Tag: Chargers practice squad

Chargers announce 4 protected players for Week 1

The Los Angeles Chargers have submitted their list to the NFL of the four practice squad players they will protect in Week 1.

The Chargers announced their four practice squad protected players for the season opener against the Football Team.

The players are as follows: Running back Darius Bradwell, defensive lineman Joe Gaziano, wide receiver Jason Moore and cornerback Brandon Facyson.

Just like last season, teams are allowed to protect four of their practice squad players each week.

These players can not be signed off of Los Angeles’ practice squad during the week they are protected. The rule was implemented to allow for more roster flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like last year, L.A. can elevate two players from their practice squad and increase their game day rosters to 55 spots.

Chargers finalize practice squad ahead of 2021 regular season

The Chargers signed player No. 16 to the practice squad.

The Chargers announced on Monday that they signed cornerback Kiondre Thomas to their practice squad, finalizing the 16-man group to start the 2021 season.

Thomas, the 6-foot and 186-pound corner, spent three seasons at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas State for his senior campaign, totaling 100 tackles, 11 passes defensed, two tackles for loss and an interception.

He went on to join the Browns as undrafted free agents before being waived.

Most of the practice squad features players who spent training camp with Los Angeles. The new NFL rules allow teams to name veterans to the practice squad and temporarily elevate two players to the 53-man roster each week.

Here’s a look at the Chargers’ practice squad:

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

CB Brandon Facyson

DT Forrest Merrill

WR Austin Proehl

CB Kiondre Thomas

Chargers activate CB Ryan Smith, waive DB Kemon Hall

Ryan Smith should provide a special teams boost.

The Los Angeles Chargers have activated cornerback Ryan Smith from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Friday. In correspondence, defensive back Kemon Hall was waived.

Signed earlier this offseason, Smith spent nearly all of the summer on the sideline nursing a core muscle injury. Despite the injury, the team always viewed him as a lock to make the 53-man roster because of his talent on special teams.

In 73 games with the Buccaneers, Smith posted 117 tackles, an interception, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. In 2019, he led Tampa Bay with a team-high seven stops on special teams.

Hall, who is coming off a strong training camp and preseason, is a candidate to fill out the practice squad if he clears waivers. He was praised by the coaches for his versatility and special teams ability.

Chargers add 3 players to practice squad

The Chargers practice squad currently sits at 15.

The Chargers signed cornerback Brandon Facyson, defensive tackle Forrest Merrill and wide receiver Austin Proehl to the practice squad on Thursday.

Facyson and Merrill were waived to make room for safety Trey Marshall and defensive lineman Eric Banks on the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

The addition of the three brings the practice squad to 15 players, which means that Los Angeles has one remaining spot to fill.

Facyson was seen as a likely candidate to make the roster heading into the summer, but the coaching staff chose the versatility and special teams upside of Kemon Hall, Tevaughn Campbell and Marshall to round out the secondary.

Merrill made the initial cut, but the coaches felt like Banks was more of the type of defensive lineman that they wanted, which is why they made the tough decision to waive the undrafted free agent out of Arkansas even after a promising preseason.

Proehl started training camp on a strong note as a return specialist, but the Chargers ultimately decided to keep K.J. Hill. If Hill was to get hurt at any point during the season or he underperforms, there’s a possibility that Proehl could be promoted.

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.

Tracking Chargers’ 2021 practice squad additions

Find out which players the Chargers are signing to the practice squad.

Starting at 1:00 pm PT on September 1st, teams can begin signing players to their practice squads.

We will be updating this page with each practice squad addition made by the Chargers.

Chargers Practice Squad Count: 0

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

Chargers sign safety Jahleel Addae to practice squad

The Los Angeles Chargers are bringing back a familiar face.

The Los Angeles Chargers have signed safety Jahleel Addae to their practice squad.

Addae spent his first six seasons with the Chargers after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan in 2013. In six seasons with the Bolts, he compiled 372 tackles, 21 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions.

Addae was released by L.A. last offseason, and was then signed by the Texans afterwards, where he started three games. In 16 contests, he amassed 45 tackles, three passes defensed and two interceptions.

The decision to bring back Addae comes after Rayshawn Jenkins suffered an injury last Sunday against the Chiefs, and the playing time this weekend for Desmond King looms after he voiced his displeasure in his playing time from the past couple of weeks.

Addae supplies depth at both safety positions, but he is geared more for the strong safety spot.

Chargers don’t make any waiver claims after roster cuts

The Los Angeles Chargers appear to be confident with their players after making roster cuts.

After NFL roster cuts, the Chargers elected to not claim any available players off waivers.

Los Angeles is looking pretty with their 53-man roster after cutdown day. However, the team could afford to add one more safety after the loss of Derwin James, who was placed on the injured reserve.

General manager Tom Telesco reiterated that they chose not to make any claims, signifying their confidence in the safeties that they have on the roster right now.

This isn’t to say the safety group of Rayshawn Jenkins, Nasir Adderley, Desmond King and Alohi Gilman isn’t reliable. But for the sake of depth, the Bolts could have added one with experience.

The most notable free agent safeties are Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Tony Jefferson, among others. But for a team that covets scheme familiarity, I thought Jaylen Watkins and Jahleel Addae, who are both free agents, would’ve garnered attention.

Other positions that could afford to have depth added are at wide receiver and left tackle.

We will monitor to see if Los Angeles makes any roster moves ahead of the season opener against the Bengals.

Chargers announce 2020 practice squad

Find out who made the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad to start the 2020 season.

The Chargers announced the members of their practice squad on Sunday, agreeing to terms with the following players:

Linebacker Asmar Bilal

Running back Darius Bradwell

Cornerback John Brannon

Linebacker Cole Christiansen

Wide receiver Jeff Cotton

Nose tackle Breiden Fehoko

Guard Nate Gilliam

Guard Ryan Groy

Wide receiver Tyron Johnson

Defensive end Jessie Lemonier

Defensive back Quenton Meeks

Fullback Gabe Nabers

Defensive tackle TJ Smith

Center/guard Cole Toner

Cornerback Donte Vaughn

With the COVID-19 pandemic, practice squads can include up to 16 players in 2020. Six of those players may be veterans with no restrictions on service time.