Omarion Hampton, the rookie running back for the Los Angeles Chargers, will not suit up for Sunday’s contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. He was officially ruled out on Friday morning. He had an ankle injury at NFL Week 5 this past fall. That same injury developed into a left ankle fracture that landed him on injured reserve.
Hampton was back at practice on Tuesday, and the Fayette County native couldn’t have been happier to be back on the field. He went on to say it was no fluke, because he felt “amazing” during practice sessions. He was just as excited to help out this Sunday. He ultimately left the final judgment in the hands of team medical personnel, who agreed that he should undergo a complete recovery before returning to competitive play.
“I think I was just getting really comfortable,” Hampton said about his time away from the game. Perhaps most alarmingly, he accepted that he was mad at himself for letting his teammates down. “It was kind of painful,” he said. “Sitting here does nobody any good but my team.”
The Chargers have certainly missed Hampton since he last played in Week 5. Through those games he was beginning to prove he could be a difference-making contributor to the Eagles’ offense. Coach Jim Harbaugh said last week that Hampton is “on track” for a return. He didn’t provide a definite time frame for when that might be.
Hampton’s leadership and experience will particularly be felt on a Chargers defense as they go into battle against a dangerous Raiders attack. The rookie running back is optimistic about a short return, but he stresses that he’s just scratching the surface as far as his potential goes. Just like a real team, our crew is still fighting and improvising during this season. Their attention now turns to identifying the best possible replacements to bridge the gap until Hampton is ready to return to their active roster.
Leave a Reply