Tag: Jason Moore

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’ offensive position battles heading into preseason finale

There are still several unsettled position battles on the offensive side of the ball for the Chargers.

The preseason finale is set for Saturday night, as the Chargers will take on the Seahawks at Lumen Stadium in Seattle, WA.

Here’s a closer look at the top positional battles ahead of Los Angeles’ matchup against Seattle.

Backup quarterback

Despite Easton Stick outperforming Chase Daniel this summer, I’m still a believer that Daniel has the advantage due to his experience in this league, familiarity with Joe Lombardi’s offense and mentorship for Justin Herbert. What this could ultimately come down to is Stick’s performance to potentially have the coaching staff consider keeping three quarterbacks on the roster.

Running back

In somewhat of a surprise, it’s been rookie Larry Rountree who’s been the highlight of the backfield. Aside from him, Darius Bradwell has raised eyebrows as a runner and contributions on special teams. Could Bradwell sneak into one of the four spots? It’s certainly possible, knowing Justin Jackson has still struggled to stay healthy and Joshua Kelley hasn’t produced much on the ground.

Wide receiver

There are five spots that are presumably filled, with those being by Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson. Assuming the team keeps six wideouts, it’s up for grabs between K.J. Hill, Joe Reed, Jason Moore, John Hurst and Michael Bandy. I believe Hill has a slight leg up, given the fact that he’s been the first-team return specialist during the preseason.

Swing tackle

This was a position battle that flew under the radar heading into the summer because the Chargers had their starters solidified, yet the lack of depth was always evident. It became very clear last weekend when Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton had no answers for the 49ers pass rushers. Even head coach Brandon Staley noted it. Someone needs to step up or else this could be a serious issue this season.

4 Chargers on roster bubble who helped themselves in preseason opener

With the majority of the starters on the sideline, a few Chargers players on the bubble helped their cases.

The Chargers took care of business to open up the three-game preseason slate, defeating the Rams by the score of 13-6.

For the most part, the presumed starters that did play didn’t see the field all that much, which left more opportunities for players that are fighting for a roster spot to prove themselves to the coaching staff.

With that being said, let’s take a look at four bubble players who helped their cause on Sunday night.

CB John Brannon

The Chargers are set with Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr., Asante Samuel Jr., but there are a couple spots on the back end that need to be filled, and Brannon made his case with his outing. Heading into the game 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.

CB Kemon Hall

Brannon wasn’t the only one who stood out in the secondary. Hall also helped himself by making plays in all phases. Hall and Alohi Gilman caused a fumble. Serving as an additional blizter, 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. It was a great day for both players who head coach Brandon Staley has lauded throughout the summer.

DL Joe Gaziano

Throughout camp, all the attention has been drawn to Breiden Fehoko and Cortez Broughton as the guys fighting for a spot. But Gaziano gave us a reminder that he is not to be forgotten. After playing on the outside in his first two seasons, the move inside highlighted his strengths. Winning with heavy hands, strength and high effort, Gaziano applied interior pressure on a few occasions and a couple run stops behind the line of scrimmage. Undrafted free agent Forrest Merrill also flashed with a tackle for loss.

WR Jason Moore

If the Chargers go into the regular season with six wide receivers, there’s one spot that will need to be filled, assuming the first five are Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson. Yesterday, it was Moore who helped his stock. With balls thrown to him in tight coverage and out of his reach, Moore still managed to catch all three of his targets for 31 yards.

Chargers make roster moves ahead of Week 8

The Chargers made a few moves ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the Broncos.

The Chargers made a few roster moves ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the Broncos.

Los Angeles signed running back Troymaine Pope and offensive lineman Cole Toner to the active roster. In addition, the team activated tackle Trey Pipkins from Reserve/COVID-19 list and wide receiver Jason Moore from the practice squad.

To fill Moore’s spot on the practice squad, L.A. signed tight end Matt Sokol.

Coach Anthony Lynn said that there was a chance that Pipkins could still play, despite being on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. He will start at right tackle if Bryan Bulaga is inactive.

Lynn mentioned that either Toner or Scott Quessenberry will start at right guard since Trai Turner remains out and Ryan Groy was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Chargers optimistic WR Mike Williams will play Week 1 vs. Bengals

There’s a chance that the Chargers will have Mike Williams on the field for the season opener.

Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams sustained a shoulder injury in practice last Sunday, which left his availability for the season opener against the Bengals up in the air.

However, there’s a good chance that Williams could be a go in Week 1.

“Mike’s gotta be ready to play,” offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said. “I think Mike has got that mindset to be ready to play. We look forward to having him on September 13.”

Steichen’s remark is very promising, considering coach Anthony Lynn said that Williams was going to be “out for awhile.”

We will have a better feel for Williams’ status once the injury reports roll out throughout the week of practice leading up into the first game of the 2020 season.

If Williams is good to go, he will resume his duties on the outside. But the player opposite still remains to be seen.

Los Angeles has been hard at work trying to determine who the third wide receiver will be. It’s been a tight battle between Jalen Guyton, Jason Moore, Tyron Johnson, Darius Jennings and rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill.

Who will step up in Chargers WR Mike Williams’ absence?

The Chargers need to figure out who will compliment Keenan Allen while Mike Williams is out.

The Chargers could be without wide receiver Mike Williams for the entire month of September after he sprained his shoulder on a diving catch during last Sunday’s practice.

