QB hits. Both were runaway career-high marks for Oweh, but he does not have a sack yet in 2025 (Oweh does rank 33rd in 2025 pressure rate, per TruMedia). The Chargers will still bet on the sporadically productive pass rusher.

This trade comes as both the Harbaugh-led teams are trending downward. As our Ely Allen detailed Sunday night, the Ravens are mired in a historically bad defensive stretch. The injury-wrecked unit has fallen from ninth last season to 32nd through five games. John Harbaugh reaffirmed Zach Orr‘s DC status, but at 1-4 and with Lamar Jackson sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Ravens are well off course. The Chargers have lost back-to-back games, seeing O-line injuries pile up. They will say goodbye to Gilman, who played in three-safety sets alongside Derwin James and Elijah Molden under DC Jesse Minter.

The Ravens have played without Van Noy at points this season, and while the aging EDGE returned in Week 5, Baltimore still dropped a 44-10 game to Houston. The Ravens have six sacks as a team, with Tavius Robinson — a 2023 fourth-round pick who supplanted Oweh in the starting lineup — delivering two of those. The team will lean on Robinson moving forward. Robinson’s rookie deal runs through 2026; Van Noy (34) is signed through season’s end.

Oweh, who will turn 27 before season’s end, started 23 games from 2021-24. The Ravens showed modest extension interest, but no deal was believed to be close this offseason. That set up a pivotal contract year for the Penn State product. He will now finish that out in Los Angeles, as the Chargers will pair Oweh with Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree for the time being. Mack’s dislocated elbow is not viewed as a season-ending injury, so the 3-2 Bolts should be able to roll out a Mack-Tuipulotu-Dupree-Oweh quartet later this season.

How Oweh fares during his L.A. stint will crystalize his free agency value. If Oweh can bounce back under Minter, he could command a reasonably strong market. After all, he also played an auxiliary role for a No. 1-ranked Ravens defense in 2023. Though, Oweh never eclipsed five sacks in a season prior to 2024. The Chargers will attempt to coax better form as they compete for the AFC West title with the Chiefs and Broncos.

The Gilman move comes a year after the Bolts re-signed him. Early in the Hortiz-Jim Harbaugh partnership’s run, the team brought back the Tom Telesco-era find on a two-year, $10.13MM contract. A former sixth-round pick, Gilman has been a full-time starter over the past three seasons. Gilman’s presence has helped unleash James in a hybrid role at which the All-Pro excels, but Garafolo notes the Ravens wanted him for the same role — for Kyle Hamilton-unleashing purposes. Hamilton and Gilman also played together at Notre Dame in the late 2010s.

Baltimore has been busy at safety today, adding both Gilman and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Ravens’ home run with Hamilton aside, they missed on safeties Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson in recent years. Eric DeCosta was also at the controls for the team’s Earl Thomas misfire. In Gilman, the Ravens have a player who excelled under Jim Harbaugh. Gilman’s deal expires at season’s end.

As I discussed in a recent Trade Rumors Front Office piece, the Chargers had been getting by with a low-cost defense — everywhere but safety, that is. The Bolts had allocated by far the most money to safeties this season, having re-signed Molden on a three-year, $18.75MM deal early this offseason.

With James still on a top-market safety pact, the team will swap out the Gilman money for Oweh’s option price, taking on a few million more than it is sending out. Pro Football Focus slots Gilman 33rd among safeties this season. The Chargers should be expected to turn to ex-Raven (and ex-Ravens scout) Tony Jefferson in Gilman’s place, per ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim.

It is the Ravens who are now flooded in safety investments. Although Gardner-Johnson is starting out on the practice squad, it should be expected the veteran starter debuts for the team soon. Baltimore also used a first-round pick on Malaki Starks. It would stand to reason Gilman would play in three-safety looks in Maryland soon, though it is obviously unclear at this point if he will be in the Ravens’ post-2025 plans.

Chargers Add Nyheim Miller-Hines To Practice Squad

October 7th, 2025 at 5:57pm CST by Connor Byrne

With the Chargers suddenly thin at running back, they’re bringing back a familiar face. The team signed Nyheim Miller-Hines to its practice squad on Tuesday, Kris Rhim of ESPN reports.

Thanks largely to a jet ski accident that left him with a torn ACL and threw his career off course, Miller-Hines hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2022. The former Colt, Bill, and Brown signed with the Chargers in July, but he was unable to crack their season-opening roster.

After the Chargers released him from their practice squad in early September, Miller-Hines is returning to a team that’s in dire need of help in the backfield. He could play this week against the Dolphins, according to Rhim.

The Chargers, losers of two in a row after a 3-0 start, placed starting RB Omarion Hampton on IR with an ankle injury on Monday. That came two weeks after veteran Najee Harris suffered a season-ending torn Achilles.

