The Los Angeles Chargers finished the part of training camp that every NFL team wishes they could do without: roster cuts. Every NFL team wants to keep as many players as they possibly can. They believe in these players and want to see them flourish and want them to help the team win football games. Every player wants that 53-man roster pay check and to play the game they love. Unfortunately, that isn't how things work in the real world. The good news for the Chargers and every other NFL team is that there are always under-the-radar gems who find ways to make a team's roster and help them win games. One player on the Chargers' 53-man roster who could make an impact right away is rookie running back Elijah Dotson.

Who is Elijah Dotson?

Elijah Dotson has a great underdog story that should have everyone rooting for him to succeed. He began his college career at Sacramento State, a rising FCS powerhouse in the Big Sky Conference. In his freshman season, Dotson ran for 1,154 yards on a great 6.2 yards per carry clip. He scored nine touchdowns and added 14 receptions for 160 yards through the air.

His numbers next season were crazy. His rushing production dipped a bit as he ran for 743 yards at a 4.9 yards per carry clip but his receiving production skyrocketed. He brought in 69 receptions for 701 yards and scored four touchdowns through the air. He put up wide receiver numbers as a running back.

Dotson couldn't follow that monster season up in 2020 due to COVID. His 2021 season at Sacramento State was cut short by injury, but it did see him haul in 18 receptions in four games, including five in a game versus the University of California-Berkeley. He transferred to Northern Colorado for the 2022 season where he balled out yet again. A 4.5 yards per carry average isn't much to write home about, but Dotson ran for 929 yards and added 47 receptions for 332 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver.

Unfortunately, Dotson's prolific college production wasn't enough for teams to overlook his 5-9 202-pound size and he wasn't drafted. He did, however, latch on with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent. He needed big preseason performances to stick with the Chargers. In Week 1, he did exactly that. Dotson only got six carries but he turned them into 92 yards and two touchdowns. All in all, Dotson ended the preseason with 146 yards on a robust 8.1 yards per carry clip.

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It was enough for Dotson to make the Chargers' 53-man roster. The Chargers dumped Larry Rountree, a former sixth-round pick by the Chargers back in 2021 and held onto Dotson as their fourth running back behind Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, and Isaiah Spiller.

2023 impact

If ever there was someone who Elijah Dotson could learn from and emulate, it would be Austin Ekeler. Ekeler was undrafted himself and emerged as an undrafted free agent rookie from a small school in Colorado (Dotson went to North Colorado; Ekeler went to West Colorado). Both make their hay as a receiver out of the backfield but also have juice to make big plays as a runner. Both had to stand out in the preseason to make the Chargers, and both did exactly that.

Their circumstances and numbers they put up in the preseason are way too uncanny. It feels like deja vu.

That isn't to say that Elijah Dotson is the next Austin Ekeler. But the Chargers have badly needed more juice out of the backfield behind Ekeler for some time now. Last season, the Chargers got 634 total yards from running backs not named Austin Ekeler. The year prior wasn't much better at 769 (and a good chunk of those yards came in a game Ekeler missed).

That's where Elijah Dotson could help. He could be the complement behind Ekeler the Chargers have lacked for years and give the offense more juice. People didn't know who he was before the preseason. After the regular season ends, there's a good chance everyone knows the name Elijah Dotson.