Los Angeles Chargers Running Back Depth Chart — 2026

A handcuff is the backup who inherits the starter's workload if the starter gets hurt — so the Chargers handcuff is whoever sits directly behind Omarion Hampton on the depth chart above. Rostering him is how you protect a starting back you have already spent a pick on. More on what a handcuff is.

Kimani Vidal played more of the Chargers' offensive snaps last season than Omarion Hampton — 43.0% to 33.1% — and ran well doing it, at +0.50 yards over expected per carry, 24th of 49.

There is a direct precedent, and it is the most useful fact on this page: when Hampton missed time last season, Vidal was the back who played. He finished with 43.0% of the snaps to Hampton's 33.1%.

Hampton's own work was efficient — 124 carries at +0.66 yards over expected, 15th of 49 qualifying backs — but it came in a partial season, so there is no multi-year availability line to read on him yet.

Vidal's running held up over 155 carries at +0.50, 24th. Keaton Mitchell arrives from Baltimore with 12.4% of that team's snaps and an availability line of 24 of 51 team games across 3 seasons — 47.1%, the thinnest here. Jaret Patterson has played 9.6%.

More than the depth chart implies, on last season's evidence.

Vidal's 43.0% share ranked 29th among running backs — a starter's share in most rooms. Hampton's 33.1% ranked 43rd. Mitchell's 12.4% in Baltimore ranked 77th, and Patterson's 9.6% ranked 86th.

The caution is that those shares describe a season in which the lead back was hurt. A healthy Hampton changes the denominator, and the reporting below has a new coordinator changing the scheme on top of it.

Not a separate one — the two backs split it almost evenly.

Hampton drew 35 targets, 3.89 a game, catching 32 for 192 yards on 219 pass snaps, 32.2% of the team's — a tilt of -0.9 against his overall share.

Vidal played more of them: 298 pass snaps, 43.8%, 27th among running backs, a tilt of +0.8. But he drew only 22 targets in 13 games, 1.69 a game — under the 25 needed to rank.

So Hampton is the one who catches and Vidal is the one who was out there. Mitchell's file on those downs is 54 pass snaps in Baltimore and 12 targets.

Reporting from a previous season, kept because a role a player has already held is the best evidence available about the one he might hold next. It describes 2025, not now.

With Hampton sidelined in 2025, Kimani Vidal was the Chargers' starting running back and split backfield work with Jaret Patterson. (Sports Illustrated (Charger Report), 2025-11-30)

What the beat is reporting, last refreshed 2026-09-04. Nothing here is measured — it is reporting, attributed and dated.

Keaton Mitchell signed a two-year contract with the Chargers after Baltimore declined to tender him as a restricted free agent (NFL.com, 2026-03-12).

Chargers running backs coach Max McCaffrey said of Keaton Mitchell that the speed is unmatched (Chargers.com, 2026-07-09).

Mitchell said he will take any role the Chargers ask of him, specifically listing kick return, gunner and the end spot on punt return (Chargers.com, 2026-05-11).

Omarion Hampton spent the offseason rehabbing his ankle with the Chargers' director of player performance (Chargers.com, 2026-06-17).

Under new coordinator Mike McDaniel the Chargers are installing an outside zone run scheme, and Hampton said all the running backs like it a lot and are figuring out the details of it (Chargers.com, 2026-06-17).

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said the new scheme fits Hampton great and that it has a chance to be a big year for him (Chargers.com, 2026-07-09).

The Chargers' training camp roster included Hampton, Mitchell, Vidal, Jaret Patterson and an undrafted rookie at running back, with Vidal flagged among the roster-bubble candidates (Sports Illustrated (Charger Report), 2026-07-22).

The Chargers added fullback Alec Ingold, who played under McDaniel in Miami, to support the run game, and Ingold has been helping Hampton learn the scheme (Chargers.com, 2026-06-17).