Once the Los Angeles Chargers hired offensive coordinator Greg Roman, you should have shifted your focus to their running backs.

In all 10 of his years as an offensive coordinator, Roman fielded a top-nine unit in rush attempts. While managers should note that most of those offenses had a mobile quarterback who contributed to the rushing attempts and yards, Roman’s 2011 San Francisco 49ers offense finished third in total carries with Alex Smith under center.

Because of quarterback Justin Herbert’s foot injury, the Chargers probably won’t feature him in the run game, though he’s capable of picking up yards on the ground. Instead, we should expect the club to lean on a running back committee to take some pressure off its hobbled signal-caller.

Typically, you should look elsewhere when you see a potential running back committee, but the Chargers have a unique situation with two veteran ball-carriers who have missed significant time because of injuries in recent years.

Between 2021 and 2022, Gus Edwards missed 25 games, and he turned 29 in April. Since 2021, J.K. Dobbins has missed 42 games. They’re at the top of the Chargers’ running back depth chart, but based on their injury histories, another ball-carrier could play significant snaps in relief duty.

The Chargers buried Kimani Vidal on their preseason depth chart, but the rookie sixth-rounder can generate some buzz by turning heads against second- and third-stringers in the exhibition play.

If Vidal makes the initial 53-man roster after an impressive preseason, he has a good chance to see the field to spell one or both the lead veterans. In 2022 and 2023, Vidal eclipsed 1,100 rushing yards at Troy. He also hauled in 92 passes for 700 yards and a touchdown in four collegiate terms.