The Chargers signed Sony Michel after a visit with the team on Wednesday morning.
Here are some things to know about the newest member of the team:
Productive when healthy
Despite concerns over Michel’s lack of burst after a series of injuries, one fact remains. The former first-round pick has rushed for over 800 yards in every season that he’s played at least ten games. His career-worst yards per carry average is 3.7. Michel also upped his productivity as a receiver with the Rams last year, logging 21 catches for 128 yards, both career highs. As long as he can stay on the field, Michel is a player who can and will produce with the touches he’s given.
Postseason performer
Michel had a stellar postseason in 2018, scoring six touchdowns on 71 carries for New England on their way to a Super Bowl victory. While he wasn’t as effective in the playoffs for the Rams last season, part of that can be attributed to the return of Cam Akers from an Achilles tear. Brandon Staley has emphasized bringing in players with championship experience to aid a Chargers squad that, for the most part, has never seen the playoffs. Michel has two Super Bowl rings and can impart what it takes to get there to the rest of the team.
American dream
Michel is the child of Haitian immigrants, both of whom moved to the United State before he was born. His mother, Marie, left Haiti in 1990, spending three months in the Bahamas before taking an overnight boat with 13 other people to Miami. She met Michel’s father, Jean, in Orlando in 1991 before going back for Sony’s half-sister Lamise in 1996. Michel honored his Haitian heritage in 2019 during My Cause, My Cleats, wearing bright red cleats adorned with the Haitian flag and a rendition of the Britney Gengel orphanage, named after an American volunteer who was one of the victims of the 2010 earthquake in the country.
Injury history
Michel brings with him a long list of injuries suffered on the field. Going back to high school, the 27-year-old tore his ACL as a sophomore in 2011. In 2014, he missed five games with a fractured shoulder. Before 2016, he broke his forearm in an ATV accident. The fall of 2017 brought an ankle injury. Once he broke into the NFL, he had a procedure done to alleviate a knee strain suffered in December 2017. He then had off-season foot surgery and missed six games with a quad injury in 2020 before the Patriots traded him to the Rams.
