Michel a healthy scratch

Chargers RB Sony Michel is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Cardinals. That leaves Isaiah Spiller and Joshua Kelley behind lead back Austin Ekeler.

Rams RB Sony Michel informed HC Sean McVay that he intends to retire, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrique reports. Michel turned just 28 in February but has endured a litany of injuries. With Michel out of the picture, the Rams are back to Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, and Zach Evans as their top three RBs.

Multiple reports on Tuesday indicate that free agent RB Sony Michel is signing with the Rams. The terms of the deal are unknown as of this writing. This will be Michel's second stint with the team, as he spent the 2021 season as a member of the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI. The former first-round pick was a member of the Chargers in 2022, racking up 106 rushing yards on 36 carries in a limited role last year. Michel brings five seasons of NFL experience to a backfield littered with inexperienced players like Zach Evans, the Rams' 2023 sixth-round draft pick, and 2022 rookies Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers. While the signing of Michel certainly doesn't reflect super well on these younger backs, though it's too soon to make a big deal about the Rams bringing in a 28-year-old with an extensive injury history. Training camp will help give us an idea as to which of these players will seize the RB2 role behind presumed backfield leader Cam Akers in 2023. Still, we project Akers to have a sizable workload in this backfield this upcoming season. Take a look at where Akers appears in our current RB rankings.

The Chargers list Sony Michel and Joshua Kelley as co-#2 RBs on their Week 1 depth chart. It feels notable that Michel has already climbed that high just a week after joining the Chargers. Rookie RB Isaiah Spiller remains 4th on the depth chart. We'll have a better feel for what this backfield looks like behind Austin Ekeler after Week 1, but Michel looks like the Chargers RB to target in remaining fantasy drafts behind Ekeler.

The Chargers announced Wednesday that they have signed RB Sony Michel. Cut this week by the Dolphins, Michel now has a chance to quickly work his way to the #2 role in a Chargers backfield that has looked bad behind Austin Ekeler. The Chargers released RB Larry Rountree in a corresponding move, leaving Michel, Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller behind Ekeler.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that free-agent RB Sony Michel is visiting the Chargers today. That points to L.A. being unsatisfied with the RB depth chart behind Austin Ekeler. Rookie Isaiah Spiller has so far failed to separate from Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree, neither of whom made significant impacts in last year's backfield. We'll watch for what happens here, but take it as another signal to not bother with Spiller in current redraft.