Chargers cut Cantrell, keep Justin Jackson

The Los Angeles Chargers have trimmed their roster to 53 players and while there wasn’t a shocking surprise, there were some notable moves.

Two of those moves involved the last two players that they selected in this year’s draft.

Wide receiver Dylan Cantrell, a sixth-round choice out of Texas Tech, was let go after not being able to perform all summer due to an injury. In contrast, seventh-round pick Justin Jackson has made the 53-man roster.

Jackson missed much of this offseason with a nagging hamstring injury but appeared in the team’s final preseason game. Whether or not that performance decided his fate is unknown, but it certainly didn’t hurt. Though he only rushed for 18 yards on seven carries, his 16-yard run late in the fourth quarter set up the game-winning kick.

It’s a tough break for Cantrell, a player many fans agreed that the organization got a steal in when it drafted him in the sixth round. In his career at Texas Tech, Cantrell caught 158 passes and found the end zone 18 times.

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He is the kind of guy Philip Rivers likes and it seemed he would be a natural fit in the offense. When Hunter Henry went down early in the offseason with a season-ending injury, the first name out of many fans’ mouths was that of Cantrell as a player who could step up in his absence.

None of that ever came to fruition and now, the Chargers will wait to see if he clears waivers and could then sign him to the 10-man practice squad.

It’s a good break for Jackson, if not a little surprising. But the team sees something in the No. 11 all-time leading rusher in NCAA history and he will be one of four backs on the roster, as undrafted rookie Detrez Newsome also made the squad.

For a look at all of the players the Chargers cut on Saturday, click here.