Now that Williams likely won’t be in the starting lineup for the next few weeks, Los Angeles not only needs to figure out who will be the third wide receiver on the depth chart, but the second wideout in the meantime.

It might be a difficult task to replace the third-year player considering the depth chart is filled with a handful of unproven wide receivers in the starting role.

The player who will get the first crack is Jalen Guyton. Prior to Williams’ injury, Guyton was the frontrunner for WR3. Though Guyton doesn’t have the size or physicality that Williams possesses, he has the speed (4.35 40-yard dash) to give quarterback Tyrod Taylor a deep option on the outside.

The player who I think has the next best chance to fill the role is rookie Joe Reed. Reed has the dense build and physical nature to win the down the field in that role.

The Chargers have been using him in a variety of roles, including running back. But he has the skillset to succeed as a deep option. In 2018, Reed turned 37 targets into 25 receptions for 465 yards and seven touchdowns (67.6 percent catch rate).

Next in line who will have a crack to fill Williams’ shoes are Darius Jennings, Jason Moore and Tyron Johnson, along with rookie K.J. Hill.

Jennings is entering his fourth season. He has 27 catches for 235 yards during his professional career. However, he has been used primarily as a return specialist.

Moore had two receptions for 43 yards in 2019. He appeared in 10 games last season with most of his experience coming on special teams. Moore is a big receiver who uses his frame well, similar to Williams.

Johnson spent time on the practice squad in 2019. He has been praised by the coaching staff, and coach Anthony Lynn said that he has the speed they are looking for.

Lastly is Hill. The team’s seventh-round pick has been making plays all throughout camp thus far, getting open and catching everything thrown his way. Hill’s lack of speed likely warrants him to slot role, but he could find his way on the field if Keenan Allen was to play on the outside.

I predict Guyton to fill in for Williams, and the battle for WR3 will be a tight competition which will be determined during the rest of camp.

Chargers WR Mike Williams ‘out for a while’ with shoulder injury

Someone will have to step in for the injured Mike Williams.

Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams was listed as week-to-week on Monday after hurting his shoulder at practice the day before.

But Williams’ absence could be a bit longer than anticipated.

On Tuesday, coach Anthony Lynn said Williams will be “out for a while,” adding that he’s not certain if he will be ready for Week 1 against the Bengals.

With Williams out, someone will have to step up. Lynn says he likes the competition between the young wide receivers who are having to fill in with Williams sidelined indefinitely.

Jaylen Guyton, Darius Jennings, Jason Moore, Tyron Johnson and rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill will have opportunities to prove they can step in for the absent Williams during the last couple weeks of practices.

Notre Dame offers class of ’23 star DE Moore

The Fighting Irish get in the game early by offering rising-sophomore defensive end Jason Moore.

The Fighting Irish coaching staff has been hard at work on the recruiting trail recently, adding multiple commits and offering plenty of class of 2022 players. It was time to dip into the 2023 class as Maryland’s Jason Moore was offered by Brian Kelly and staff yesterday.

Moore is entering his sophomore year at powerhouse DeMatha Catholic and they know a thing or two about elite defensive ends, this past year’s number two overall draft pick Chase Young prepped there before heading off to Ohio State. At 6-foot-6-inches and 255-pounds, it seems like Moore could enroll in college now. The Irish joined LSU, Michigan, Penn State, USC and others for the underclassman’s verbal. He was recently ranked as the 24th best overall prospect in the country by 247Sports.

This is just the 6th offer the Irish have given out to player in the 2023 class, all on the defensive side. None of those players have yet to commit to the Irish at this early juncture in the class. The 2023 recruiting class seems very far away, but it’s great to see the Notre Dame coaching staff hard at working trying to get ahead of the game for these elite prospects.

Who will emerge as Chargers’ No. 3 wide receiver, what will their role look like?

This will be one of the more heated positional battles of training camp.

The Chargers struggled to get production from their No. 3 wide receiver last season. Aside from the one-two punch of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, it was slim pickings.

When the topic of the third receiver was brought up to coach Anthony Lynn’s attention on Wednesday, he said the No. 1 thing Los Angeles is looking for in the No. 3 wide receiver is “speed,” similar to what Tyrell Williams brought.

L.A. thought they had that with Travis Benjamin, but his inconsistent hands and injuries were maddening, which is why they elected to part ways.

At the moment, Andre Patton is the frontrunner because of his experience, and gives the Chargers what they’re looking for at that position with his 4.4 speed.

Patton appeared in 13 regular season games in 2019. He caught six passes for 56 yards last season. In the 2019 preseason, Patton caught six passes for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Los Angeles added some pieces to the room by selecting Joe Reed in the fifth-round and K.J. Hill in the seventh-round of this year’s draft.

Reed and Hill should push Patton, but their skillsets don’t necessarily match what Lynn’s looking for in that role. Reed has the quicks, but he wasn’t much of a deep threat in college. Meanwhile, Hill isn’t known for his speed. Instead, he’s coveted for his route-running ability and ball skills.

Rounding out the rest of the group is Darius Jennings, Jason Moore, Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson, Jeff Cotton and Dalton Schoen.

Guyton is a guy to keep an eye on, as he ran a 4.3 40 at his college Pro Day.

At the end of the day, Reed and Hill will make it a battle, but I expect Patton to ultimately win the job. His familiarity with the offense, experience and the shortage of training camp should earn the role.