The Chargers got a lot out of their rookies in 2024, but even a few more can step up in a big way next season. With several in-house free agents set to leave, Los Angeles will need some guys to step up next season as well.
Here are three players that could see their roles increase next season:
RB Kimani Vidal
Running back will be a position of need for the Chargers this offseason. J.K. Dobbins is a free agent and will test the market. In the meantime, the front office will likely look for a potential upgrade. Putting Vidal here isn’t to say he has a chance to become a starter in 2025 because he does not.
He does have a legitimate shot to compete for the No. 2 role, though, which would mean a lot more playing time for him. Gus Edwards held that role in 2024 and he was pretty disappointing. The veteran seems to be a likely cap casualty, leaving the door open for that backup role.
In his rookie season, Vidal only saw a total of 48 touches. Back in October, he flashed some of his receiving talents with a 38-yard touchdown against the Broncos. It makes sense that he will see more playing time in his second season.
LB Junior Colson
Daiyan Henley is locked in as one of the two starters at the linebacker position. As for the other starter, Denzel Perryman is a free agent and his future is unclear after an up-and-down 2024 campaign. The Chargers will pursue an inside linebacker in the draft or free agency.
That said, like Vidal, Colson makes sense for more playing time in his second NFL season. He appeared in just 11 games in 2024, including one start, and played 32% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter believe in their Michigan prodigy as the team invested in a third-round pick in him last year. In a perfect world, he could even compete for the starting role next to Henley.
TE Stone Smartt*
The asterisk next to Smartt’s name is IF he returns to Los Angeles in 2025, given that he is a restricted free agent. One can assume that Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst will be gone, and Smartt provides the most upside out of them.
In his third NFL season, Smartt had 16 catches for 208 yards. Many thought that he deserved more of a chance with the inconsistencies of Dissly and Hurst. Smartt caught 84.2% of his targets, albeit in a limited sample size, and could become a legitimate No. 2 TE for Justin Herbert.