Chargers sign former Broncos 3rd-round pick to aid RB depth chart

Billy Heyen

Chargers sign former Broncos 3rd-round pick to aid RB depth chart image

The Los Angeles Chargers have had an adventurous season as far as the running back position is concerned.

Injuries have defined their RB depth chart and forced a lot of moving parts and changing roles.

On Monday, the Chargers have bolstered that room in the hopes of making it through the end of the season with some solidity behind Kimani Vidal and the hopefully back soon Omarion Hampton.

The new guy is Royce Freeman, who signed to the Chargers practice squad on Monday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

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Freeman originally entered the NFL as a third-round pick by the Broncos in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oregon.

The 6-foot, 238-pound bruiser played his first three seasons for the Broncos, for whom he ran for 1,187 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns.

He then played eight games for the Carolina Panthers in 2021, running for 77 yards, and finished that season with seven games for the Texans, with 92 more rushing yards.

He stayed with the Texans for four games in 2022 (117 rushing yards).

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In 2023, Freeman joined the Rams, for whom he played 14 games, ran for 319 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.

Freeman hasn't played an NFL regular season game since 2023.

Since then, he has spent time on the practice squads of the Cowboys, Browns, Bears and Rams.

It's not clear that the Chargers will need Freeman this season, but he's a sturdy depth addition just in case.

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Senior Editor