With Hampton set to miss at least four games and Harris done for 2025, the Chargers are left with the unproven duo of Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal as their top options at the position. With that in mind, they worked out Miller-Hines and fellow veteran RBs D’Onta Foreman, Royce Freeman, and Trayveon Williams on Tuesday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

Miller-Hines is one of a few new additions to the Chargers’ practice squad. They also signed wide receiver Jalen Reagor and center Josh Kaltenberger, Wilson relays. The team released guard Michael Dunn and linebacker Kana’i Mauga from its practice squad in corresponding moves. The Bolts recently released Reagor, a first-round pick of the Eagles in 2020 and a Charger last year, and Kaltenberger. Like Miller-Hines, they’re now back in the organization. 

Chargers To Place Omarion Hampton On IR

October 6th, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers’ backfield will be considerably shorthanded for the time being. Omarion Hampton suffered an ankle injury during yesterday’s game.

After the contest, the first-round rookie was seen in a walking boot (h/t Daniel Popper of The Athletic). Further testing has clearly not produced an encouraging prognosis. Hampton will be placed on injured reserve, head coach Jim Harbaugh announced on Monday (via Popper).

As a result, Los Angeles’ lead back will be sidelined for at least the next four games. Week 10 marks the earliest point at which Hampton could be back in the fold, although the Bolts’ bye is set for Week 12. Depending on the severity of this injury, it could take until past that point for the Chargers to have him available again.

Free agency saw Los Angeles sign Najee Harris to a one-year contract. The former Steeler suffered an Achilles tear early in his debut Chargers campaign, however, an injury which prevented the team from using a tandem approach in the backfield. Hampton logged 12 or more carries in four of his first five career games, and a similar workload no doubt would have been in store through the remainder of the campaign. Instead, the North Carolina product will turn his attention to recovery.

Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal represent the top candidates to take on running back responsibilities with Harris and now Hampton out of the picture. Those two have combined to handle 111 carries in the regular season in their respective careers. Leaning more on the passing game could be a priority, although with offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt also injured that will of course be challenging.

The Chargers began the campaign with three straight wins against AFC West opponents. They have since lost two straight, and injuries on offense could become a key issue through the middle portion of the campaign. Los Angeles will move forward with a depleted backfield beginning with a Week 6 contest in Miami.

Chargers To Open LB Denzel Perryman’s Practice Window

October 6th, 2025 at 8:03pm CST by Connor Byrne

The Chargers have gone without injured linebacker Denzel Perryman for almost the entire season, but a return is on the horizon. The team plans to open Perryman’s practice window this week, head coach Jim Harbaugh announced (via Kris Rihm of ESPN). When that becomes official, the Chargers will have 21 days to activate Perryman from injured reserve.

[RELATED: Omarion Hampton Heads To IR]

The Chargers won their season opener over the AFC West rival Chiefs in Brazil on Sept. 5, but they lost Perryman to a high ankle sprain after he took just eight defensive snaps. While the team went on to a 3-0 start without Perryman, it has since dropped back-to-back games to the Giants and Commanders to fall to 3-2.

Thanks to their two-game skid, the Chargers now own the same record as the division-rival Broncos. The reigning AFC champion Chiefs could join those two as the division’s third 3-2 club if they pull out a road win over the Jaguars on Monday.

With Perryman out of commission, Troy Dye has taken over as a starter at linebacker alongside Daiyan Henley. Dye, mostly a backup for the Vikings and Chargers from 2020-24, has totaled 36 tackles and a sack this year. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks his performance a respectable 30th among 74 qualifiers at his position.

At the very least, the Chargers seem to have a capable fallback option in Dye, which is important in light of Perryman’s extensive injury history. Along with already missing four full games in 2025, Perryman sat out either five or six contests in each of the previous three seasons. The 32-year-old has missed at least two games in all 11 of his NFL seasons since the Chargers chose him in the second round of the 2015 draft.

After stints with the Raiders and Texans, Perryman reunited with the Chargers before the 2024 campaign. He picked up 55 tackles and a sack in 11 games last season, leading the Chargers to re-sign the former Pro Bowler to a a one-year, $3.65MM deal in March.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/25

October 4th, 2025 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Week 5’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Huntley will be on hand to back up backup quarterback Cooper Rush in Baltimore tomorrow against the Texans. Okoye is called up for the second week in a row as injuries continue to hamper the Ravens’ defensive line, as well.

With some continuing injuries causing some concern in the secondary, the Browns will elevate Avery and Jones for the second straight week. Jones is being elevated for the third time this season, meaning that if Cleveland wants to see him in another game this year, the team will need to sign him to the active roster. The same is true for Logue in Buffalo, Hewitt with the Giants, Clark with the Jets, and Pili in Seattle.

Arnette’s promotion means Week 5 will mark his first regular season action in the NFL since the end of his Raiders tenure in 2021. The former first-round pick revived his career in part through his performances in the UFL this spring, something which created interest from multiple teams in free agency. Arnette, 29, will look to use tomorrow’s contest in a bid to land a permanent role in Houston.

This is the second time the Jets have parted ways with a kick returner following a game in which they had a costly fumble. Williams follows in footsteps of Xavier Gipson, who was waived following a similar mistake in the team’s season opener. There appears to be a pretty short leash for young returners in New York at the moment.

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