AP Photo/Lynne SladkySony Michel wasn't without a team for long.
The veteran running back signed with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday, which comes two days after he was released by the Miami Dolphins.
Michel, 27, spent his first three seasons with the New England Patriots and their backfield-by-committee approach to the running back position, though he did rush for over 900 yards in each of his first two campaigns.
After a disappointing 2020 season (449 rushing yards and a touchdown in nine games), the Pats traded him to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2022 sixth-rounder and a 2023 fourth-rounder.
Michel responded by playing well, posting 845 rushing yards, 21 catches for 128 yards and five total touchdowns as the Rams went on to win the Super Bowl.
He signed on with the Dolphins in the offseason, though Miami somewhat surprisingly elected to keep four players at the position—Salvon Ahmed, Chase Edmonds, Myles Gaskin and Raheem Mostert—over him.
Michel will join a talented running back room that includes star Austin Ekeler, the team's starter, along with Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller. The Chargers also released running back Larry Rountree III to make room on the 53-person roster for Michel in a corresponding move.
He should offer a solid complement to the speedy Ekeler, giving the Chargers a between-the-tackles grinder and an option in short-yardage situations. It isn't a huge splash for a Chargers team that has made quite a few of them this offseason, adding players like Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson, but it's a solid move for a team that looks like a real contender.
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