The Rams placed Michel on the reserve/retired list Sunday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Michel informed the Rams of his decision to retire earlier in the week, but since he's still under contract, Los Angeles has opted to officially put him on the reserve/retired list. The 2018 first-round pick won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2018 and the Rams in 2021, and last year, he tallied 159 yards from scrimmage on 45 touches across 10 regular-season games with the Chargers.
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Rams' Sony Michel: Plans to hang it up
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Rams coach Sean McVay said Saturday that Michel informed him of his impending retirement Saturday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Michel signed a one-year deal with the Rams in June after spending the 2022 campaign with the Chargers. The 28-year-old previously played 17 regular-season games with the Rams in 2021, tallying 208 carries for 845 yards and 21 receptions for 128 yards en route to five total touchdowns. Michel spent the first three seasons of his career in New England, where he was a pivotal piece in the team's 2019 playoff run and win in the Super Bowl, and he ultimately won the second Super Bowl of his career while with the Rams in 2021. However, Michel's production hit a sharp decline with the Chargers, where he totaled 45 touches for 159 total yards. He now appears set to end his NFL career with 779 carries for 3,243 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Michel's pending departure will leave Cam Akers and Kyren Williams to take over the bulk of the Rams' rushing attempts this coming season. However, McVay also said Saturday that the team will try to add one or two more running backs ahead of the season, according to Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register.
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Rams' Sony Michel: Inks one-year deal
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The Rams signed Michel to a one-year deal Tuesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Michel spent the 2021 campaign with the Rams, rushing 208 times for 845 yards and four touchdowns while notching career-high marks through the air (21 receptions for 128 yards and one score). However, he wasn't retained that offseason and started 2022 with the Chargers. He appeared in just 10 games, garnering 45 touches for 159 yards, before getting waived in late December. Cam Akers figures to lead the Rams' backfield, which also features 2022 fifth-round pick Kyren Williams and 2023 sixth-round pick Zach Evans, but Michel has proven to be a capable backup in head coach Sean McVay's system.
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Sony Michel: Let go Saturday
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Michel was waived by the Chargers on Saturday.
Michel had been a healthy inactive since Week 12, so Saturday's designation is hardly surprising. It's possible the veteran could get claimed by a running-back needy playoff team before the end of the season.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Inactive again
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Michel (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday night's game against the Colts.
With Isaiah Spiller also inactive, the Chargers' Week 16 backfield duties will be handled by Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree. Michel last saw game action Week 11.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Remains out Week 15
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Michel (coach's decision) has been ruled inactive for Sunday's game against the Titans.
Michel was ruled a healthy scratch for the fourth game in a row, as he saw his offensive playing time dwindle in each of his last four appearances. It's likely he'll continue to remain sidelined barring any injuries to Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley and/or Isaiah Spiller moving forward.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Inactive once again
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Michel (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Michel is now slated to miss his second contest in a row due to a coach's decision. Austin Ekeler will likely command most of Los Angeles' backfield work in Week 13, while Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller should be in the mix for complementary snaps.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Inactive Sunday
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Michel is inactive for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
With Joshua Kelley back from IR, Michel is the odd man out in the Chargers' Week 12 backfield, which also includes starter Austin Ekeler as well as Isaiah Spiller.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Gets just one carry in Week 11
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Michel rushed for one yard on one carry and did not see any receiving targets in Sunday's Week 11 loss to Kansas City.
Michel logged just five offensive snaps in the contest, well behind the 45 snaps that went to Austin Ekeler and the 16 seen by Isaiah Spiller. With just three carries and one receiving target over his past three games combined, it's clear that Michel is not slated for a major role in the Chargers' offense for the time being.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Nearly absent again
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Michel tallied carried the ball once for two yards in the 22-16 loss Sunday to the 49ers.
Michel played eight snaps to Isaiah Spiller's 10, but neither back was able to muster much on the ground. At this point it's clear the veteran is on the wrong side of a backup platoon, and it probably won't get more fruitful with Joshua Kelley (knee) likely coming off injured reserve soon.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Bumped down depth chart
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Michel carried the ball once for 12 yards in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Falcons. He did not catch his only target.
