Tag: Chargers preseason

Sights and sounds from Chargers-49ers joint practices: Day 1

Footage from Day 1 of practice between the Chargers and 49ers.

The Chargers and 49ers are taking the field together for two days of practice at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, CA ahead of their preseason matchup on Sunday, Aug. 22.

I will have footage with updates from practice below, courtesy of media members and fans in attendance.

Chargers safety Alohi Gilman making great strides ahead of sophomore season

Expect Chargers safety Alohi Gilman to have success in Year 2.

Chargers safety Alohi Gilman, the sixth-round pick of the 2020 NFL draft, was primarily a special teamer and didn’t receive playing time on defense until the final weeks of the season.

Heading into his sophomore campaign, Gilman is looking to assert himself into a role. Up to this point in the summer, he has made considerable strides under head coach Brandon Staley.

Playing safety with the first team in their dime package at practices, Gilman has looked solid in coverage, which have included an interception and two pass breakups in two-minute drills during 11-on-11.

This past weekend in the preseason opener against the Rams, Gilman had a forced fumble, was to close to picking off a ball and made some plays in the run game.

Gilman’s physical brand of football, instincts and communication skills are all going to pay dividends when he comes onto the field as the second safety to Nasir Adderley when Derwin James plays as the Money backer.

Gilman was always a talented player coming out of Notre Dame, but wasn’t given the opportunity to show his potential last year. Now in a favorable situation, he is a player I expect to be a key defender in the back end.

Pair of Chargers cornerbacks making strong cases for final roster spots

Chargers cornerbacks John Brannon and Kemon Hall have impressed this summer.

Leading up into the preseason, I had five cornerbacks projected to make the 53-man roster: Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr., Asante Samuel Jr., Brandon Facyson and Donte Vaughn.

Davis, Harris and Samuel are essentially locks to make the cut, but beyond them is where it’s tough to predict who will make the team, because of a pair of under-the-radar corners that have made their cases to stick around.

Those two are John Brannon and Kemon Hall.

Heading into the contest against the Rams as the leader in interceptions in training camp with three, Brannon put himself at the top in the category in preseason play after picking off Devlin Hodges on a fourth-down play from the Bolts’ five-yard line that would’ve tied the game.

“Really excited for him because he’s been working so hard,” head coach Brandon Staley said about Brannon. “He’s got so far to go, but his heart, his spirit is right, and we’re going to keep coaching him.”

Hall, on the other hand, helped himself by making plays in all phases. He and Alohi Gilman forced a fumble. Hall also generated a quarterback pressure to Bryce Perkins that forced him to throw the ball away. The play right after, he broke up a pass on third down.

“He gives you a little bit of inside/outside flex,” Staley said. “Then he’s got a really good body type for special teams because he’s strong and he’s fast. He can do a bunch of jobs on teams.”

Even after strong performances in practices and Los Angeles’ opener, Brannon and Hall still aren’t locks to make the final roster. But if they keep at this pace and special teams standout Ryan Smith is not ready to return from his lingering injury, it will be difficult to let them go.

Chargers RB Larry Rountree III among top offensive rookies in preseason Week 1

The Chargers’ sixth-round pick provided a big surge in the running game.

The Chargers’ running game did not have any juice in the early going of the preseason opener against the Rams. That was until RB Larry Rountree III stepped on the field.

Rountree, the sixth-round pick, succeeded Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley and made the most of his playing time by rushing eight times for 63 yards, including a carry that went for 25 yards, which was the longest of the game for either team.

The former Missouri product displayed explosiveness, burst, smooth footwork and second-level vision.

Rountree’s performance was so impressive that he earned the second-highest grade by any offensive rookie in the first week of preseason play (87.7), which came behind Titans tight end Miller Forristall (91.1).

I expected that yards after contact would be coming — and they sure did,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said about Rountree. “It was kind of what I was hoping for and kind of what I expected. There were high expectations, so I was very pleased with what he did in the game.”

As it currently stands, Rountree is still competing for the third spot with Kelley. But if he continues to perform like how he did this past weekend, he could garner a decent amount of snaps, especially with Jackson drawing durability concerns again.

Chargers LB Kyzir White coming into his own

Chargers linebacker Kyzir White has been arguably the best defender this summer.

The Chargers have always had a talented player with linebacker Kyzir White, but his true colors have yet to show.

Whether that be due to injuries that hampered him in the early years of his career or playing in a limited role in Gus Bradley’s defense, White had always been lost in the shuffle.

Now in head coach Brandon Staley’s system, White has been displaying why he could experience a monstrous season in 2021, as he has been arguably the team’s best defender this summer.

At training camp, White has posted two pick-sixes and a handful of other eye-popping plays in coverage and against the run.

This past Saturday in the preseason opener against the Rams, White’s instincts, speed and high energy flashed, as he had three tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage.

