Tag: Stone Smartt

4 standout performers for Chargers through 4 days of training camp

Training camp has only been underway for a few days, but these Chargers are standing out in the early going.

The Chargers are four days into their training camp program in El Segundo, CA. It’s important to remember that when discussing player stock with plenty of time left in the offseason, plus three preseason games.

That being said, there are some standouts for Los Angeles in the early going.

Here are four of them:

WR Ladd McConkey

Excitement is high for McConkey, the team’s second-round pick. They drafted him to boost a wide receiver group that lacks top-end talent. And so far, he has flashed since coming aboard this summer. 

McConkey made an impressive grab in the red zone on Day 4. But what has stood out the most is his superb route running in the slot, showing the ability to beat both coverages and consistently make himself open.

“He’s been off to a really good start,” Jim Harbaugh said on McConkey. “Really, really excellent route runner. We knew that, and he’s been really good, really dialed in, right from the beginning.”

I’ve been saying this since he was drafted, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see McConkey lead the team in targets and receptions this season.

WR Quentin Johnston

After a rough rookie campaign, Johnston knows how important it is to try to turn things around and carve a role for himself. While it’s still in the early stages, Johnston has looked like he’s improved in areas he struggled at.

One of his issues was creating separation, and Johnston has looked a lot sharper in his breaks to make himself an open target. Drops were also an issue, but Johnston has caught nearly everything thrown his way and has made the tough plays look routine.

WR Brenden Rice

Another wideout who has made a few splash plays is Rice, the seventh-rounder out of USC and son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Rice has a legitimate shot to not only make the roster but contribute as a rookie with his ability to win in the intermediate and deep parts of the field. He has shown that, nabbing a few catches on go routes, including a 35-yard touchdown from Easton Stick in 11-on-11.

TE Stone Smartt

The Chargers have their top two tight ends in Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst, but a few players, including Smartt, are battling for the back end of the depth chart. 

Last season, Smartt came on as a pass-catcher, hauling 11 passes for 155 (14.1 yards per reception) and a touchdown. On Day 3, he had a big day in that department. Smartt had six catches in team periods, including a red zone touchdown, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Chargers 2024 offseason position preview: Tight end

Evaluating the Chargers’ tight end room entering the offseason.

Gerald Everett will test the market after two seasons with the Chargers. In his 2022 season, Everett extended his streak of seven straight seasons with an increasing receiving yards total. He was a beacon of consistency, especially when his services were needed most with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missing in action for long stretches.

In 2023, Everett had 58 receptions for 411 yards. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t far off from the same ballpark that his single-season career numbers usually gravitated toward. But it was the lowest yards per reception mark of the veteran tight end’s career at 8.6.

Jim Harbaugh makes tight ends a rather critical focal point of his offensive approach relative to Kellen Moore. As the Chargers gravitate towards a more physical style of offense with him and Greg Roman at the helm, it’s worth seeing where the roster currently stands at the position. Will the team keep Everett? Is it a clean slate start? Could someone like Georgia star Brock Bowers be in play?

In continuing our offseason position preview series, let’s turn to the tight end room entering the offseason.

Highlight: Chargers TE Stone Smartt gets first career touchdown vs. Packers

Stone Smartt’s first career touchdown went for 51 yards.

It’s been a long road to glory for Chargers tight end Stone Smartt.

An undrafted player from Old Dominion, Smartt spent most of his college career as a quarterback. He moved to tight end, was signed by the Chargers, and had a strong training camp before incurring an injury that kept him out for the majority of his rookie season in 2022.

With Gerald Everett out this week, Smartt stepped into a bigger role against the Packers. That step paid dividends in the second quarter. Smartt took an intermediate pass from Justin Herbert, stiff armed a Packers defender, and burst upfield for a 51-yard touchdown.

Smartt’s first career touchdown also gave the Chargers a 10-7 lead.

Chargers sign TE Nick Vannett to active roster

The Chargers shored up the tight end room.

After waiving tight end Tre’ McKitty on Tuesday, the Chargers wasted no time in bolstering the depth chart. Per Aaron Wilson, Nick Vannett was signed from the practice squad to the active roster.

The move comes after a few weeks of rather poor blocking performances from both Tre’ McKitty and Stone Smartt. McKitty was also a healthy scratch prior to the Chiefs game. Vannett will at least be given some opportunity to show off what he can do in the blocking department.

Vannett’s last full season with over 20+ pass blocking and 100+ run blocking snaps was in 2021. With the Saints, he scored a 75.8 PFF grade as a pass blocker and a 55.1 PFF grade in run blocking last year. In 2022, his numbers dipped a bit with the Saints and he was cut for cap reasons during the season. However, his numbers did rebound closer to his 2021 status quo in the second half of the season with the Giants.

Vannett will be tasked with being one of the tight ends to stabilize the blocking on the unit currently. The Chargers’ run success rates have decreased due to both relative drops in team blocking and running back efficiency.

