Tag: Chargers training camp

Chargers WR Mike Williams getting shoulder checked out

The injury doesn’t appear to be serious.

Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams almost made a phenomenal one-handed catch during practice on Sunday. However, Williams was unable to reel it in. As a result, he left practice holding his right arm after coming down hard.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that Williams left the practice field and went to the team’s doctor to receive tests on his shoulder. Rapoport added that the collarbone wasn’t damaged, and there’s optimism that it’s not a serious injury.

Williams is entering the third season of his professional career. The former Clemson product finished his 2019 campaign with 49 catches for 1,001 yards and two touchdowns. He had his fifth-year option exercised by Los Angeles earlier this offseason.

DT Cortez Broughton making most of Chargers training camp

The Los Angeles Chargers’ 2019 seventh-round pick is standing out in a field of young players.

The Chargers’ interior defensive line is headlined by newly acquired Linval Joseph, Justin Jones and Jerry Tillery. While the trio has gotten the majority of the attention up to this point at training camp, second-year Cortez Broughton is also standing out.

Broughton, Los Angeles’ seventh-round pick of the 2019 NFL draft, was a rotational interior defender before having his rookie season cut short after being diagnosed mononucleosis.

Looking to claim the final defensive tackle spot on the 53-man roster, Broughton helped his case by recording three sacks this past week. He got a handful of reps with the first-team while Damion Square missed a few practices with an injury.

The former Cincinnati product is capable of playing both nose tackle and three-technique. If Broughton makes the roster again, he could make some noise as a rotational interior defensive lineman in 2020.

To get more familiar with him, I broke down some of his college film last offseason.

Updating Chargers’ competition for starting left tackle spot

Who will be the starting left tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers?

Who will be the starting left tackle for the Chargers in Week 1 of the 2020 season? All signs are pointing to Sam Tevi protecting Tyrod Taylor’s blindside.

Tevi, at the moment, is the front-runner for the starting job. Head coach Anthony Lynn said this week that Tevi is the “starter” for now and is in the “driver’s seat” at that spot.

In practice, Tevi has been primarily been working with the first-time. Meanwhile, his competition – Trey Pipkins, the team’s third-round pick from the 2019 NFL Draft – has been with the second-team offense.

Heading into camp, it appeared that Pipkins was going to be the one to beat. But the coaching staff seems to covet Tevi’s experience in the starting role, the hope is that new offensive line coach James Campen will help with the young player’s development.

Campen has a track record of developing draft picks into standout players, including turning Bryan Bulaga into one of the more consistent right tackles in football and also developing David Bakhtiari into a fourth-round pick, into a first-team All-Pro.

Tevi is the front-runner, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him be the Week 1 starter, given the amount of reps he’s been receiving with the 1’s. But anything can happen between now and then.

“There’s a job requirement for the Los Angeles Chargers, and it’s left tackle,” Campen said. “Someone is going to fill that requirement. And it’s up to us to try to find that person.”

Chargers QB Justin Herbert faces struggles against first-team defense

The Los Angeles Chargers’ first-round pick didn’t have an eventful Friday practice.

The only way for a rookie to get acclimated to the speed to the NFL is to experience what it will be like come game day.

That’s how it was for quarterback Justin Herbert, who was tasked with going up against the Chargers’ first-team defense on Friday.

“Last couple days, he’s struggled a little bit,” coach Anthony Lynn said before the workout. “There’s a lot going on with protections and when you start doing more third downs. There’s more volume in the offense right now.

“I think this is going to help him take the next step. It’s good for him to be uncomfortable. As long as he’s uncomfortable and we don’t break his spirit, I think that’s an opportunity for great growth.”

Per Orange County Register’s Gilbert Manzano, Herbert saw plenty of pressure and threw a swing pass intercepted by defensive end Melvin Ingram.

With all the preseason games cancelled this year, the coaching staff has to modify a little bit to ensure that Herbert is facing the stiffest competition even if there are some struggles along the way.

Even though he was successful at the University of Oregon, having played there for four seasons, where he threw 1,293 passes for more than 10,000 yards and 95 touchdowns, the NFL is an entirely different beast.

At the beginning of camp, Herbert was impressive with his bullet passes and athleticism. He rarely missed throws and put the ball in the right place to his receivers.

“He’s out there making plays,” Tyrod Taylor said. “There’s still a learning curve, a learning process like [with] every young player in this league. But he’s doing his best. He’s going out there and making plays.”

But now, Herbert needs to continue to show that he’s capable of leading an NFL offense and be consistent when it comes to playing against stingier defenses.

Melvin Ingram returns to practice after Chargers guarantee his salary

Melvin Ingram will not be holding out of the 2020 season after all.

There was a potential holdout on the horizon over in Los Angeles, CA as defensive end Melvin Ingram sat out of consecutive practices due to being dissatisfied with his contract.

The Chargers didn’t want to deal with missing the 31-year old Ingram, which is why the team agreed to adjust his contract.

NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reports that L.A. guaranteed this year’s salary of $14 million, making it enough for Ingram to return to practice.

Ingram, who is slated to become a free agent after this season, is still seeking a long-term deal. But the guarantee was good enough for him to return to the gridiron in the meantime.

In 106 career games, Ingram has recorded 350 combined tackles, 49 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Chargers’ backfield shining at training camp

The Chargers look to be efficient on the ground in 2020.

The Chargers’ offense is going to shift from pass-heavy to run-heavy this upcoming season.

Led by Austin Ekeler, the backfield features a rotation of young and healthy runners. The rest of the pack is made up of third-year Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley.

With the running game becoming the focal point this upcoming season, the backfield needs to be at its best. So far in training camp, each member has stood out.

