The good news? Ezekiel Elliott has himself a job with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The bad news? A “job” doesn’t mean a “uniform.”
The Chargers are gearing up for their first playoff run under coach Jim Harbaugh as they are traveling here to Texas for the Saturday evening meeting with Houston Texans.
As they prepare, the Chargers have sought for help in their backfield where they monitor a few injury concerns. Both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were limited participants earlier this week in practice and are listed as questionable for the AFC Wild Card contest.
Dobbins in particular should be fine. But the issues led to a move …
The signing of Elliott to the team’s practice squad Monday evening.
Elliott joined the Chargers after spending the first 17 weeks of the season with the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas granted his release before the team’s regular season finale against the Washington Commanders in order to give Elliott a chance to pursue opportunities with a contender for the postseason.
However, Harbaugh was quite complimentary of Elliott, calling back to his days at Michigan when his teams faced Elliott’s Ohio State Buckeyes..
“Yeah, like most people who watch football, very familiar,” Harbaugh said this week. “And personally, I’ve got some bruises from days competing against Zeke. It’s great to see him, he’s here and we’ll start having at it today.”
He expanded on the praise, claiming “better is welcome” when it comes to the Chargers. But will the “better” back get to see the field on this playoff journey?
Harbaugh believes if they get past the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card, that is a possibility. In reality, that may be a bit more complicated. If Dobbins and Edwards cannot play, the Chargers’ backfield depth is trimmed significantly, leaving Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal to carry the load on the active roster.
Those two are both young backs with not near the experience of the veteran Elliott. The question then becomes how much tread does he have left on the tires?
Elliott was given the opportunity to split carries with Rico Dowdle in Dallas this season, but the tenured practice squad back essentially phased him out of the game plan toward the end of the season. Elliott had only 226 yards on 74 carries in 15 games.
Perhaps things change in a better offensive system with an apparent need at running back though Elliott’s days of being a bruiser are well past him now.
