Tag: Joe Gaziano

Chargers injury update: Justin Jones out, 2 players promoted

Justin Jones has officially been ruled out with a calf injury.

The Chargers announced they have promoted edge defender Emeke Egbule and defensive lineman Joe Gaziano to the active roster from the practice squad ahead of their Week 3 matchup against the Chiefs.

The team also downgraded Justin Jones, who had been listed as questionable, to out. This marks the second straight week that Jones will be unavailable. The fourth-year player is currently dealing with a calf injury.

Gaziano got the call up last weekend against the Cowboys in Jones’ absence over Breiden Fehoko and Forrest Merrill.

Joey Bosa is listed as questionable with a foot and ankle injury, which is why Egbule could serve as insurance in case he is not able to play.

Chargers elevate DL Joe Gaziano to 53-man roster

With Justin Jones doubtful, Joe Gaziano got the call up.

With defensive lineman Justin Jones dealing with a calf injury, the Chargers promoted Joe Gaziano to the 53-man roster ahead of the Week 2 matchup against the Cowboys.

On the final injury report, Jones was listed as doubtful.

Gaziano, an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern, appeared in two games last season. After his rookie season, he was a standout during training camp and preseason action.

After playing as an edge defender in 2020, the move inside highlighted his strengths. Winning with heavy hands, strength and high effort, Gaziano applied interior pressure and made plays in the run game on multiple occasions.

If Jones is out, Christian Covington and Eric Banks will likely see an uptick in snaps, while Linval Joseph and Jerry Tillery receive a bulk of the workload, as their presences will be critical to slowing Cowboys running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

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.

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 place EDGE Uchenna Nwosu on injured reserve

Another defensive end was placed on the injured reserve.

The Chargers made a few roster moves ahead of their Week 16 matchup against the Broncos.

Los Angeles placed edge defender Uchenna Nwosu on the injured reserve list. In correspondence, the team signed EDGE Jesse Lemonier to the active roster.

Lemonier has appeared in four games for the Bolts this year after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Liberty.

Nwosu and Joey Bosa were both ruled out for Sunday. Nwosu is dealing with a knee injury while Bosa was diagnosed with a concussion.

L.A. also activated EDGE Joe Gaziano and tight end Matt Sokol from the practice squad.

This will mark the first time that Gaziano and Sokol have appeared in a regular season game.

The activation of Sokol means that the chances of TE Hunter Henry playing are slim. Henry was placed on the COVID-19 list a couple of days ago.

Chargers promote EDGE Joe Gaziano, RB Troymaine Pope to active roster

The Los Angeles Chargers added two players to the active roster ahead of the matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

The Los Angeles Chargers announced Monday that they have elevated edge defender Joe Gaziano and running back Troymaine Pope to the active roster ahead of their Week 5 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

EDGE Joey Bosa is currently questionable with ankle, triceps and knee injuries. Gaziano, the undrafted rookie out of Northwestern, is capable of filling in as a base defensive end.

Gaziano finished his collegiate career with 152 tackles, 49 tackles for loss, 30 sacks, 15 passes defensed and 10 forced fumbles.

Pope was added as the third running back behind Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley. Star RB Austin Ekeler was placed on the injured reserve after sustaining a hamstring injury in last weekend’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Chargers’ undrafted free agent who could turn heads at training camp

The Los Angeles Chargers could add more depth along the defensive line.

The Chargers have had a great amount of success when it comes to bringing in hidden gems that went undrafted in the past, including safety Adrian Phillips, tight end Antonio Gates and running back Austin Ekeler, among others.

Who could be the undrafted rookie that steals the show this year? Recently, Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling revealed his top UDFAs that will turn heads in training camp. According to Roling, former Northwestern defensive end Joe Gaziano is going to be the one who will impress.

Roling wrote:

Sometimes an undrafted player’s productivity is just too hard to ignore, and that’s the case with new Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Joe Gaziano.

He spent his college days at Northwestern in the Big Ten and put up 152 total tackles over four seasons, 49 of them for a loss, and posted a superb 30 sacks over the same span.

Which isn’t to say Gaziano will get himself in the lineup next to Joey Bosa in the near future. But he’s got the sort of versatility and motor that will help his efforts stand out, enabling him to stick around in a reserve role for what could be a long time.

In a league where pressuring the quarterback is crucial, you can’t have too many pass-rushers. The Chargers have a dynamic duo with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but the team can afford to have some ammo behind them.

At 6-foot-4 and 281 pounds, Gaziano is the type of player that Los Angeles would covet – a productive and hard-nosed player who constantly makes his presence known at rushing the passer and defending the run.

Gaziano also has some alignment versatility, possessing the profile to work inside, too. In 52 games at Northwestern, he recorded 153 tackles, including 48.5 tackles for loss, 30 sacks (school leader), 15 passes defensed and eight forced fumbles.

4 undrafted free agents who could make Chargers 53-man roster

Who will be the diamond in the rough player for the Los Angeles Chargers this season?

The Chargers added six new members throughout the course of the weekend in the 2020 NFL draft. Following the event itself, they notched an additional 19 undrafted free agents who will all be fighting for a roster spot.

Los Angeles has had a great amount of success on bringing in hidden gems that went undrafted, including safety Adrian Phillips, tight end Antonio Gates and running back Austin Ekeler.

With that, here are four that could see their names on the 53-man roster when the 2020 season rolls around.

Joe Gaziano – DE – Northwestern

William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

Every year, there’s always a defensive end that lights it up during training camp and preseason and makes the 53-man roster. That should be no different this year, especially because the future remains to be seen with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram since their contracts are up after the 2020 season.

At 6-foot-4 and 281 pounds, Gaziano constantly makes his presence known at rushing the passer and defending the run.

He shows the ability to convert speed to power in the pass game. He has some heavy hands in the run game, setting a firm edge while fighting pressure. With a plus initial first step and big boy power, Gaziano is able to overwhelm offensive linemen and put them on their backs at times.

Gaziano also has some alignment versatility, possessing the profile to work inside, too. In 52 games at Northwestern, he recorded 153 tackles, including 48.5 tackles for loss, 30 sacks, 15 passes defensed and eight forced fumbles.

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