The Chargers are days away from the start of the regular season against the Bengals.
Los Angeles released their first initial depth chart on Tuesday. Even though it’s subject to change at any given time, it’s unlikely it changes much before the opener on Sunday.
- Jalen Guyton is listed as the No. 3 receiver, opposite of Mike Williams. If Williams can’t go on Sunday, I could see the team rolling with Jason Moore to fill the void. Moore has live game experience and he fits the mold from a physical standpoint.
- Joshua Kelley is the No. 3 running back, even after he shined during training camp, and Justin Jackson missed a good chunk of time. While the team covets experience and familiarity, I expect Kelley to still get a decent amount of carries, given the change to a run-heavy offense. The back that produces more will get the bulk of carries as the season goes on.
- On paper, Drue Tranquill is listed as the backup SAM linebacker to Kyzir White. But Tranquill worked as the starting WILL linebacker throughout camp. Meanwhile, rookie Kenneth Murray is penciled in as the starting WILL. This will likely change on the field, and we can expect to see a tandem of Murray and Tranquill the majority of the time with Denzel Perryman on obvious running plays.
- Nasir Adderley and Rayshawn Jenkins are listed as the starting safeties, which means Jenkins could be slated to slide down to strong safety while Adderley plays the single-high role.
- Desmond King is listed as both a cornerback and safety. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get the bulk of the snaps as the team’s dimebacker.
- Joe Reed is the starting kick returner, which is to be expected after the team released Darius Jennings. Meanwhile, King will resume his duties as the punt returner. If he struggles, rookie K.J. Hill will be next in line.