Tag: Chargers Football

Chargers to hold Day 1 of mandatory minicamp at Camp Pendleton

The Chargers are returning to San Diego for a day.

The Chargers’ mandatory minicamp will be held at Hoag Performance Center in Costa Mesa, CA, but only for two days.

The first day, which is on June 11, will be at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, CA, per the military base’s website.

Located at 11 Area Football Field, practice is open to base patrons from 12:15 to 2 p.m. No registration is required.

A meet-and-greet will also be held with the players from the Chargers.

This will be the Chargers’ first return to the San Diego area since they moved to Los Angeles ahead of the 2017 season.

Jim Harbaugh returns to his old stomping grounds, as he played quarterback for the then-San Diego Chargers during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Chargers’ Raheem Layne making splash plays early in training camp

Raheem Layne could push himself up the safety depth chart if he continues to make plays.

There is a battle in Chargers training camp for the fourth spot at the safety position, and second-year Raheem Layne is making his case early on to secure it.

Layne logged a pass deflection and the first turnover of camp in team drills. He was covering tight end Michael Ezeike and as quarterback Easton Stick passed, Layne read it perfectly and came away with the football.

Around this time last year, Layne was also making plays. The former undrafted free agent out of Indiana made the most of his opportunities while Derwin James and Mark Webb were out, earning him a roster spot.

Layne rarely saw the defensive side of the ball in his rookie campaign, but he made his money on special teams.

As it stands, Derwin James and Alohi Gilman are slated to be the starting safeties, with last year’s third-round pick JT Woods as the third safety coming on in dime (six defensive back) packages.

Woods struggled in his rookie season, but the coaches expect him to make a leap. However, if Layne continues to make plays, he could end up warranting that third spot, which is a vital role in Brandon Staley’s defense.

A cornerback-to-safety convert, Layne has excellent instincts in coverage, experience in multiple alignments and good run defense to be a solid contributor on defense.