Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel talked about the depth at the running back position in Monday's media availability, but when talking about how he would use each back, his response was quite intriguing.
The Los Angeles Chargers have plenty of great skill position players across this roster, and specifically at running back with Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal, and Keaton Mitchell.
On that note, during Monday's media availability, Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was asked about the running back room and how he plans to use them, which led to him giving a very intriguing response.
"Okay, so yeah, this feels this feels super fantasy-motivated. Okay, so there's good news and bad news fantasy owners. Okay, good news is I see all three of those guys producing at a very high level. The bad news is I can't tell you which games those are," McDaniel said.
As McDaniel talked about, he plans to use all three of the backs, meaning that he will not have one featured back, but instead will give each player a part of the workload. Later on, McDaniel added that he will also be looking at who has the hot hand and that the focus in the game plan and who the opponent is each week will dictate how the carries are divided up.
The interesting and honestly funny part of this response is the fact that McDaniel knows that fantasy owners will be monitoring everything, which is what made the response so interesting.
Focusing on the Chargers specifically though, Hampton, Vidal, and Mitchell should all be very valuable pieces of this offense for McDaniel and could lift some pressure off quarterback Justin Herbert with a consistent rushsing attack.
With McDaniel wanting to use each back, it is time to take a look at how they all performed in 2025 and what they could potentially do in 2026.
Starting with Hampton, he played in just nine games during his rookie campaign in the 2025 season due to a a fractured left ankle that he suffered in Week 5. However he did still contribute to the Chargers' offense as he had 124 carries for 545 yards, four rushing touchdowns, and averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
Overall, Hampton was solid last season, but if he can stay healthy heading into 2026, he may have an opportunity to have the first 1,000-yard season of his career.
Secondly, Kimani Vidal played quite well in 2025 and was actually the Chargers' leading rusher as he tallied 155 carries for 643 yards, and three rushing touchdowns while averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Last season, Vidal had to do almost everything in the run game, but heading into 2026 with a much healthier backfield and McDaniel calling plays, Vidal should be in a much better position to maximize his speed and agility behind the Chargers' offensive line.
Lastly, Mitchell comes over as a free-agent addition from the Baltimore Ravens and had a very limited role behind Derrick Henry last season. In Mitchell's 2025 campaign, he totaled 59 attempts for 341 yards, one rushing touchdown, and averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
With the explosiveness that Mitchell brings to the table, he has the ability to spring a big run at any moment which is something that could get this Chargers rushing offense to the next level if used properly by McDaniel.
Heading into the 2026 season, this Chargers running back trio of Hampton, Vidal, and Mitchell, in addition to McDaniel calling plays, looks to be a unit that should complement each other perfectly, and if used properly, could turn out to be one of the most dynamic backfields in the entire NFL.
