Los Angeles Chargers: Larry Rountree coming for RB2 job

The Los Angeles Chargers have to be pleased with what they saw in the debut of rookie running back Larry Rountree. Can he challenge for RB2 duties?

Expectations are pretty high for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 despite the fact that they overhauled the coaching staff in the offseason. New head coach Brandon Staley certainly has a talented roster to work with on both sides of the ball including reigning Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert at quarterback.

Even with Justin Herbert’s emergence in 2020, the Los Angeles Chargers are going to need to establish a consistent ground game in 2021 and they obviously have a lot of pressure on Austin Ekeler to do it. Although the cupboard is not bare behind Ekeler, it’s mostly unproven. Justin Jackson is penciled in as the RB2 behind Austin Ekeler, but rookie Larry Rountree is quickly making his presence felt.

Rountree is a rookie out of Missouri, the 198th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Although it’s premature to think that Rountree is going to come in and just light it up for the Bolts, his projection to the NFL was much better than a late sixth-round selection and he stands a chance to play a major role for the Los Angeles Chargers this season.

This one play shows off a lot of what people really liked about Rountree coming out of Missouri. He’s got some really nice lateral agility and quickness and much better ability to get North/South in a hurry than his size would suggest.

Larry Rountree finished his NFL preseason debut with eight carries for 63 yards and an average of nearly eight per carry.

He is a three-down back with nice chops not only as a receiver but also in pass protection.

Given the deflated value of running backs coming from the college ranks, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of realism to expect Larry Rountree to be a significant part of the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense in 2021.

Austin Ekeler is an outstanding pass catcher at the running back position, but the Chargers will need someone to potentially carry a bigger portion of the workload to make sure he’s able to effectively contribute as a receiver more often than not.

Larry Rountree could very well end up being that guy, and he is looking good as a possible early RB2 candidate.