The roster is brought back to 53 with the signing of Vannett following yesterday’s waive of McKitty. The Chargers will also likely need to make two more roster cuts for Jalen Guyton and Otito Ogbonnia to be activated off of the PUP list and formally return against the Jets on Monday night.

Chargers waive TE Tre’ McKitty

The Chargers are cutting ties with their 2021 third-round pick.

The Chargers waived tight end Tre’ McKitty on Tuesday.

McKitty, the former third-round pick out of the 2021 NFL draft, appeared in 34 games (12 starts) across three seasons. They selected him with the intent of being a reliable blocker, but it never came to fruition.

McKitty wasn’t serviceable in the passing game, either. He had 12 catches on 26 targets for 117 yards.

With McKitty gone, Gerald Everett, Donald Parham and Stone Smartt make up the tight end room. To fill the void, L.A. could call up Nick Vannett from the practice squad.

A third-round pick by the Seahawks in 2016, Vannett has 90 receptions for 874 yards and six touchdowns in his career.

If they don’t promote Vannett, that empty roster spot could be for either wide receiver Jalen Guyton or defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia, who will soon be activated off the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.

5 takeaways from the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster

The Chargers have reduced their roster to 53 players. Here are five takeaways from the decisions made to this point.

The Chargers announced their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.

Keep in mind that this roster is subject to change as waiver wire claims are made on Wednesday and other players are moved around.

Here’s what we learned from Los Angeles’ initial 53-man roster:

Studs and duds from Chargers’ 23-12 win over 49ers

The Chargers concluded their preseason with a 23-12 win over the Niners. Most of the 90-man roster made their last impressions.

The Chargers concluded their preseason with a 23-12 win over the Niners. Most of the 90-man roster got to make their last impressions for roster spots, with cutdowns on Tuesday.

Here are the guys who stood out (positively and negatively) in the preseason finale.

Stud: CB Deane Leonard

Deane Leonard had been pretty solid in the first two preseason games but stood out more against San Francisco. Leonard was active in making pass break-up attempts and was sticky without being grabby in coverage. It also felt like an excellent tackling night for him outside of the first big Brandon Aiyuk play.

On one of the drives in the second quarter, Leonard got beat by Conley after the Niners’ receiver pushed off for a big diving catch. A few plays later, Leonard rebounded and drew an offensive pass interference call that eventually ended the drive for the Niners.

Leonard had been a top defender for the Chargers in the preseason, but seeing him execute while being tested more often was nice.

Dud: QB Max Duggan

Perhaps it was nerves for the rookie, but Max Duggan looked like he was seeing ghosts when throwing the football tonight. He ran some zone-read concepts pretty well, which saved the Chargers’ offense at points. But the erratic, delayed processing on display probably didn’t do much to solidify a QB3 spot.

Duggan should’ve been intercepted on the play above, but it wasn’t the only miscue. Several short to intermediate passes nearly hit the ground for his receivers, and the first drive was a mess. Two dangerous screen passes that were almost picked and a high toss to Elijah Dotson almost ruined his night from the start.

He saved himself with his legs, but I’m just struggling to see what value Duggan brings to the roster besides being the team’s seventh-round pick.

Stud: RB Joshua Kelley

Joshua Kelley had the play of the night with a 75-yard scamper to the house:

It’s been a good training camp and preseason for Kelley. That play felt like his declarative stamp on the RB2 job behind Austin Ekeler. Isaiah Spiller will still get his touches, but Kelley has shown a more refined approach with good balance and speed.

Dud: WR John Hightower

John Hightower was the star of training camp, but he didn’t stand out in a meaningful way in the preseason. Keelan Doss has outplayed him in the last two games, and it felt like Hightower was too easily washed out of routes. On his one target of the game, he got blanketed in coverage after Duggan released the throw.

He’ll still have a role on the practice squad, and his dominance in camp can’t be undersold. The coaching staff certainly values it. But the path towards a 53-man roster spot seems much less feasible than before.

Stud: TE Stone Smartt

Stone Smart has had back-to-back great weeks as a blocker. Last week, it was letting Easton Stick run outside for the score. Against the Niners, he made a block that created the hole for Joshua Kelley’s 75-yard score. On a separate play, he also sprung Max Duggan free on the outside for a 3rd down conversion.

Box score watchers will see one reception for six yards, but Smartt’s impact on the blocking game and the flow of the offense was evident. In a preseason where Tre’ McKitty and Donald Parham have struggled in that capacity, Smartt has strung together some good performances.

Highlight: Chargers RB Joshua Kelley takes one 75 yards to the house

Joshua Kelley broke loose for a big touchdown carry.

The first three drives of the Chargers’ preseason finale were uneventful.

With the 49ers playing their starters and Los Angeles playing their second team, San Francisco drove the ball deep into Chargers territory on each of their first two offensive drives. The 49ers also forced LA into a three and out on their first defensive series.

