Tag: Chargers training camp

Chargers 53-man roster projection: Final prediction before cutdown day

Here’s one final guess at what the initial Chargers 53-man roster will look like.

Training camp and preseason play are over, so now the Chargers coaching staff will use them as their resources to get the roster from 91 players to 53 ahead of the 2024 regular season.

The team will have until 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday to make their cuts.

With that being said, here is our final projection of what we believe the initial roster will look like.

Quarterback (2): Justin Herbert, Easton Stick

Stick had the opportunity all summer to show he’s a serviceable backup, but he failed to do so. I believe he will make the initial roster, but Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh will see which quarterbacks are available once cuts are made and end up signing one and letting go of Stick.

Running back (4): Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Jaret Patterson, Kimani Vidal

No changes from my last projection. Despite being a mainstay on special teams, Isaiah Spiller did not do much on the ground. Patterson was a summer standout. Vidal was productive upon returning from his injury, rushing for 49 yards on 11 carries against the Rams in Week 2.

Wide receiver (6): Josh Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark, Derius Davis, Simi Fehoko

No changes. Fehoko capped off an impressive summer with a 78-yard touchdown against the Cowboys. Brenden Rice stood out in training camp, but the same thing can’t be said about his performances in the preseason, mainly due to the lackluster quarterback play. Rice is worthy of a spot. He is a sharp route runner who blocks his tail off. But I can’t see the Chargers rostering seven wideouts.

Tight end (3): Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Stone Smartt

Sometimes the best ability is availability, and that does not apply to Donald Parham, who’s struggled to stay healthy. He has also not improved as a blocker, something the Chargers want from their tight ends. Meanwhile, Smartt has improved in this department. He will also make his money on special teams.

Offensive line (9): Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins, Joe Alt, Brenden Jaimes, Jamaree Salyer, Jordan McFadden, Foster Sarell

No changes.

Edge rusher (5): Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree, Tre’Mon Morris-Brash

I have the Chargers starting the season with five edge rushers. Chris Rumph II would’ve been given the nod after having a great summer. Unfortunately, he is dealing with a foot injury and I believe he will begin the season on the injured reserve. Morris-Brash showed some real juice as a pass rusher in training camp and preseason. He capped off his summer with a pick-six against the Cowboys.

Interior defensive line (6): Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Teair Tart, Scott Matlock, Otito Ogbonnia, Justin Eboigbe

No changes. Eboigbe was practically nonexistent during camp and preseason. But the team used a fairly high draft pick on him, and playing defensive tackle in this league as a rookie is a learning curve so I believe he is safe.

Linebacker (5): Denzel Perryman, Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley, Nick Niemann, Troy Dye

No changes.

Cornerback (6): Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart

No changes.

Safety (4): Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, AJ Finley, JT Woods

Tony Jefferson had the best performance of the preseason against the Cowboys, finishing with 14 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble. But I believe it was a little too late to warrant a roster spot. I expect him to land on the practice squad as he is not subject to waivers if he’s released. Finley played his way to being the third safety. Woods makes the squad, as he showed signs of improvement and intrigued as an outside cornerback, the position he transitioned to toward the end of the summer.

Specialists (3): K Cameron Dicker, P J.K. Scott, LS Josh Harris

No changes.

Chargers vs. Cowboys preseason Week 3: How to watch, listen and stream online

Find out how to tune in to watch the Chargers take on the Cowboys in the preseason finale.

The Chargers close out the preseason on Saturday, as they face off against the Cowboys.

Here is everything you need to know so you can tune in:

Game Information

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys

Saturday, Aug. 24 — 1:00 p.m. PT

AT&T Stadium — Arlington, TX

Television

The game will be televised on KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. Noah Eagle and Dan Fouts will have the call.

Radio

ALT FM-98.7 (English broadcast)

FM 105.5/94.3 (Spanish broadcast)

Streaming

FuboTV (try it for free).

Chargers roster bubble: 4 players who helped their cause in preseason Week 2

Which Chargers helped themselves as a result of their performances in Week 2 vs. the Rams? Let’s take a look at who impressed.

There’s just a little over a week until all NFL rosters must be cut down to 53 players.

Which players helped themselves the most due to their performances in Week 2 against the Rams? With one preseason game left, let’s look at who impressed.

RB Kimani Vidal

Vidal did not play in the preseason opener as he was dealing with an injury. But in his first NFL game, he showed why he’s worthy of being a part of the running back rotation. The former Troy product finished with 49 yards on 11 carries. He gained 13 and 8 yards on his first two carries, respectively. Vidal displayed tremendous vision and burst to pick up yardage.

WR Simi Fehoko

I’ve had rookie Brenden Rice in my 53-man roster projections for the past month, but that will likely change. Fehoko has put together a solid summer, and he continued to show up on Saturday. He led all receivers with 52 yards on two catches. However, his performance went beyond what he did as a pass-catcher. Fehoko showed great effort as a blocker and made a huge tackle on kickoff coverage.

S Thomas Harper

AJ Finley has made his case for the third safety, but there should be one more spot in the position room. While JT Woods has shown improvement, Harper, the undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, has also impressed enough to be considered for it. Harper had a pass breakup on fourth down. In the first game of the preseason against the Seahawks, he had a sack.

TE/FB Tucker Fisk

The run blocking was good and Fisk played a part in it. Signed just last week, Fisk came in and was integral as a blocker at tight end and fullback, including on Vidal’s 13-yard run. If he continues to show up in this department in the preseason finale against the Cowboys, he could earn the spot as the fourth tight end.

Chargers vs. Rams preseason Week 2: How to watch, listen and stream online

Find out how to tune in to watch the Chargers take on the Rams.

