Chargers sign Sony Michel, adding depth and experience to backfield
COSTA MESA — Sony Michel won Super Bowl championships with the Rams and New England Patriots, who drafted him in the first round in 2018. He rushed for 3,137 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, and scored 18 touchdowns in 55 games, including 35 starts, over four seasons.
The Miami Dolphins signed him this past May 10, inserting him into their crowded backfield. When they rather surprisingly cut him this week, the Chargers took notice, hoping he could add depth and experience to their running back corps behind starter Austin Ekeler.
The Chargers then signed Michel and waived Larry Rountree III on Wednesday. It wasn’t clear whether Michel would vault past Joshua Kelley and rookie Isaiah Spiller to become Ekeler’s backup. It was likely that the competition would continue in the coming days and weeks.
“He just showed up so we’ll work him in and see how all that looks,” Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said of the 27-year-old Michel, who gained 845 yards and scored four touchdowns in 17 games for the Rams, including seven starts near the end of the regular season.
Michel participated in the Chargers’ practice Wednesday after signing earlier in the day.
“Just consistency,” Lombardi said when asked why Rountree was cut. “Larry is still a young player, still a guy we think highly of. Spiller kind of tweaked his ankle, but he was a guy who was performing well when he was healthy. J.K. (Kelley) has been around and was a little more consistent mentally.
“They’re small things, but they’re things that matter. Larry is not a guy we’re down on by any stretch. We felt so highly about Sony that we wanted to make a move. So, it becomes a numbers game.”
The Rams acquired Michel from the Patriots for a sixth-round draft pick in 2022 and a fourth-round selection in 2023 on Aug. 25, 2021, and he became their starting running back late in the season and into the playoffs. He was simply the odd-man out with the Dolphins.
“He’s just a veteran presence, a guy who’s had a lot of success in the league, carried the ball a lot for New England and last year for the Rams,” Lombardi said. “We thought he would add some value to our running back room. Nothing against the guys we have, but we just thought he was a good player who surprisingly became available, someone we had high grades on.”
PIPKINS WINS BATTLE
In the final analysis, Trey Pipkins III won a close training camp battle with Storm Norton and will be the Chargers’ starting right tackle. Norton was the starter last season in 15 of 17 games, with Pipkins starting twice and earning a chance for an open competition during camp.
“I’m really proud of Trey,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said. “He’s come a long way since one year ago. It’s what the NFL means to me. That’s why you stick with players. You don’t ever stop. You keep at it and you keep competing together. Trey deserves full credit because he’s the one who invested so much in his game.”
Lombardi stressed the closeness of the competition between Pipkins and Norton.
“When you just looked at them back to back, Trey was maybe a little bit further away from the quarterback when the ball was getting released,” Lombardi said. “In the run game, I think he got a little bit more movement. He’s done a really good job this last year, just becoming more consistent. That was the big thing that was holding him back last year. We saw him improve. We’re excited to see him go.”
Pipkins called his battle with Norton “fun.”
“Everybody out here is a competitor, so it’s fun when you get into a competition like that,” he said. “You push each other and make each other better. It’s a fun atmosphere, for sure.”
PRACTICE SQUAD
The Chargers signed 14 players to their practice squad, two shy of the NFL maximum of 16, including wide receivers Michael Bandy and Joe Reed, tight end Hunter Kampmoyer, defensive linemen Christian Covington and Joe Gaziano and defensive back Mark Webb Jr.