All offseason, we've waited for the Los Angeles Chargers to take the field in training camp, theorizing, projecting, and predicting what shape the final roster will take and what players will seize the opportunity to make their mark on the coaching staff.
The early portions of training camp, practically, are not all that different from the offseason program. But it has a distinctly different feel, and as the team prepares for the season, everything feels slightly more concrete and tangible.
It's still far too early to draw any broad conclusions or react too quickly to any of the developments we've seen. Frankly, it will still be too early even at the start of next week.
But it's training camp nonetheless, and that means it's time to start evaluating what we've seen. Here are the three biggest winners from Day 1 of Chargers training camp.
3 storylines to watch now that Chargers training camp has officially kicked off
1. Kayode Awosika, G
Of course, you can't really evaluate offensive linemen until the pads come on. But with a competition looming between Awosika, rookie Jake Slaughter, and last year's trade acquisition Trevor Penning, Awosika taking first-team reps at left guard on the first day of training camp has to mean something, right?
Maybe not. The Chargers are clearly wanting to take Slaughter's development and positional switch slowly. He took his practice reps today as the second-team center behind Tyler Biadasz.
But there needs to be an assumption that this is an open competition heading into camp, and Awosika at least has NFL experience at the position. He started 11 games over the past four seasons with the Detroit Lions, and it seems as though he has a head-start over Penning and Slaughter— at least for now.
2. Brenen Thompson, WR
“He’s gonna be very good. We saw it early on that he was gonna be. He’s skilled. He’s fast. He’s gonna make a lot of plays for us.”
That's what Justin Herbert said when asked about speedy rookie Brenen Thompson today, per Kris Rhim at ESPN.
Thompson still has his work cut out for him in training camp as he attempts to carve out a role alongside Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnson, and Tre' Harris in the receiving corps. But his pure speed alone should make him an appealing weapon to Mike McDaniel. If he can quickly learn the playbook and integrate himself with professionalism into the new scheme, the Chargers' new OC will certainly find a use for him.
McDaniel has excelled throughout his coaching career when he has speedy receivers at his disposal, and Herbert has the downfield accuracy and the arm strength to make other teams pay for ignoring Thompson. Even if it occurs only once or twice this season, that's an exciting thought.
3. Mike McDaniel, OC
McDaniel obviously didn't participate in any drills or take any on-field reps yesterday. But he might very well be the biggest winner of Day 1 of camp.
First and foremost, Rhim reported that Herbert looked comfortable in the new shotgun stance that McDaniel has implemented into his game. Herbert spent ample time during the offseason program working on his footwork, and his success in McDaniel's scheme will depend upon his ability to acclimate to the new timing-based demands that the passing game places upon him.
Secondly, there were no new injuries reported anywhere on the Chargers roster. Multiple teams— including the Cincinnati Bengals with Shemar Stewart and the Carolina Panthers with Chris Brazzell II— lost key pieces on the first day of camp. As long as this unit stays intact and Los Angeles enters the season healthy, McDaniel is the real winner here.
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