The Chargers continue their three-game preseason slate.

On Saturday, they face off against the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Here is everything you need to know so you can tune in:

Game Information

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams

Saturday, Aug. 17 — 4:00 p.m. PT

SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, CA

Television

The game will be televised on KCBS-TV in Los Angeles and Orange County. Noah Eagle and Dan Fouts will have the call.

Radio

ALT FM-98.7 (English broadcast)

FM 105.5/94.3 (Spanish broadcast)

Streaming

FuboTV (try it for free).

How Chargers rookies fared in preseason debut

Evaluating Los Angeles Chargers rookies after first week of 2024 NFL preseason.

The preseason is meant to evaluate players, and for a handful of them, this past week marked their first time playing in an NFL game. This included the Chargers’ draft picks in their loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.

Los Angeles was headlined by first-round pick offensive tackle Joe Alt, who had a solid performance. Alt played 21 snaps and only allowed one quarterback pressure. He showed good finesse in pass protection and power and movement skills in the run game to clear some lanes.

“It felt great,” Alt said, per the team’s official website. “It’s always good to get your first live play under your belt with the group you have the most experience with. It was good to be out there will all of them.”

Wide receiver Ladd McConkey and linebacker Junior Colson did not play as they’ve been working through some injuries.

Defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe played 30 snaps. Eboigbe didn’t have much of an impact, logging just one assisted tackle. The rookie out of Alabama has flashed at training camp, however, especially against the run.

Cornerback Tarheeb Still, who has been a summer standout, continued to make his case for the starting nickel spot. Still posted two pass breakups. But along with his cover skills, he flashed as a blitzer.

CB Cam Hart did not play.

Running back Kimani Vidal was in uniform for warmups, but was not suited up for the game.

Wide receiver Brenden Rice played the second-most snaps. He was targeted three times but failed to record a reception. A large part of that was due to inefficient quarterback play. There were many instances of Rice running great routes and being open. He had an aDOT (average depth of target) of 15.3.

WR Cornelius Johnson was on the field for just eight snaps.

Chargers vs. Seahawks preseason Week 1: How to watch, listen and stream online

Find out how to tune in to watch the Chargers take on the Seahawks in the preseason opener.

The Chargers are set to begin their three-game preseason slate.

On Saturday, they kick it off in a bout against the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.

Here is everything you need to know so you can tune in:

Game Information

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Saturday, Aug. 10 — 4:00 p.m. PT

SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, CA

Television

The game will be televised on KCBS-TV in Los Angeles and Orange County. Matt “Money” Smith and Daniel Jeremiah will have the call.

Radio

ALT FM-98.7 (English broadcast)

FM 105.5/94.3 (Spanish broadcast)

Streaming

FuboTV (try it for free).

Jim Harbaugh sounds off on Justin Herbert’s foot injury

Jim Harbaugh said he’s not qualified to say when the injury occurred but that Justin Herbert was diagnosed on Wednesday evening.

Jim Harbaugh spoke to the media following Thursday’s practice and provided a brief update on Justin Herbert’s plantar fascia injury in his right foot.

Harbaugh said he’s not qualified to say when the injury occurred but that Herbert was diagnosed on Wednesday evening.

Herbert is expected to be sidelined for two weeks. During that time, he will wear a walking boot. The team indicated that the expectation is he will be ready to play at the start of the regular season against the Raiders.

While his injury is a setback, Harbaugh clarified that they must move forward with the remainder of training camp and preseason while Herbert works his way back.

“Full steam ahead,” Harbaugh said. “The preparation, the work continues. He’s not on the field in the practice, but he’s in the meeting room, the training environment.”

In Herbert’s absence, Easton Stick will get the majority of the reps with the first-team offense. The other quarterbacks are second-year Max Duggan and undrafted free agent Casey Bauman.

Sights and sounds from Chargers training camp: Day 8

A quick roundup of the highlights from Day 8 of Chargers training camp.

The Chargers continued training camp on Thursday, marking the eighth day of practice.

I will have training camp coverage with updates from practice below, courtesy of media members and fan posts.

Chargers training camp: Safety AJ Finley making case for roster spot

AJ Finley has been playing exceptionally well with the first-team defense.

The Chargers have an open competition for the third safety spot, and second-year AJ Finley has been making a strong case to seize it.

Finley has mixed in with the first-team defense in certain packages when Derwin James moves around to different positions.

He also played with the starters on Monday and Tuesday while Alohi Gilman was absent to be present for the arrival of his new baby.

But not only has he mixed in with the 1s, Finley has made the most of his opportunities, most recently nabbing an interception and pass defended on Wednesday.

 

“AJ is guy that guys have confidence in,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “He’s a guy who has made some plays in practice, communicates really well. He has a comfort out there.”

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, Finley primarily served as a special teamer in his rookie season. He forced a fumble against the Bills.

Over the course of his collegiate career, Finley recorded 245 total tackles, 13 passed defended, eight interceptions, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

Chargers WR Brenden Rice making presence felt at training camp

The son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is looking to secure a roster spot.

There is competition for the back end of the Chargers’ wide receiver room, and one player who is making a strong push for a spot is rookie Brenden Rice.

Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, has made several big catches throughout training camp, with his latest coming on Wednesday. Easton Stick delivered a nice pass and Rice reeled it in with an over-the-shoulder grab.

If Rice continues to make plays like this the rest of the summer, he might not only make the roster but could also be a nice complementary piece in Year 1.

Rice is a big receiver with strong hands and a good sense of route running. He is also willing to block in space.

Rice tallied 84 career catches for 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns while at USC. He began his college career at Colorado.