When LA got the ball back, however, things were different.

After a 6 yard pass to Stone Smartt, Easton Stick handed the ball off to Joshua Kelley on second down. Kelley found a crease up the middle, then made a cut to avoid the defender crashing down from the secondary. He then outran the defense on his way to a 75 yard touchdown.

The play gave the Chargers the lead after a Dustin Hopkins extra point.

5 matchups to watch in Chargers’ preseason finale vs. 49ers

With one final chance to prove themselves, the majority of the roster will be playing as if there’s no tomorrow.

The Chargers head to San Francisco for their lone preseason outside the confines of SoFi Stadium. With one final chance to prove themselves, most of the roster will be playing as if there’s no tomorrow.

With that in mind, here are a few matchups to watch against the 49ers.

7 Chargers players to watch vs. the 49ers in preseason finale

The final Chargers’ preseason game takes place on Friday. Four days after, LA will announce their final 53-man roster.

The final Chargers’ preseason game takes place on Friday in San Francisco as they take on the 49ers. Just four days later on the 29th, Los Angeles will announce their final 53-man roster after final cuts.

For a lot of roster bubble Chargers, this will be their last chance to make an impression on the coaching staff with training camp wrapped up.

Here are seven players to watch:

RB Elijah Dotson

Dotson burst onto the scene in Week 1 of the preseason with nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams. Against the Saints, he didn’t manage to keep that momentum. The physicality in his runs still showed, but Dotson finished the game with just 21 yards on six carries. On the final drive, Dotson also had two critical drops on passes from Easton Stick.

I’d maintain that Dotson still has a shot at the final 53-man roster, but the outlook isn’t quite as rosy as it was after Week 1. The question for the Niners game is if the North Colorado product can put a performance that makes the Chargers keep a fourth running back as opposed to placing him on the practice squad.

QB Max Duggan

According to Brandon Staley, “the flow of the game” was what kept Easton Stick on the field for all four quarters last week. Duggan did not get a chance to play against the Saints.

Considering that the tradition of the third preseason game tends to be playing fewer of the second-string starters than in the first two games, Duggan should get some significant run in this one. My guess is that the Chargers will stick with what they did in the first preseason game and play both quarterbacks in separate halves.

Staley also inferred that keeping three quarterbacks is not set in stone with his “every year is a new year” comment. While I’m not sure that there’s much of a chance of Duggan actually being left off the roster given the new quarterback rule, a standout performance from the TCU product wouldn’t hurt him.

TE Stone Smartt

The Chargers had three tight ends in the bottom five of their PFF offensive grades last week. Stone Smartt was not one of them. While Tre’ McKitty and Donald Parham have both underperformed in the preseason, Smartt has played fairly well.

Smartt did get significant enough playing time last year to infer that the coaching staff could give him a look for one of their final roster spots if he impresses on Friday. The Chargers certainly need all the help they can get behind Gerald Everett as it currently stands. How safe McKitty’s seat is and how much they want to test the tight end market will be pivotal questions for Smartt.

WR John Hightower

Hightower had a rather disappointing preseason debut last week. Hightower had just one reception for ten yards and came up short on some of the routes that Stick intended to throw. Some of the deep shots weren’t there because of the pass protection with the offensive line, but it was still a far-from-ideal performance even with that consideration.

Hightower will probably remain a favorite for the practice squad regardless of his performance simply because he’s been in the system. He does have irreplaceable speed. But it feels like his chances of making the roster are dwindling with a rough preseason game and Jalen Guyton getting ready to return. Let’s see what he does in San Francisco.

S Raheem Layne

JT Woods took advantage of his “prove it” game as lead safety last week with a good effort. Against San Francisco, I’d figure we see less of him and more of Layne in a starting role. So far, Layne has been an improved tackler on both defense and special teams.

In particular, I’d like to see Layne get some reps where he gets tested in coverage a few times.

RT Zack Bailey

Bailey has shown up with good performances for multiple weeks in the preseason now at right guard. The question for the final preseason matchup at San Francisco is whether the Chargers could kick him back outside for some reps at right tackle.

Foster Sarell has been up and down at points and Austen Pleasants has been largely unplayable when it comes to the tackle spots. Perhaps the Chargers believe Bailey’s long-term NFL future is inside, but I’d like to see some semblance of good competition for the swing tackle spot.

DT CJ Okoye

Friday will probably represent the last chance for Chargers fans to see CJ Okoye in 2023 given the nature of the International Player Program. He’ll likely be stashed on the practice squad as an extra body for the purposes of the regular season.

Every time Okoye has played this preseason, it’s just hard to believe it’s his first time playing professional football. Okoye followed up the sack against the Rams with another pressure, two tackles, and a run stop vs. New Orleans. He seems to only be gaining more confidence in himself as a football player and he’ll get quality playing time vs. the Niners.