Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Jaleel McLaughlin

Tuesday, March 18, 2:34 PM

According to Los Angeles Chargers reporter Daniel Popper of the Athletic, the team is likely to target a running back in April's 2025 NFL Draft. "The Chargers will be adding an explosive player to this group in the draft to complement Harris, Popper wrote." Perhaps as early as the 22nd pick in the first round." Harris signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal to join Justin Herbert's offense during the first week of free agency, but the depth chart behind him consisting of Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins leaves a lot to be desired. The 2025 NFL Draft class is loaded at the running back spot, and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton or Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson could fit what L.A. is looking for. While Harris would have immense upside in the Chargers' offense in a workhorse role, he could be related to early-down work depending on if L.A. pulls the trigger on a ball carrier on Day 1 or Day 2. Harris has missed just one game in his NFL career and has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons, but his contract value and lack of explosive play-making signals he could be at risk of falling into a committee-back role.

Monday, January 13, 10:50 AM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was a complete non-factor in the team's 31-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on wild-card weekend. Like most of the season, Denver's backfield was stuck in the mud and couldn't get anything going to control the game, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading the team with 43 rushing yards on four carries. McLaughlin, who had been the leader of a committee backfield late in the season, had only two rushing attempts for minus-two yards while catching his only target for no gain. It was a dismal end to the 24-year-old's second season in the NFL. He finished with 113 carries for 496 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and only one rushing touchdown in 16 regular-season games while adding 24 catches for 76 yards and two more TDs through the air. Denver will surely look to upgrade their backfield in the offseason to give more help to Nix in 2025.