Los Angeles Chargers 53-man roster projection following final preseason game

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – NOVEMBER 04: Jaron Brown #18 of the Seattle Seahawks catches a pass for a touchdown past Casey Hayward Jr. #26 of the Los Angeles Chargers in the first quarter at CenturyLink Field on November 04, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Cornerback (4)

Casey Hayward, Michael Davis, Desmond King, Brandon Facyson

Cuts: Trevor Williams, Jeff Richards, Rodney Randle, Bradford Lemmons, Kemon Hall, Arrion Springs

It’s a bit of a surprise to see Williams on the cut list, but injuries have just been an issue for him and the team will choose to move in a new direction. There will be confidence in the trio of Hayward, King and Davis.

From the list of cuts, a couple of those players could find themselves on the practice squad should they clear waivers.

Safety (5)

Adrian Phillips, Rayshawn Jenkins, Nasir Adderley, Jaylen Watkins, *Roderic Teamer

Cut: Adarius Pickett

There is an asterisk next to the name of Teamer because his roster spot is conditional on the fact that he first clears waivers after the team releases him. They will do so in order to keep James on the 53-man roster for at least 24 hours before placing him on injured reserve.

Phillips will take over for James in the starting lineup but both Jenkins and Watkins have shown enough this summer to be reliable backups should their numbers be called.

Adderley didn’t get much of a chance to show what he can do on the field this summer but he still has enough talent to make some big plays for the team this year.

PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 02: Mike Badgley #4 of the Los Angeles Chargers kicks the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock in the fourth quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 2, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Specialists (3)

Mike Badgley, Ty Long, Cole Mazza

Cut: Tyler Newsome

Newsome came into camp as the favorite to be the team’s new punter. With a great showing at the scouting combine on the bench press and a Notre Dame pedigree to his name, he was going to blow Long away.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, Long easily won the punting job and could be used as a weapon on kickoffs this season as well as he’s versatile enough to handle both duties well.

Badgley and Mazza had no competition challenging them to they move onto the roster. If Badgley can have an encore to his first season with the team last year, he could reach consideration for one of the league’s best kickers.