Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt expects Newsome to take a step forward in his second season, Ricky Henne of the Chargers' official site reports.
Newsome beat the odds and somehow made the leap from going undrafted out of Western Carolina in 2018 to making the Chargers' 53-man roster out of training camp. He was only active for 10 games (including playoffs) and and only logged an offensive snap in four of them, but Newsome showed he could be a useful backup Week 15 against the Chiefs, when he parlayed eight touches into 53 yards. While there are only so many carries and targets to go around behind Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson, no other significant running backs were added to the roster this offseason. As a result, Newsome looks like the early favorite for the No. 4 spot on the depth chart.