Michel played 11 snaps to Isaiah Spiller's 13, but the rookie turned those opportunities into seven carries, a role the veteran previously seemed to occupy earlier this season. At this point, it's clear Michel is no better than No. 3 on the depth chart, and it's possible he could fall even further with Joshua Kelley (knee) eligible to return off injured reserve in two weeks.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Week 7 Waiver Priority List
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Joshua Kelley (knee) was hurt Monday night against the Broncos, and we don't know the extent of his injury. Michel would return as the No. 2 running back behind Austin Ekeler if Kelley were to miss time, and Michel could have some lottery-ticket appeal if Ekeler ever got hurt. Against the Broncos, Michel had eight carries for 28 yards, along with three catches for 14 yards on three targets. He's worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Steps in as key backup
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Michel tallied eight carries for 28 yards and caught all three of his targets for 14 yards in the 19-16 win over the Broncos on Monday.
It appeared last week that Joshua Kelley had outplayed Michel for the backup job behind Austin Ekeler, but Kelley suffered a knee injury Monday, which allowed Michel to see a much larger snap share. While the journeyman back still didn't explode for any big runs, he was primarily the team's short-yardage option, impacting his yards per attempt. If Kelley is out for an extended period of time, Michel could find himself fighting for backup snaps with rookie Isaiah Spiller, who has been a healthy inactive most of the season.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Nearly absent in box score
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Michel carried the ball once in the 30-28 win Sunday over the Browns.
It's entirely possible the Chargers were simply riding the hot hand, but in a game in which Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley combined to tally 26 carries, Michel seeing just one against a pitiful Browns run defense is telling. Even more alarming, Michel saw just two snaps total, whereas Kelley tallied 27 in what had been otherwise a relatively even platoon split at backup running back. At this point, Michel's value may only be as a backup plan to Kelley in the event Ekeler were to miss time, elevating the aforementioned third-year player into a more relevant role.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Ineffective in win
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Michel tallied six carries for 11 yards in Sunday's 34-24 win over the Texans. He also caught all three of his targets for 16 yards.
Michel only played 17 offensive snaps, combining with Joshua Kelley (14 snaps) to reprieve Austin Ekeler, who scored three touchdowns and tallied 100-plus total yards in a dominant performance. Through four games, Michel is averaging an abysmal 2.6 yards per carry, but he's clearly defined as the between-the-tackles substitute for Ekeler compared to Kelley, who has been a bit more flexible as a backup in the Chargers' scheme.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Leads team in rushing
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Michel tallied five carries for 22 yards and also caught one of his two targets for nine yards in Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Jaguars.
Michel actually led the team in rushing yards as Austin Ekeler (four carries, five yards) was completely kept in check, but with the score quickly spiraling out of control, the Chargers completely abandoned the run early in the contest. Joshua Kelley (one carry, negative three yards) had been the nominal No. 2 running back in the previous two weeks, but it's possible any sort of normal rotation was eschewed given the lopsided score.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Garners five touches in loss
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Michel carried the ball four times for 13 yards in Thursday's 27-24 loss to the Chiefs. He also corralled his only target for six yards.
Michel only played nine offensive snaps total, which makes his usage all the more surprising. The veteran tailback is currently embroiled in a time split with Joshua Kelley for the backup role behind starter Austin Ekeler. It's possible Isaiah Spiller could also get into the mix as the season progresses, although the rookie fourth-round pick has been a healthy scratch in each of the first two weeks.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Does little in win
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Michel tallied seven carries for 12 yards in Sunday's 24-19 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Michel split playing time with Joshua Kelley almost evenly as the incumbent saw 18 snaps compared to the veteran's 16, but it was Michel who drew the most carries. Kelley did see more work as a receiver (two targets), but it's possible with more time learning the Chargers' pass blocking schemes Michel could eventually usurp that role, too.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: No. 3 running back Sunday
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Michel is slated to work as the Chargers' No. 3 running back behind Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley for Sunday's Week 1 clash against the Raiders after rookie Isaiah Spiller was deemed a healthy scratch for the contest, per Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times.
The veteran just signed with Los Angeles on Aug. 31, but the Chargers will turn to Michel over Spiller, who missed time with an ankle injury in recent weeks, to open the campaign. Michel's role could be very limited anyhow considering the expected workload Ekeler, and to a lesser extent, Kelley, will likely shoulder.
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Chargers' Sony Michel: Stashes (RB Preview)
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If someone is going to give Austin Ekeler a breather on early downs, I would expect it to be Michel. I also believe he's the best handcuff in a situation that is murky at best. Any running back would be must-start if they were getting 15 touches in this offense.
