Chargers 53-man roster – Page 3

Chargers sign 12 players to 2021 practice squad

The Los Angeles Chargers announced 12 players that will begin the 2021 season on the practice squad.

The Los Angeles Chargers began announcing members of their practice squad on Wednesday, signing the following players:

WR Michael Bandy

RB Darius Bradwell

LB Cole Christiansen

DB Ben DeLuca

EDGE Emeke Egbule

DL Breiden Fehoko

DL Joe Gaziano

G Ryan Hunter

TE Hunter Kampmoyer

WR Jason Moore Jr

WR Joe Reed

In addition, the team officially announced the signings of defensive tackle Eric Banks and defensive back Trey Marshall. To clear room for them, Los Angeles waived nose tackle Forrest Merrill and cornerback Brandon Facyson.

Head coach Brandon Staley said they hope to get Merrill on the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Teams can have up to 16 players on their practice squad, meaning the Bolts will add four more players in the coming days. Stay tuned for more information.

Chargers claim pair of players off waivers

The Chargers added a safety and defensive tackle.

The Chargers announced their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but that didn’t mean it was set in stone ahead of the 2021 regular season.

Today, Los Angeles added two more players to the squad, claiming safety Trey Marshall and defensive tackle Eric Banks off the waivers.

Marshall, a former undrafted free agent out of Florida State, spent the last three seasons with the Broncos. In that time, he appeared in 30 games with Denver, only two of which he started, while the majority of his playing time came on special teams.

Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Rams last season, Banks didn’t appear in any games. Prior to that, he amassed 81 tackles (52 solo), 20.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and five forced fumbles in 48 games at UTSA.

Chargers’ Brandon Staley talks decision to release WR Tyron Johnson

Deciding to let go of the ascending wide receiver was arguably the biggest surprise.

Among the biggest surprises with the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster was the absence of wide receiver Tyron Johnson.

After emerging as one of top pass-catching options last season, it was expected that Johnson was going to take another step. However, it won’t be in the blue and gold.

Upon seeing the report, fans quickly grew puzzled and wondered why Johnson wasn’t going to be back.

Following Tuesday’s practice, head coach Brandon Staley explained the decision to release Johnson, citing that it was a numbers issue and not having a place on special teams for him.

“It was a tough one, a really tough one,” Staley said. “T-Billy has done a lot for this team in the past and he did some good things for us in camp. That was one of the tougher conversations that I had today.

I think that we have a really deep receiver room. There’s a lot of competition. I think that it’s just one of things where it’s more numbers, not so much how we feel about him as a player, because I have a lot of respect for his game.

Just where we’re at from a numbers standpoint, and then the kicking game, being a big aspect of those back-end receiver roles. Just felt like going in this direction would be the right direction for us right now.”

Given that special teams upside is crucial, they elected to keep K.J. Hill as the fifth receiver. Hill made the team solely as the punt returner, with the ability to return kicks, too.

Johnson is a practice squad candidate, but if the Chargers decide to move on from him altogether, a handful of teams will likely be inquiring to bring in the speedy wideout who averaged 19.9 yards per reception in 2020.

Takeaways from the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster

Highlighting what stood out from the Los Angeles Chargers’ initial 53-man roster for the 2021 season.

The Los Angeles Chargers released their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday afternoon.

Here are some takeaways from things that stood out:

Since the beginning of the summer, it was thought that the quarterback room would be Justin Herbert and Chase Daniel, but Easton Stick played his way into having the coaches keep all three during the preseason. Especially with there being a potential risk of losing out on one, given the uncertainty of COVID-19, the coaches played it safe. Daniel will likely be the other active quarterback on game days.

Despite the durability concerns, the Chargers are keeping running back Justin Jackson. Jackson became unavailable after the first preseason game with a groin injury. Even though he has spent a good portion of his professional career on the sideline, the talent has always been there. The coaching staff is banking on him being healthy, as well as the development of second-year Joshua Kelley.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi incorporates a handful of three- and four-tight end sets, which is why the team decided to carry four. Plus, Stephen Anderson’s upside on special teams and versatility to play fullback is beneficial. Same goes for Gabe Nabers, who will play a similar role.

