The Chargers are thin at the running back position after they were hit with injuries to Najee Harris and, most recently, Omarion Hampton.
Los Angeles will likely look over all free agents available first, but they could upgrade the room by trading for someone, such as Saints‘ Alvin Kamara, who our good friends over at Saints Wire believe it would take just a draft pick to acquire him.
Kamara gets to join Justin Herbert, an exciting quarterback who can make the most of his skills as a receiver. The Saints get something, sure, but a sixth-rounder isn’t much. It’s still more than the Cincinnati Bengals got for trading Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans a couple of years ago (a 2024 seventh-rounder). Mixon has more career rushing yards than Kamara and one fewer touchdown run, but Kamara’s production as a receiver far outweighs the difference. That’s the difference in a sixth-round or seventh-round pick for a late-career running back. It still isn’t a trade we would make. Kamara being a Saints lifer is more important.
Sitting at 1-4, the Saints should be considered sellers, so it’s fair to say that they would be interested in shipping even their best players to get draft capital to build towards the future.
A trade for Kamara would be a significant boost and perfectly complement offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s scheme. Along with being a great rusher, Kamara is one of the NFL’s top receiving backs, a skill set that would give Justin Herbert another outlet in the passing game.
Through nine seasons, Kamara has 12,565 yards from scrimmage and 87 total touchdowns.
Additionally, the 30-year-old Kamara would provide much-needed leadership and experience in a running back room that currently lacks those traits.
Upon Hampton’s return, the Chargers could feature a nice one-two punch, with Kamara handling passing-down work and Hampton taking early-down carries.
Kamara has one more year left on his contract after this season, so his services would be put to good use beyond 2025 if Los Angeles were to trade for him.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Why the Chargers should consider trading for RB Alvin Kamara
