Los Angeles Chargers: Early roster predictions for the 2020 season
By Samuel Teets
Running Backs (4): Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley and Bobby Holly or Gabe Nabers
In 2015, the then-San Diego Chargers used the 15th overall pick on Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon. During his five seasons with the organization, Gordon led the Chargers in rushing each year. However, Austin Ekeler took over a lot of Gordon’s duties last year while the former first-round pick unsuccessfully held out for a new deal. The former Pro Bowler recently signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Denver Broncos.
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With Gordon gone, Ekeler steps into Los Angeles’ top running back role. While he’s never rushed for more than 600 yards in a single season, Ekeler did catch 92 passes for 993 yards and eight touchdowns last year. His 1,550 yards from scrimmage almost matched Gordon’s career-high of 1,581 yards from scrimmage from 2017.
Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley will battle for the backup running back job. The Chargers drafted Jackson in the seventh-round two years ago while the team added Kelley in the fourth-round this year. Based on his draft pedigree and Jackson’s unremarkable production through two seasons, Kelley has an edge.
Derek Watt started at fullback for the Chargers last season. He played well enough to earn a three-year, $9.75 million deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Chargers chose to keep a fullback on the roster, Bobby Holly or Gabe Nabers are the top options. Both undrafted rookies played multiple roles in college, including fullback. There’s no point in the team keeping both, so this is a winner-takes-all battle.