Ekeler, who will be the feature back after Melvin Gordon’s departure, has done what he does best by beating defenders on the ground, as well as through the air, whether he’s been lined up out of the backfield or out wide.

The battle for RB2 is one of the more compelling positional competitions, which is between Jackson and Kelley. Both players have shined, making the battle even more stiff.

Jackson, the former Northwestern product, continues to churn out yards on the ground. After dealing with an injury in 2019, Jackson looks to stay healthy and produce like he has done in a limited capacity.

Jackson has averaged 5.1 yards on 79 carries and has caught 24 of 30 targets to this point in his career. He was praised by his teammate, Ekeler, calling him “so unique,” and even said he’s making an effort to emulate certain parts aspects of Jackson’s running style.

While Jackson may have the slight edge to win the job due to his experience in the league, Kelley is making things intriguing.

Kelley, the team’s fourth-round pick, is trying to show that he can carve up a significant role in his rookie season. He has been making the most of his reps with the first-team. The former UCLA product has been running with a physical mentality, while also showing off his speed.

Lynn spoke on Kelley on Friday, stating that he’s been having a good camp, and is a quick learner.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert finding his voice in the offense

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is still getting acclimated to an NFL offense.

At Oregon, quarterback Justin Herbert spent most of his college career in a shotgun formation using silent counts and claps of his hands ahead of the ball being snapped. Now, Herbert is being put an NFL offense that requires him to be vocal at the line of scrimmage.

During Tuesday’s episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Los Angeles, some of the growing pains were evident with Herbert going through the cadences.

There is a moment where Herbert is under center, and his snap count is soft. The next play is loud.

“Justin, so I am standing there watching you imagining what the defense could be thinking,” coach Anthony Lynn said. “I can tell the difference when it’s a run and a pass based on the way you talk.”

Herbert, the signal-caller who was touted to have a reserved personality, is slowly but surely getting caught up to the speed of the NFL and gaining confidence with the help of his coaches and teammates.

“Just listen to the rhythmic cadence of (Taylor’s snap count),” offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “That first ‘Green 80.’ If he just flies through that ‘Green 80 Green Hut,’ there’s no timing there for linemen to get good jumps off the [expletive] ball. And as a quarterback you want us to get off the f—ing ball.”

While Herbert finds his groove, Tyrod Taylor will be forced to lead the offense in the meantime.

Chargers’ Uchenna Nwosu primed for larger role in 2020

Melvin Ingram’s absence is a blessing in disguise for Uchenna Nwosu.

Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram has made headlines after refusing to practice due to being dissatisfied with his current contract.

Uncertain whether or not Ingram will carry his holdout into the regular season, this could lead to more snaps for third-year pass-rusher Uchenna Nwosu.

Since entering the league in 2018, Nwosu has primarily backed up Ingram at LEO, getting snaps when Ingram would come off the field, which had not been very often.

Los Angeles even rotated Nwosu in as a strongside linebacker in an attempt to get him on the field more. But he showed to be more efficient when playing up at the line of scrimmage.

The former USC product has made his presence known on a consistent basis in the limited capacity. In two seasons, Nwosu has totaled 59 tackles, 17 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

Even though the 23-year old has only played a role as a rotational pass-rusher, his impact has gone a long way towards the team’s defensive success in the past couple of season.

“He’s pretty locked in on being that LEO for us,” Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said about Nwosu.

Bradley said Nwosu bulked up to about 250 pounds for a potential permanent move to defensive end.

If Nwosu performs well in the absence of Ingram, that could be the ultimate determining factor if the franchise chooses to keep the 31-year old for one more go around.

Chargers utilizing Jerry Tillery’s versatility

Chargers defensive tackle Jerry Tillery might gets some reps on the outside.

Chargers 2019 first-round pick Jerry Tillery’s rookie season wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

He was drafted to give the interior part of the defensive line a boost in the pass rushing department. But he was behind in terms of both his tenacity and technique when dealing with double teams.

A reason for his struggles could have been to his lack of exposure heading into his rookie campaign.

Tillery had shoulder surgery last March and missed all of the spring practices. No rookie minicamp. No OTAs. No regular minicamp. And he was out for the first week of training camp before easing back in.

With a full offseason and a full spring and summer, the team has high hopes that he can become a force up front.

Los Angeles has indicated that they want Tillery to focus on one position, which is as a three-technique defensive tackle, but now it appears they are willing to move him around to see where he can be most productive.

Tillery has been handed the workload of reps at defensive end. Coach Anthony Lynn has been pleased with how he’s been doing there, citing that the team loves his versatility.

Tillery has a blend of power, length, mass, flexibility and athleticism, which are all traits that would allow him to be moved along the defensive line.

It will be interesting to see how Tillery is used in 2020. I still expect him to play inside, but he could be kicked out as a base end and a five-technique.

Chargers’ Melvin Ingram sitting out of practice due to dissatisfaction of current contract

Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram appears to want more money ahead of the 2020 season.

The Chargers locked up defensive end Joey Bosa to a five-year extension, making him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

Now – his partner-in-crime – Melvin Ingram, feels like he’s worthy of a big raise.

Ingram, who’s slated to become a free agent after this season, has yet to practice at training camp because he’s not happy with his current contract situation, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Ingram carries a $16.625 million salary cap hit in 2020, which is the largest on the team’s roster.

However, none of Ingram’s $14 million base salary is guaranteed for 2020, and any coronavirus-related shutdown of this season would push his unearned money to a future contract.

Ingram could be seeking “any number of possible outcomes” Popper said. Ingram’s agent, David Mulugheta, said he’s not after guaranteed money. He could be leveraging Los Angeles for a new deal ahead of free agency, or seeking “a signing bonus as an advance on his 2020 base salary.”

There is no timetable for if and when the former South Carolina product will return to practice.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely.