4 Chargers who could suffer the most from a shortened preseason

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out four Chargers players who might not benefit from a shortened preseason.

It was reported that the NFL will reduce the amount of preseason games by taking out Week 1 and Week 4 due to the coronavirus concerns. That would mean that the Chargers will only have two matchups, one against the Rams and the other against the Seahawks.

The preseason isn’t as big of a deal because Los Angeles, along with other teams across the league, tend to rest the starters for the most part. That time is used for players that are fighting for vacant starting jobs and spots on the final 53-man roster.

With that being said, we are going to take a look at four Chargers players who might suffer the most from the reduction in games played this preseason.

FS Nasir Adderley

The battle for the free safety job last season was between Adderley, who was taken in the second-round last year and Rayshawn Jenkins. Adderley showed some immense flashes of earning the starting role. However, injuries kept him off the field, which left Jenkins as the starter.

Since Jenkins earned the trust of the coaching staff with his play and the fact that Adderley will be limited to only two showings to try to display what he did in last preseason’s exhibition against the 49ers, it may be an uphill climb for the former Delaware product.

DT Jerry Tillery

The Chargers selected Tillery in the first-round of last year’s draft with the hopes of him enhancing the pass-rush from the inside. However, he experienced a down rookie season, totaling only three quarterback hits on the season.

Tillery missing the entire spring program to heal from a shoulder injury didn’t help with his transition from college to the pros. But upon hitting the field, he hardly had an answer when facing the strength and grit of NFL offensive linemen.

The hope is that having the full offseason to get stronger in the weight room will help in becoming a better player. But in order to make it all come together he needs reps, which is something Tillery will be lacking with the shortened preseason slate.

OT Trey Pipkins

Pipkins, the team’s third-round pick from the 2019 NFL Draft, wasn’t expected to take a single snap in his rookie season. However, that narrative took a turn when Russell Okung dealt with a combination of a serious health issue and injuries.

Pipkins was forced into the action as early as Week 4 and saw the bulk of his playing time come starting in Week 10. Like any rookie offensive lineman, he experienced some struggles against NFL pass-rushers, but as he received more playing time, his strengths became more apparent.

The ball is in Pipkins’ court for the starting job after the team didn’t acquire left tackle. He has done a nice job transforming his body, but he needs a handful of snaps against edge rushers in order to show that he’s capable of protecting either Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert’s blindside.

QB Justin Herbert

The Chargers took a gamble on Herbert in the draft with the hopes of becoming the long-term answer at the quarterback position. There’s no denying Herbert’s NFL-style tools with his size, athleticism, arm talent and intelligence.

However, he needs to improve his decision-making, eye discipline and overall consistency to succeed. In order for him to do that, Herbert must see live snaps. Rather than having four games, he will be limited to just half of that.

While he may not see the field as much during the regular season, as Tyrod Taylor is slated to start, the preseason would’ve been perfect for Herbert to get accustomed to NFL defenses without being the determining factor of the win-loss column.