Among the biggest surprises was the Chargers letting go of wide receiver Tyron Johnson, who was a candidate to fill the No. 3 role after a promising 2020 season. The decision to release him could’ve been internal or scheme, which would be telling from the lack of playing time and misusage in the first two preseason games. The move benefits rookie Josh Palmer, who had a strong summer.

The team sees K.J. Hill as a viable return specialist, which is primarily the main reason why they decided to keep him over Joe Reed, Jason Moore and Johnson.

Even though he struggled in the preseason, offensive tackle Trey Pipkins is still on the roster, which should not come as a surprise. This doesn’t mean that the team won’t pursue any free agents made available. Like I’ve said, the starting five is stout, but behind them is where they’re lacking depth.

Nose tackle Breiden Fehoko was seen as the frontrunner to back up Linval Joseph, but the team decided to go with undrafted rookie Forrest Merrill, who flashed dominance in the middle of the defensive line – showing the explosiveness, strength and active hands to slip through tight areas and be disruptive, as well as the ability to eat up double teams.

The decision to cut Cortez Broughton, however, was a bit of a head-scratcher. Broughton looked like an entirely different player in the new scheme, and I thought he would have done wonders as a rotational defender.

The Chargers have four edge defenders rostered after releasing Emeke Egbule and Jessie Lemonier, both of whom I said would be tough decisions to cut after strong showings this summer. One of them will likely end up on the practice squad, nonetheless.

The Chargers have seven cornerbacks that make up the roster. Special teams standout Ryan Smith is still on the COVID-19/Reserve list which means that the team either has to make another cut or place him on the injured reserve. In the meantime, the additional spot was given to Kemon Hall, who flashed in coverage, run defense and on special teams. Tevaughn Campbell has been talked highly of and he has the ability to serve as one of the team’s gunners on punt coverage.

The Chargers are rolling with Tristan Vizcaino as the starting kicker, at least for now. Despite Michael Badgley gaining momentum towards the end of training camp and preseason, the team favored the leg strength of Vizcaino. Special teams coordinator Derius Swinton II brought Vizcaino in, and now he will have his guy in hopes of bringing competency in that department, barring any additional changes.

A total of 21 players are on the initial 53-man roster who were not with the team last season. Roster turnover is bound to happen when an entirely new coaching staff is brought in.

Chargers’ initial 53-man roster for the 2021 NFL season

The Chargers have finalized the full 53-man roster to start the 2021 season. Take a look at each player on the active roster.

The Los Angeles Chargers have announced their initial 53-man roster heading into the 2021 season, which kicks off next Sunday against The Washington Football Team.

The Chargers can still make additional roster moves in the coming days via waiver claims and free agent signings. They’ll also look to construct a 16-man practice squad.

Breaking down the Bolts’ 53-man roster by position:

Offense

Quarterbacks (3): Justin Herbert, Chase Daniel, Easton Stick

Running backs (4): Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree III

Fullbacks (1): Gabe Nabers

Wide receivers (5): Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Josh Palmer, K.J. Hill

Tight ends (4): Jared Cook, Donald Parham, Tre’ McKitty, Stephen Anderson

Offensive linemen (9): Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley, Oday Aboushi, Bryan Bulaga, Trey Pipkins, Brenden Jaimes, Storm Norton, Scott Quessenberry

Defense

Defensive linemen (5): Linval Joseph, Justin Jones, Jerry Tillery, Christian Covington, Forrest Merrill

Edge defender (4): Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu, Kyler Fackrell, Chris Rumph II

Linebackers (5): Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Kyzir White, Nick Niemann, Amen Ogbongbemiga

Defensive backs (10): Michael Davis, Asante Samuel, Jr., Chris Harris, Jr., Brandon Facyson, Tevaughn Campbell, Kemon Hall, Derwin James, Nasir Adderley, Alohi Gilman, Mark Webb

Specialists (3): Tristan Vizcaino, Ty Long, Matt Overton

Projecting Chargers 53-man roster, 16-man practice squad

Taking a crack at predicting the Chargers 53-man roster to start the 2021 season.

The Chargers’ 2021 preseason has concluded, which means that it’s time to finalize the 53-man roster.

Head coach Brandon Staley and company will have until 1:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday to compile the team that will start the regular season when Los Angeles visits The Washington Football Team on Sunday, Sept. 12.

