Chargers’ preseason finale: Will we finally see Forrest Lamp?
By Travis Wakeman
The Los Angeles Chargers conclude the preseason this Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers.
Though it’s perhaps the least exciting game on the preseason slate, it is important for players looking to help the team fill out its roster or at the very least, make a case for the practice squad.
But another thing the Chargers should be trying their absolute best to do in this game is get Forrest Lamp in uniform and on the field. There were rumblings that he’d make his debut last week against the New Orleans Saints but by the time the game started, there he was in street clothes.
It’s one thing to be cautious about his return to the field, but it’s becoming a bit of a concern.
Lamp, a second-round pick in last year’s draft, was a first-round value on the draft boards of many teams around the league. Fans were excited to see what he could do, but a torn ACL in the first week of training camp derailed his rookie season.
A torn ACL and a season-ending injury. What else is new in Los Angeles?
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Still, that was over a year ago and the time is now for Lamp to get on the field. If he can’t play this Thursday night, there has to be a real chance that the team places him on the PUP list to start the season, meaning he’d be ineligible to play for the first six games of the season.
If that were to occur, the right side of the offensive line would be considered a weakness, with Michael Schofield and Joe Barksdale as the projected starters in that scenario.
Right when it was looking like the Chargers’ offensive line woes were going to be a thing of the past, the fact that Lamp can’t get on the field is a problem. That being said, how do we even know how good he is? We’ve yet to see him at the professional level. Maybe Schofield, a veteran, is a better option anway?
That’s hopefully not the case, as Lamp has some high expectations. But that’s why he needs to get on the field and aside from all the players on the bubble fighting for a roster spot, this might be the biggest story to track on Thursday night.