A clear-cut Austin Ekeler backup did not emerge during the Chargers’ preseason slate. The Dolphins may be delivering one.
After failing to make Miami’s 53-man roster, Michel will meet with the Chargers on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Michel spent the 2021 season in Los Angeles, leading the Rams in rushing. Although Michel’s Dolphins training camp injects some doubt into his 2022 capabilities, the former Patriots first-rounder has led two Super Bowl-winning teams in rushing.
Michel, 27, has battled knee issues during a pro career that has seldom seen him flash the potential he showed at Georgia. Nevertheless, the 2018 first-round pick produced two 900-yard rushing seasons in New England and added 845 in L.A. last season. The Rams acquired Michel via trade last year, following Cam Akers‘ ACL tear, and the late-summer addition outproduced Darrell Henderson in 2021.
The Rams pivoted back to Akers after his late-season return from the Achilles tear, leaving Michel (4.1 yards per carry in 2021) without much of a postseason role, and opted not to bring the veteran back in free agency. Michel signed a one-year, $1.75M deal and pocketed $850K guaranteed with Miami but saw holdovers Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed beat him out for a role alongside Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert.
The Chargers kept three backs behind Ekeler — Joshua Kelley, 2021 sixth-rounder Larry Rountree and fourth-round rookie Isaiah Spiller. A Michel addition would likely send one of these backs to the waiver wire.
Ekeler stayed healthy last season, producing a 20-touchdown slate that led the league but curiously did not produce a Pro Bowl invite. But the dual-threat back missed six games in 2020, seeing a hamstring tear derail his season. Despite losing out to multiple younger backs during the Dolphins’ preseason competition, Michel could provide stability as an Ekeler backup.
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