Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Training camp has only been underway for a week, but these Chargers are standing out in the early going.
The Chargers are still a week into their training camp program in Costa Mesa, CA. It’s important to remember that when talking about 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.
Damon Lloyd has been flashing since the start of Chargers training camp.
Linebacker Damon Lloyd has been making noise at Chargers training camp.
While Kenneth Murray, who is recovering from ankle surgery, and Drue Tranquill, who is dealing with a groin issue, have been out of the action, Lloyd has made the most of his reps.
During Tuesday’s session, Lloyd made back-to-back plays in 11-on-11. First, a sack and then a tackle for loss on running back Larry Rountree.
Lloyd has made positive plays daily since the start of camp, consistently living in the backfield.
With Murray, Tranquill, Troy Reeder, and Kyle Van Noy near locks, Lloyd is competing with second-year players Nick Niemann and Amen Ogbongbemiga to fill out the depth chart.
Even if he does not make the team, Lloyd will be a strong candidate to be kept around on the practice squad this year.
A signee out of The Spring League, Lloyd spent all of the 2021 season on the practice squad.
Lloyd set a record for tackles in a single season from 2017 to 2019 at Indiana (Pennsylvania), racking up more than 110 tackles in all three seasons.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen talks about how he is feeling going into Year 10.
This will be Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen’s 10th season in the NFL. But according to the veteran, it feels like his first.
“Feels good,” Allen said. “Running around, not hurting, feeling young. I’m 30, so the game’s slowed down. Just having fun.”
With Allen feeling youthful, the connection with his young quarterback Justin Herbert is unblemished.
The duo made this clear at training camp this past weekend when they connected for a 10-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone.
Allen and Herbert continued to be in sync throughout full-team drills as they linked for two 20-plus-yard plays.
The seasoned route-runner has caught 14 touchdown passes with Herbert as quarterback these last two seasons, which is a testament to the duo’s chemistry.
Along with Allen, Herbert will have a couple of other talented wideouts to distribute the wealth to this season.
Allen will have his partner-in-crime back, Mike Williams, who signed a contract extension this offseason. But second-year Josh Palmer is another ascending with the talent to make a jump this year.
“He’s polished,” Allen said on Palmer. He was polished last year, but now he’s coming in and understanding more ways to do moves and more ways to get open on routes, and he will keep learning along the way.”
Allen’s accolades include five straight Pro Bowls, with 100-plus catches and 1,000 plus receiving yards in four of those five seasons.
The Chargers’ first-round pick dominated on the first day in pads.
Typically, rookie offensive linemen face growing pains early on.
However, that did not seem to be the case for the Chargers’ first-round pick, Zion Johnson, on the first day of padded practices, which marked offensive and defensive line one-on-ones.
Johnson got reps against Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, Morgan Fox, and Jerry Tillery and passed his first test.
Joseph-Day got the better of the first-year player on a rep, but Johnson countered by stonewalling him on the following one.
Johnson also flattened Tillery on one of the reps, putting him on his back.
Johnson’s showing today is a replica of what he displayed on tape in college at Boston College, a powerful anchor at the point of attack, good mirror skills, and recovery ability.
“He’s living up to the bill right now,” Corey Linsley said on Johnson. “First day of pads but everything that we thought, you know, he’s a really good player. He’s got a ton of raw talent that you can see he’s already put a lot together. The sky is the limit.”
It’s still early, but if Johnson can continue to dominate at a high level as the starting right guard, it’ll only help make Los Angeles’ offense run like a well-oiled machine.
— Tyler Schoon (@tylerjschoon) August 1, 2022
Expect big things from Chargers EDGE Chris Rumph II in his second season.
Chargers edge defender Chris Rumph II flashed in his limited opportunities in his rookie season.
Rumph, the 2021 fourth-round pick, played 176 snaps, which he turned into 19 tackles, four quarterback pressures, two hits, and one sack.
Rumph showed off athleticism, lateral quickness, effort and range. However, his lean frame and lack of play strength led to him being engulfed at the point of attack by blockers far more often than not.
That is why Rumph prioritized the weight room and his nutrition to get bigger and stronger this offseason.