But before we find out what the roster looks like, I decided to give it one more crack. Along with that, I also predicted what the 16-man practice squad roster could look like.

Let’s take a look.

Offense

Quarterbacks (3): Justin Herbert, Chase Daniel, Easton Stick

Misses the cut: N/A

Running backs (3): Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree III

Misses the cut: Justin Jackson, Darius Bradwell

Fullbacks (1): Gabe Nabers

Misses the cut: Hunter Kampmoyer

Wide receivers (6): Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson, Josh Palmer, K.J. Hill

Misses the cut: Joe Reed, Jason Moore, John Hurst, Michael Bandy

Tight ends (4): Jared Cook, Donald Parham, Tre’ McKitty, Stephen Anderson

Misses the cut: Matt Sokol

Offensive linemen (9): Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley, Oday Aboushi, Bryan Bulaga, Trey Pipkins, Brenden Jaimes, Storm Norton, Scott Quessenberry

Misses the cut: Tyree St. Louis, Nate Gilliam, Ryan Hunter, Darius Harper

Notes

Since the beginning, it was thought that the quarterback room would be Justin Herbert and Chase Daniel, but Easton Stick played his way into having the coaches keep all three.
In a surprise manner, Justin Jackson gets the boot. Jackson is a talented player when healthy, but the problem is that he hasn’t shown the ability to consistently stay on the field. Plus, he’s entering the final year of his contract.
K.J. Hill gets the nod for the final wide receiver spot because of his special teams upside as a return specialist.
Given the fact that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi incorporates a handful of three- and four-tight end sets, the team carries four. Plus, Stephen Anderson’s upside on special teams and versatility to play fullback is beneficial.
Despite Trey Pipkins’ struggles throughout the offseason, I can’t see the team letting go of him, especially since they’re already thin at the position.

Defense

Defensive linemen (6): Linval Joseph, Justin Jones, Jerry Tillery, Christian Covington, Breiden Fehoko, Cortez Broughton

Misses the cut: Joe Gaziano, Willie Yarbary, Forrest Merrill

Edge defender (4): Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu, Kyler Fackrell, Chris Rumph II

Misses the cut: Jessie Lemonier, Emeke Egbule, Davin Bellamy

Linebackers (5): Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Kyzir White, Nick Niemann, Amen Ogbongbemiga

Misses the cut: Cole Christiansen

Defensive backs (9): Michael Davis, Asante Samuel, Jr., Chris Harris, Jr., Brandon Facyson, Tevaughn Campbell, Derwin James, Nasir Adderley, Alohi Gilman, Mark Webb

Misses the cut: John Brannon, Kemon Hall, Ryan Smith

Specialists (3): Tristan Vizcaino, Ty Long, Matt Overton

Misses the cut: Michael Badgley, Cole Mazza

Notes

Projecting the interior part of the defensive line was difficult because there were a handful of players who flashed. Breiden Fehoko flashed as an all-around player, and brings infectious energy to the locker room.
Emeke Egbule would have likely earned a spot on the roster, but the time missed with an injury hindered his chances.
Despite missing the preseason finale, Staley hinted that Ogbongbemiga will make the team with his comments from last week: “Ogbongbemiga will be ready for Game 1.” The undrafted free agent supplies the team will be a special teams ace.
Ryan Smith will likely remain on the COVID-19/Reserve list which means that there will be an additional roster spot. Tevaughn Campbell has been talked highly of and he has the ability to serve as one of the team’s gunners on punt coverage.
Michael Badgley had the slight edge all the way until the end, but I believe the coaches favor Tristan Vizcaino’s leg strength, despite having more missed field goals in practices.
Matt Overton gets the nod with Cole Mazza dealing with a shoulder injury.

Practice squad

RB Darius Bradwell
WR Jason Moore
WR Michael Bandy
TE Matt Sokol
FB Hunter Kampmoyer
OL Ryan Hunter
OL Nate Gilliam
OL Tyree St. Louis
NT Forrest Merrill
DL Joe Gaziano
LB Cole Christiansen
EDGE Jessie Lemonier
EDGE Emeke Egbule
CB John Brannon
CB Kemon Hall
S Ben DeLuca

7 toughest cuts from our Chargers 53-man roster prediction

Looking at the toughest cuts from our Chargers 53-man roster projection following the second round of cuts.