Following the matchup, head coach Brandon Staley said that he views White as a co-starter at linebacker alongside Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill, which means that we can expect to see plenty of him this season.

Earlier on, Staley called the group the “strength of this football team,” and based on how they will be utilized and how much success Staley had with the Rams linebackers last season, I see high production from them.

Chargers OL Brenden Jaimes impressive in debut

The Chargers’ fifth-round pick looked comfortable inside at guard.

With the Chargers’ starting offensive linemen sidelined in the preseason opener against the Rams except rookie Rashawn Slater, it gave the backups a chance to prove themselves.

Fifth round pick Brenden Jaimes was one who took advantage of his time on the field Saturday night.

After primarily playing tackle during his collegiate career at Nebraska, Jaimes kicked inside to guard for his NFL debut, where he looked like a natural at the position.

With the 49 snaps that he played, the second-most by any offensive player, Jaimes provided a huge surge in the running game and used his lower-body athleticism, efficient hand usage and high football IQ to keep interior rushers at bay, only allowing one quarterback pressure.

“Brenden, I think, has done really well on the O-line,” head coach Brandon Staley said. “I think that he had a really nice night last week, teaming up with Rashawn on that left side.”

While Jaimes only played guard against the Rams, the coaches are still planning on taking advantage of his experience at protecting the edges by viewing him as an appealing swing tackle if any of the starters had to miss time.

Chargers trim roster to 85 players

The Los Angeles Chargers have trimmed their roster down to 85 players.

The Chargers have trimmed their roster down to 85 players ahead of the mandatory cut deadline, which is at 1 pm PT.

Yesterday, Los Angeles cut three and added long snapper Matt Overton to bring the roster to 86 players.

To get it to 85, L.A. released quarterback K.J. Costello and tight end Matt Seybert and signed edge defender Davin Ballamy on Tuesday.

This is the first of three roster cuts the Chargers are required to make, with the league’s new rule that started this year.

Here’s a look at the rest of the mandatory cut dates:

  • Tuesday, August 24: Down to 80.
  • Tuesday, August 31: Down to 53.

Chargers injury updates: Justin Jackson, Mike Williams, Rashawn Slater

Checking in on the health of the Chargers following the preseason opener.

Following the preseason opener against the Rams, the Chargers returned to the practice field on Monday to prepare for their joint practices and preseason matchup with the 49ers this week.

Los Angeles remained relatively healthy coming off this past weekend, but players were still banged up.

Running back Justin Jackson, who sustained a groin injury, did not participate and he is not expected to be available this week, either.

Wide receiver Mike Williams has been dealing with a hip flexor injury and is expected to miss the two joint practices.

Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater did not practice today due to some tightness in his lower back, but the plan is for him to be ready for later this week.

Long snapper Cole Mazza suffered a shoulder injury and was wearing a sling at practice Monday. As insurance, the Chargers signed veteran Matt Overton.

Cornerback Ryan Smith, who has missed nearly the entire summer with a core injury, might not be ready for the start of the regular season.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in preseason victory over Rams

Find out who Pro Football Focus tabbed as their winners and losers from the Chargers’ preseason opener.

In the first preseason game, the Chargers came out victorious over the Rams last Saturday night, 13-6.

For the most part, the starters remained sidelined while the majority of the playing time went to those in the middle to the back end of the depth chart who are vouching for a role or a spot on the 53-man roster.

With that being said, here are the best and worst performers from Saturday’s game, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

RB Larry Rountree — 87.7

WR Jason Moore — 83.8

RB Darius Bradwell — 83.5

WR Josh Palmer — 83.3

TE Hunter Kampmoyer — 81.7

Top 5 Defense

LB Cole Christensen — 91.4

LB Kyzir White — 91.0

CB Kemon Hall — 90.9

CB John Brannon — 88.0

DT Forrest Merrill — 84.0

Bottom 5 Offense

C Scott Quessenberry — 50.2

WR K.J. Hill — 49.0

G Brenden Jaimes — 47.8

TE Tre’ McKitty — 47.0

G Tyree St. Louis — 43.6

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Uchenna Nwosu — 46.9

DT Breiden Fehoko — 44.8

EDGE Jesse Lemonier — 42.0

DL Chris Okoye — 29.9

LB Damon Lloyd — 28.2

Watch: Huge fight breaks out at Chargers-Rams preseason game

Part of having fans back in attendance means that fights are bound to occur.

Part of having fans back at sporting events means that there’s a good chance fights will break out in the stands.

That’s exactly what went down at the preseason opener between the Chargers and Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday night.

In what appeared to be among the Rams fanbase, a guy in an Aaron Donald jersey and a few in front of him started heckling at each other.

That was until a lady another row in front of them threw a drink to ensue the massive brawl.

Punches were thrown and drinks were tossed from rows higher up until security finally showed up nearly a full minute after it broke out.

As a result, the guy in the Donald jersey had quite a bit of damage to his right eye.

Check it out: