For all intents and purposes, when the Los Angeles Chargers selected running back Omarion Hampton with the No. 22 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, it seemed a perfect fit.
Hampton provided the physical, bruising style of running so often associated with coach Jim Harbaugh’s teams. He was the type of three- or even four-down back that the front office envisioned pairing with quarterback Justin Herbert.
But less than two seasons in, it’s been more flashes than a surefire bet.
A fractured left ankle early in the season and a right ankle injury late hampered his rookie campaign, but Hampton produced when on the field with 545 yards and a team-high four touchdowns. With offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel hired in January, Hampton’s role seemingly neared a breakout in a new wide-zone-heavy run scheme.
The former Miami Dolphins coach compared Hampton to Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis. And after a week of training camp, McDaniel highlighted Hampton as a player with as much growth as, if not more than, any player.
The proof hasn’t been in the pudding so far.
This season, Hampton’s snap count has decreased since having 40 in Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Hampton also had a career-high 23 carries in that game. Since then, his numbers have dropped, going to 20 snaps against the Denver Broncos in Week 5 — the fewest offensive snaps among the running back room of Kimani Vidal (26) and Keaton Mitchell (21).
However, that isn’t hindering Harbaugh’s confidence in Hampton. Harbaugh said that Hampton is “playing extremely well in all phases.” But, if that is true, then why the decrease in usage?
“Yeah, hard to predict how many [snaps] a player is going to get but yeah, every time Omarion is in the game, I’m fired up,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “Kimani played really really good football too. And Keaton as well. There’s three outstanding backs, but love them, love them all.”
Following a Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Harbaugh didn’t explain why the running back share changed in Week 3.
Hampton had a costly fumble against the Raiders, his second of the season. Then in Week 3, he dropped to 27 snaps against the Buffalo Bills. Then, he played 22 snaps versus Seattle. Harbaugh said the rotation is what they thought was best for the team and wanted to utilize the skills of three running backs who are “all playing good.”
From a statistical standpoint, Hampton’s numbers aren’t far off through five games this season compared to last. He currently has a team-high 73 carries for 271 yards as opposed to 66 carries for 314 yards last year. His runs have been deemed a “rush success” 37% of the time so far, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That figure was at 42% in 2025.
McDaniel finally broke the usage change down the week after Seattle. He said that depending on how the game plays out, he has had plenty of times when three running backs are involved on game day. According to him, the running back room is a “strength” and there’s an advantage to having defenses prepare to tackle three different players with “various skill sets.”
“I’m assessing each week what our players are good at because I’m getting new information, and it’s new in a season. So, trying to find the right balance, trying to give guys opportunities,” McDaniel said. “It’s very fluid, but it’s not an attack on any one individual. It’s my job to do better, score more points and utilize all the assets we have. And there’s only one ball.”
Hampton is still listed as the starter in the depth chart. However, McDaniel felt he was “underutilizing a strength” — in the RB room as a whole — which might explain the carry distribution changing as this season has progressed.
The issue with the distribution is that the Chargers spent a high pick on Hampton. Vidal was a 2024 sixth-rounder, and Mitchell arrived as a free agent in March. The investment in Hampton is more costly if it fails.
“I can’t make the statement more emphatic. It’s not because I’ve lost any faith in [Omarion] at all. I thought he was a very hard tackle and made plays with his opportunities, and that’s what I was looking to do in the game,” McDaniel said after Week 4. “I didn’t go into the game thinking of a touch ratio. It just was the way it played out based on what was happening in the game.”
Three days later, Hampton played the fewest snaps of his career. Meanwhile, Vidal and Mitchell’s roles have been on the uptick. McDaniel said Thursday that “there’s a lot of things from a matchmaking and game-planning perspective about what you’re doing as an offense,” before pointing out that Hampton had the most carries (14) of anyone on the team.
So far, the running back room — which McDaniel saw as a strength going into the season — has been safe from the injuries that have decimated the offense. That leads to McDaniel diversifying the back involvement rather than running the game plan “through guys that got here in the last couple weeks.”
“The running back room is a very important piece of our team, and because it’s a really strong, really good room by all NFL standards. For instance, I think there was a couple third downs that Keaton picked up for us that were crucial, and Kimani had a great touchdown run on the play after a turnover,” McDaniel said Thursday. “So we’ll continue to utilize those guys for their playmaking ability, particularly when you see lineup changes like we did [against Denver].”
Each of them have had their productive stretches, offering a different look for defenses. Vidal specifically has seen his offensive snap count rise from four in Week 1 to 26 in Week 5, when he rumbled for a 42-yard touchdown run that changed the game’s momentum. Mitchell has steadily played at least 15 snaps each game.
Those three are “a little different” but each does a great job, Herbert said. But as for Hampton, he said he has seen him grow into someone the team can trust to put the ball in his hands.
“He’s just such a physical runner. A guy that’s able to break so many tackles and he’s great in pass protection too,” Herbert said. “So, a guy that you just get the ball whether he’s running over a guy or running around him with his speed, he’s a great guy to get the ball to.”
Hampton was once viewed as the future of the Chargers’ back field alongside Herbert and a dominant rushing attack. One new offensive coordinator later, his role is decreasing — just like the Chargers’ playoff hopes.