We are a little less than a week away until we know how the Chargers 53-man roster for 2021 season will shape up.

With 27 players to cut, that means there will be some tough decisions to make as they fill out their team.

Going off of our latest 53-man roster projection, here were some of the most difficult cuts to make.

QB Easton Stick

I’m a firm believer that Los Angeles should carry two quarterbacks. While Stick has some momentum on his side, I find it difficult to believe that the team will cut Chase Daniel, who brings the knowledge with Joe Lombardi’s offense and mentorship to aide in Herbert’s transition. However, with another strong performance on Saturday against the Seahawks and Stick could have the Chargers considering rolling into the season with three signal-callers.

RB Darius Bradwell

Aside from Larry Rountree, Bradwell has been the most efficient rusher throughout the preseason. He has also made some key plays on special teams. While this may seem like enough to earn the final spot, I still believe that the coaches will roll the dice with the talent of Justin Jackson, despite injury concerns, and the untapped potential of Joshua Kelley. Bradwell should be a strong practice squad candidate, should he not make the roster.

TE Stephen Anderson

I went back and forth with this one, but I kept Anderson off of the 53-man roster for the first time since I started making predictions. The reason for that is because of Gabe Nabers, who has played a similar role. I believe Nabers offers more upside as a blocker, has shown potential as a pass-catcher and most importantly, has been lauded by the coaches for his special teams ability.

DL Joe Gaziano

I’ve always been a fan of Gaziano since he came out of Northwestern, and after making the move inside he has flashed a ton. The one thing that could hurt his chances from earning a spot, however, is that there are a handful of other interior defenders that have performed very well. In this case, I went with the more experienced Cortez Broughton, who has looked like an entirely different player this summer.

NT Forrest Merrill

Like Gaziano, Merrill is in a tough situation because of how great the position group has been as a whole. Merrill, the undrafted free agent, has been a menace in the middle of the defensive line — consistently getting penetration and eating up double teams. Although he’s raised eyebrows, Breiden Fehoko gets the nod for his play and infectious energy he brings to the team.

EDGE Emeke Egbule

I viewed Egbule as a player that would benefit from the defensive switch and while he’s done good things, especially on special teams, he’s recently been sidelined with an injury, which has led to other players flashing like Jessie Lemonier. In this scenario, I have the team rolling with four edge defenders and both players not making the team altogether to save a roster spot for another position group.

CB John Brannon

The defensive backs have benefited from head coach Brandon Staley immensely, which has made it extremely difficult to figure out who will make the squad. While Brannon has led the team in interceptions this summer, players like Tevaughn Campbell and Kemon Hall were given the final spots simply because of their versatility in the secondary and special teams upside.

Chargers 53-man roster projection ahead of 2nd preseason game

Predicting who makes the Chargers 53-man roster ahead of their second preseason game against the 49ers.

This past week, the Chargers trimmed their roster down from 90 to 85 players.

There’s a little bit of time until the team has to finalize the 53-man roster, but we have gotten a good idea of which players might have advantages after 17 practices and a preseason game.

Using the insight we learned up to this point, here’s a look at the players that I believe make the roster.

Quarterbacks (2): Justin Herbert, Chase Daniel

Misses the cut: Easton Stick, K.J. Costello

Running backs (4): Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree III

Misses the cut: Darius Bradwell

Fullbacks (1): Gabe Nabers

Misses the cut: Hunter Kampmoyer

Wide receivers (6): Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson, Josh Palmer, Austin Proehl

Misses the cut: Joe Reed, K.J. Hill, Jason Moore, John Hurst

Tight ends (3): Jared Cook, Donald Parham, Tre’ McKitty,

Misses the cut: Stephen Anderson

Offensive linemen (9): Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley, Oday Aboushi, Bryan Bulaga, Trey Pipkins, Brenden Jaimes, Storm Norton, Scott Quessenberry

Misses the cut: Tyree St. Louis, Nate Gilliam, Ryan Hunter, Kyle Spalding

Defensive linemen (6): Linval Joseph, Justin Jones, Jerry Tillery, Christian Covington, Breiden Fehoko, Joe Gaziano

Misses the cut: Cortez Broughton, T.J. Smith, Forrest Merrill

Edge defender (5): Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu, Kyler Fackrell, Chris Rumph II, Emeke Egbule