Adding weight and strength was essential for Chris Rumph II this offseason.
Joey Bosa said Rumph is not a string bean anymore, he’s an ‘asparagus stalk.’
Rumph is currently listed at 244 pounds, per the team’s website. pic.twitter.com/rNqvWKYviF
— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) July 29, 2022
“He’s not a string bean anymore, he’s an asparagus stalk now,” Joey Bosa said on Rumph. “He’s gained some size and some strength. I think he’s going to be a big part of our defense and we’re going to need him.”
Entering the league, Rumph was 235 pounds, but on the team’s website, he’s now listed as 244 pounds.
In Year 2, Rumph will serve as a rotational piece behind Bosa and Khalil Mack while continuing to make the majority of his money on special teams.
With the additional weight and strength, the various pressure packages, and his athletic skillset, expect an uptick in production from Rumph.
J.C. Jackson’s nose for the football was on display on the first day of Chargers training camp.
The Chargers used the offseason to load up on talent on defense, but arguably their most significant addition was cornerback J.C. Jackson.
Jackson’s 23 passes defended led all defensive players in 2021. His nose for the football was on display on the first day of training camp Wednesday.
On the first play of team drills, quarterback Justin Herbert’s pass intended for wide receiver Mike Williams was broken up by Jackson.
oHHHH SAYY CAN J.C 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ugviv1IDTA
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 27, 2022
After spending the first four seasons of his pro career with the Patriots, in which he posted 25 interceptions, Jackson was rewarded by the Chargers with a massive five-year, $82.5 million deal.
Now the No. 1 corner that Brandon Staley needed, the hope is for Jackson to lock down opposing team’s top wideouts and provide a ball-hawk to a secondary that finished with just 11 interceptions in 2021.
The Los Angeles Chargers are completely bought in with the 38-year old head coach.
Despite being the third-youngest head coach in the NFL, new Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has established himself as if he’s been coaching in the league for well over 10 years.
Not only is Staley one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, but he’s up there in terms of building buy-in with the team, as has taken the necessary steps to build trust with his players since taking over.
Following their spring practices, Staley talked about how happy he was with how the team as a whole has quickly come together and are bought in with his vision and philosophy moving forward.
“They’re completely invested in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, because they’ve been a big part of the process,” Staley said, per the team’s official website. And I think when you talk to our guys that’s what they’ll tell you, we’ve really done this together.
I know it’s early and we haven’t done anything, but I like what I see. I like how our team, our coaches, our players, the sports performance, I like how our team’s coming together. And I think that we’re going to set ourselves up for a really competitive training camp.”
To Staley, the foundation for the team starts with “relationships” and the second is “competition.” That’s something that Los Angeles didn’t seem to have with their previous head coaches.
Given Staley’s attention to detail and team culture creation, the state of the Chargers is going to look a lot in different way this upcoming season, in a positive way, that is.
You can see how Staley interacts with the players in a way that he’s able to connect with them with his positive and motivating attitude in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y2aKxWd1_E
The Los Angeles Chargers lock up their quarterback of the future.
Quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers have come to terms, which is a fully guaranteed four-year rookie deal worth nearly $26.6 million with a fifth-year option on Saturday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
This would mark the second rookie that Los Angeles has agreed to terms with. Earlier this week, sixth-round pick Alohi Gilman signed his rookie contract.
Drafted with the No. 6 overall selection of this year’s draft, Herbert will join L.A. with the hopes of becoming the long-term answer after the team and Philip Rivers parted ways after 16 seasons.
In 44 career games at Oregon, Herbert completed 827-of-1,293 pass attempts for 10,541 passing yards (64%), 95 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He started 14 games in 2019, completing 286-of-428 passes (67%) for 3,471 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Herbert’s game is not flawless and there are a few things he needs to work on, but he has the size, arm talent, mobility and above-average accuracy. With the new system, mentorship from quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton and the weapons that Los Angeles has in place, he could succeed in the league.
It remains to be seen when Herbert will make his professional debut. Even though he will be battling it out with Tyrod Taylor in training camp, it’s likely that the 30-year old Taylor will begin the season as the starter.
