The Chargers are still currently scheduled to play their second preseason game against the Saints on Sunday despite potential concerns with Hurricane Hilary.
Joint practices seem to have gone well for both teams. Players who flashed in preseason Week 1 will be looking to continue their momentum on Sunday while others will be looking to get their first quality reps up on the scorecard.
S JT Woods
Woods had a good week during joint practices with the Saints. Woods recorded multiple PBUs and even got an interception in the two-day meet between the squads.
Woods didn’t have a bad game against the Rams last week either. He had no missed tackles on the day and gave a clean performance on the field for the most part. There have been signs of improvement. But Woods committed an egregious penalty after he hit Ben Skowronek in the helmet after a 3rd down stop near the goal line. Stetson Bennett would go on to throw a touchdown to Puka Nacua just a few plays later.
Derwin James obviously won’t play in this game and Alohi Gilman is currently dealing with a knee contusion. This would be a great opportunity for the Baylor product to put an authoritative stamp on the 3rd safety role if he’s able to turn in a solid performance. He’s shown improvement in his tackling and in coverage so far.
K Dustin Hopkins
Hopkins has struggled to stay on the field during this preseason and training camp period. Before Hopkins returned to practice this week, Cameron Dicker handled all of the kicking duties in the Chargers’ Week 1 preseason win.
Hopkins returned to practice but wasn’t as efficient as Dicker by any stretch. He also missed a 48-yarder short. Clearly, his injury isn’t behind him and Staley seemed rather uncertain that he would even play on Sunday at yesterday’s presser.
If Hopkins wants any chance of making this team, preserving his trade value, or landing somewhere else after he’s waived, it’s now or never for 2023.
DT CJ Okoye
CJ Okoye’s sack was that was seen around the world. He’s been a star this week after his big play, appearing in a Chargers’ media availability session and “The Rich Eisen Show”.
Okoye is such a raw prospect in that he’s still learning techniques and football basics, but his development curve seems to be going well up to this point. He’ll be a free spot for the Chargers on the practice squad this year with the International Player Program.
Considering the Chargers’ need to keep their top defensive tackles healthy throughout the rest of the month, Okoye should get some decent mileage this week. He could see an even larger snap count next week as the Chargers wind down the preseason in San Francisco.
WR John Hightower
Hightower suffered a minor injury last week in practice that caused him to have to sit out the Rams’ game. Assuming the game is played Sunday, this will be Hightower’s first chance to do some damage this preseason.
Hightower burst onto the scene early in training camp with a number of touchdowns and big catches. Staley has talked quite a bit about his performances and the overall depth of the receiver room. When asked about keeping five or six wide receivers yesterday, the Chargers’ head coach did say that this wide receiver room is the deepest they’ve had since he’s been with the team.
Jalen Guyton is still on the PUP list and there wasn’t a non-53-man roster receiver who really made his presence felt last week. WR6 is still out there for the taking and Hightower will be able to play Sunday.
RB Elijah Dotson
Dotson finds himself in the driver’s seat for RB4 if the team does indeed decide to go in that direction on the roster. If not, he’ll likely at the very least have earned a practice squad spot when the time comes.
However, that’s contingent on Dotson staying healthy and finishing out the preseason strong. He doesn’t need to have nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns every week, but the team will still need him to back his Week 1 performance up.
The Chargers waived former 2021 draft pick Larry Rountree earlier in the week. The door is wide open if Dotson wants to run through it.
CB Cam Brown
Brown’s preseason debut did not include flashy highlight reel material, but he kept it simple and efficient. Brown had three tackles, two pass breakups and a run stop while also contributing on special teams.
Kemon Hall was waived earlier in the week with an injury designation after he had surgery. Hall contributed quite a bit on special teams as a practice squad member and rostered player over the years with the Chargers.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Brown will be the next man up, but he’s certainly competing for a practice squad role. Of note, the Chargers signed Matt Hankins earlier this week at cornerback as well.
EDGE Carlo Kemp
Kemp flashed last week against the Rams with five quality pass rush pressures. His speed and bend on the outside were certainly more than most expected to see.
Another good effort from Kemp could earn him some more potential practice squad consideration.