It feels like the 2025 NFL season just started yesterday but here we are nearly two months later with the calendar turning to November. A lot has happened to the LA Chargers since they kicked off the season in Brazil, both good and bad.
The Chargers are entering the most important stretch of the season and have one last chance to make external additions via the NFL trade deadline. Even if the team stands pat at the deadline, there are internal upgrades the Bolts can make to optimize the team down the stretch.
As such, there are certain players on the roster who will naturally fade into irrelevancy as other players emerge as difference-makers. For some, it will happen sooner than later.
Let's dive into the three prominent Chargers — ignoring the back-end roster players whose futures are always in flux — on the chopping block as we head into November.
3 Chargers on the chopping block on November 1:
Tyler Conklin
This is Oronde Gadsden II's tight end room now, and that inevitably hurts a veteran of Tyler Conklin's caliber. Originally signed to be the pass-catching option of the room, there really is no need for Conklin anymore moving forward.
Gadsden has emerged as the best tight end in the room while Conklin did nothing but struggle to start the season. Whether it was fumbling in Week 1, dropping passes across several weeks, or picking his own player to lead to an interception, Conklin was actively hurting the Chargers.
Conklin has played 22% of the team's offensive snaps to this point and that number is only bound to go down with time. If a roster crunch happens in the future, Conklin is almost certainly the first tight end who will go.
Bud Dupree
There's a real argument to be made that Bud Dupree should have already been chopped. The Chargers needed to cut an edge rusher after Khalil Mack's return and the trade for Odafe Oweh. Instead of Dupree, the Chargers opted to cut promising young edge rusher Caleb Murphy.
Murphy wasn't lighting the world on fire on defense but he did play a critical role on special teams. By cutting him, the Chargers forced themselves to play Tuli Tuipulotu, who is very important on defense, more on special teams. This is an issue, especially when Dupree isn't able to play special teams himself.
It would be one thing if Dupree's play justified this decision but that's not the case. He's clearly been the worst edge rusher in the room and the entire reason why the Chargers needed to trade for Oweh was because of his struggles.
Dupree has generated 11 pressures in 142 pass rush snaps without a sack or even a quarterback hit to show for it.
Austin Deculus
It may seem like a cop-out to include a backup offensive lineman who never would have played if the Chargers stayed healthy this season. However, Deculus was notable enough for the Chargers to trade a seventh-round pick for, so he is notable enough to make this list.
Deculus was first put to the test in Week 3 when Trey Pipkins was knocked out of the game. Deculus did okay in his limited time on the field against the Denver Broncos, leading Chargers fans to actually have hope in his ability to fill in.
Unfortunately, that was the best Deculus ever looked (and it wasn't even that good) as it was quickly downhill from there. Deculus struggled mightily while Joe Alt nursed an ankle injury and plummeted down the depth chart as a result.
It's safe to say Bobby Hart has surpassed Deculus on the depth chart considering he played in Week 8 and Deculus didn't. Now, it might just be a matter of time before the Chargers cut ties with the player they traded a seventh-round pick for.