The LA Chargers did not wait for the start of NFL free agency to get busy this offseason. It started last week when the team re-signed standout safety Elijah Molden to a three-year contract. Los Angeles then followed that with the biggest move of the offseason thus far: releasing Joey Bosa.
The Chargers' most recent move might be the most telling, though.
Los Angeles released veteran running back Gus Edwards on Friday, freeing up over $3 million in salary-cap space in the process. Releasing Edwards is a good sign for J.K. Dobbins coming back but that isn't the most impactful thing the move revealed. By releasing Edwards, the Chargers may have revealed who the team will draft in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Gus Edwards release may lead Omarion Hampton straight to the Chargers
There are many different possibilities for the Chargers with the No. 22 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. For many, the ideal situation is Michigan tight end Colston Loveland falling into the Chargers' lap. Loveland falling that far seems unlikely, though, which will force the Chargers to go a different direction.
That is where is gets confusing for the Chargers. Will the team draft its first defensive first-rounder since Kenneth Murray? Will the team continue bolstering the wide receiver room? Will Jim Harbaugh make it two-straight years with an first-round offensive lineman?
It's hard to answer those questions before free agency, especially considering the Chargers' choice depends on the 21 picks before them in the draft.
There is one glaring answer with Edwards no longer on the roster: North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton. Hampton is widely viewed as the second-best running back in this draft class and is only behind the best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley, Ashton Jeanty.
Several draft analysts have mocked Hampton to the Chargers already and it makes all the sense in the world if Edwards isn't coming back. Even if Dobbins comes back, there is plenty of room for one of the most exciting running back prospects to come out of the draft in quite some time.
Hampton would be an over-qualified RB2 and the Chargers could create their version of what the Detroit Lions have with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The running backs in Los Angeles wouldn't be exactly the same, but the set-up with a two-headed monster at running back would be similar.
Anyone who has watched Hampton in college knows he is the definition of a Jim Harbaugh running back. Hampton presents a rare combination of size, physicality and speed that feels like it is made in the lab. Hampton earned a 9.62 Relative Athletic Score and posted eerily similar numbers to Adrian Peterson at the NFL Combine.
In his last two collegiate seasons Hampton carried the ball 534 times for 3,164 yards with 30 rushing touchdowns. Hampton added 67 receptions for 595 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
If general manager Joe Hortiz stays true to his word and drafts the best player available regardless of positional value then Omarion Hampton will go from Carolina blue to powder blue. The Chargers releasing Gus Edwards only supports that theory.