Los Angeles Chargers 53-man roster: Decisions that remain unclear

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COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 22: Ty Long #2 of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers has an extra point attempt blocked by the Ohio State Buckeyes defense during the first quarter on September 22, 2012, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Punter

It sure seems that Ty Long is going to be the team’s punter in 2019 as he has simply been more effective than Tyler Newsome, at least in preseason games. Long can double as a kickoff specialist, which gives him an even better chance to make the roster.

But this situation is still unclear for one reason — Newsome is still on the team.

The Chargers could have and possibly would have cut Newsome if the decision was clear. The undrafted rookie from Notre Dame still has two more games to show that he should be the guy over Long. Here’s how the preseason stats shake out between the two potential punters through two games:

Long: 5 punts, 243 yards (48.6-yard average), 1 touchback, 3 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Newsome: 6 punts, 256 yards (42.6-yard average), 0 touchbacks, 0 punts inside the 20-yard line.

It may not look like it at first glance, but Long’s numbers are much better and if things continue with that trend, why even keep Newsome on the roster for the final preseason game unless there’s fear of overworking Long, but an argument to keep him loose heading into the regular season could just as easily be made.

Punts aren’t fun to watch and you want the team having to punt the ball to be very few and far between, but when the team punts in the next couple of preseason games, it will be interesting to see if Newsome can do anything to keep this contest close.