Misses the cut: Jesse Lemonier

Linebackers (5): Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Kyzir White, Nick Niemann, Amen Ogbongbemiga

Misses the cut: Cole Christiansen

Defensive backs (9): Michael Davis, Asante Samuel, Jr., Chris Harris, Jr., Kemon Hall, John Brannon, Derwin James, Nasir Adderley, Alohi Gilman, Mark Webb

Misses the cut: Tevaughn Campbell, Brandon Facyson, Ryan Smith

Specialists (3): Tristan Vizcaino, Ty Long, Matt Overton

Misses the cut: Michael Badgley, Cole Mazza

Way-too-early 53-man roster projection for Chargers

Who will make the cut? Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez predicts Los Angeles’ 53-man roster ahead of OTAs.

For the most part, the Chargers roster is set. They may make a few more moves, but this is the team they will roll with into camp.

With such a long time from now until the regular season, there’s plenty of time to speculate who will and will not make Los Angeles’ 53-man roster.

With that being said, here is my very early prediction for the team’s Week 1 roster.

Quarterbacks (2): Justin Herbert, Chase Daniel

Misses the cut: Easton Stick

Running backs (4): Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree III

Misses the cut: Darius Bradwell

Fullbacks (1): Gabe Nabers

Misses the cut: Hunter Kampmoyer

Wide receivers (6): Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson, Josh Palmer, Joe Reed

Misses the cut: K.J. Hill, Jason Moore

Tight ends (3): Jared Cook, Donald Parham, Tre’ McKitty

Misses the cut: Stephen Anderson

Offensive linemen (10): Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley, Oday Aboushi, Bryan Bulaga, Trey Pipkins, Brenden Jaimes, Tyree St. Louis, Storm Norton, Scott Quessenberry

Misses the cut: Nate Gilliam, Ryan Hunter

Defensive linemen (6): Linval Joseph, Justin Jones, Jerry Tillery, Christian Covington, Breiden Fehoko, Cortez Broughton

Misses the cut: Joe Gaziano, T.J. Smith

Edge defender (5): Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu, Kyler Fackrell, Chris Rumph II, Emeke Egbule

Misses the cut: Jesse Lemonier

Linebackers (4): Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Kyzir White, Nick Niemann

Misses the cut: Cole Christiansen

Defensive backs (9): Michael Davis, Asante Samuel, Jr., Chris Harris, Jr., Ryan Smith, Brandon Facyson, Derwin James, Nasir Adderley, Alohi Gilman, Mark Webb

Misses the cut: Tevaughn Campbell, John Brannon, Donte Vaughn

Specialists (3): Alex Kessman, Ty Long, Cole Mazza

Misses the cut: Michael Badgley, Tristan Vizcaino

Quick takeaways from the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez delivers his thoughts on the team’s initial 53-man roster for the 2020 season.

The Los Angeles Chargers released their initial 53-man roster on Saturday afternoon.

Here are some quick takeaways from things that stood out on the first roster:

The Chargers elected to not carry a fullback on the roster, even after coach Anthony Lynn said that there would be one to fill the void of Derek Watt. Gabe Nabers and Bobby Holly showed promise during camp, but instead, the team chose to release both of them. It’s likely at least one will end up on the practice squad.

The Chargers chose to roll with four tight ends, rather than three. Both Donald Parham and Stephen Anderson have a spot, joining Hunter Henry and Virgil Green. With the new offensive scheme, we could see a lot more two-three tight end sets, which could explain the decision to release both fullbacks, as they would have a similar role in the blocking department.

It was only a matter of time to see how the wide receiver room would shape up. Darius Jennings was one of the more surprising cuts. He was fighting for one of the final spots, but the team chose to roll with Jason Moore, who could fill in for Mike Williams if he is unable to play Week 1.

With Derwin James sent to the injured reserve, they have four safeties – Rayshawn Jenkins, Nasir Adderley, Desmond King and Alohi Gilman. I wouldn’t be surprised if they look to see a free agent for cheap for depth purposes, such as recently released Jaylen Watkins, who formerly played with the Bolts.

Tevaughn Campbell was the surprise player who made the 53-man roster. Campbell wasn’t a big-name player, but he has some experience on the active roster. The former CFL standout could provide depth in the secondary and a serviceable player on special teams.