Kimani Vidal is coming off a surprisingly strong season for the Los Angeles Chargers, and he may have played his way into a larger role with another team. Originally starting the season buried on the depth chart, the former sixth-round pick earned extended playing time after injuries to free-agent signee Najee Harris and first-round pick Omarion Hampton. Vidal made the most of this opportunity, finishing the season with 643 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 155 attempts. He averaged a healthy 4.1 yards per attempt despite playing behind a truly atrocious offensive line and finished the season with a 73.4 PFF grade, the 27th-best mark out of 59 eligible players.
A healthy Omarion Hampton will be the Chargers starting running back, which means Kimani Vidal will return to a supporting role in 2026. Given the state of the roster, Bleacher Report‘s Moe Moton believes Los Angeles could trade the running back to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Regardless of what happens with running back Chase Brown’s contract situation, the Bengals should look for a reliable backup tailback younger than Samaje Perine, who turns 31 in September,” Moton writes. “The Chargers signed speedy running back Keaton Mitchell for new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s system. The Bengals should inquire about Vidal’s availability.”
Kimani Vidal, Bengals Connected In Trade Rumor
As Moton mentions, the Cincinnati Bengals should try and add some depth to the running back room. Chase Brown has been a wonderful addition, easily outplaying his fifth-round draft stock and becoming one of the league’s better starting running backs. However, he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract and will need a new deal soon. While it doesn’t appear as though he’ll hold out for a new contract, Cincinnati should add some insurance to the position.
Running back is inherently an injury-prone position, and the Bengals have no adequate Plan B if Brown has to miss time. Samaje Perine was nothing special even at the peak of his career, and he’s well past the age where running backs start slowing down. Kimani Vidal didn’t look like a future Hall of Famer last year, but the Chargers running back is more than capable of handling starting duties should something happen to Brown. The Bengals have one of the league’s best passing attacks when everyone’s healthy, so someone like Vidal should be able to capitalize on lighter boxes.
Kimani Vidal would be a great fit for the Cincinnati Bengals, but the real question is whether or not the Chargers are willing to trade him.
Fit With the Chargers
Of course, it takes two to tango, so would the Chargers seriously consider a Kimani Vidal trade? Omarion Hampton is the unquestioned starter, but the 2024 first-round pick struggled to stay healthy last year. Head coach Jim Harbaugh loves to run the football, so it stands to reason that he wants a good backup and wouldn’t trade Vidal for a miniscule return.
The wild card here is former Baltimore Raven Keaton Mitchell. The undrafted free agent has played remarkably well in limited work since entering the league, but he’s only played in 26 games and has yet to record more than 59 rushing attempts in a single season. On paper, his speed and ability as a receiver make him a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. However, he needs to prove that his body can handle an NFL workload.
Seeing as the Bengals (or any team, for that matter) probably wouldn’t surrender anything more than a late-round pick for his services, the Chargers might as well keep Kimani Vidal. After all, he can start in a pinch and, even as a backup, should still see a decent amount of work in this run-heavy offense.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
