The Los Angeles Chargers may not have taken the high-upside swings that many expected out of them this offseason.
Tyler Linderbaum, for example, went to the Las Vegas Raiders as the top center on the open market. The Chargers also stayed out of the defensive market for the most part, choosing to add just Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency on that side of the ball.
In short, Los Angeles is depending on their depth— both from the players who were already on the roster and their bevy of draft selections— to bolster their attempt at an overhaul this season. This is Joe Hortiz's approach to roster-building, and it has a real chance to be successful in 2026.
But things are far from set in terms of how the depth chart will shake out. If the Chargers' offseason gamble is going to pay off, they're going to need some of their depth pieces to make some waves in training camp.
3 players who can start to climb the totem pole in Chargers' training camp
1. Genesis Smith, S
Smith was selected with the 131st overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Although there was some concern about his tackling abilities when the selection was made— he posted an uninspiring missed tackle rate of 19.8% with the Arizona Wildcats in 2025— he's evidently already taken major strides through the Chargers' offseason program.
He's got innate ball-hawking abilities, and his capacity to cover wide swathes of the deeper portions of the field will give him a path to snaps alongside RJ Mickens and Tony Jefferson at the second safety spot when Derwin James slides to his traditional nickel/dime role. Mickens showed promise as a rookie, but he's more of a well-rounded, low-ceiling safety than Smith is. Jefferson, for his part, needs to prove he can still be impactful as he enters his age-34 season.
A strong training camp and preseason could open the door to a major snap share for the rookie.
2. Marlowe Wax, LB
This is admittedly more of a long-shot prediction than Smith. But the Chargers have a lot of wiggle room with their inside linebacker depth beyond Denzel Perryman and Daiyan Henley, and Wax has continuously impressed since he joined Los Angeles as a UDFA last offseason.
It's no easy feat to make the roster as an UDFA, and Wax not only did that last season but became an important special-teams contributor as well. He appeared in all 17 games, playing 73% of the Chargers' snaps on special teams. His opportunities on the defense were limited, but that could change in 2026.
Junior Colson is a genuine cut candidate after missing the entirety of 2025 with a shoulder injury, and Wax has a real path to claiming his roster spot alongside Troy Dye and Del'Shawn Phillips as rotational linebackers. Of course, Wax's path to surpassing either of those players in snap share would still be steep, if not impossible.
But if Wax continues to impress the coaching staff with his athleticism and work ethic, the path could be there for him to make some waves in training camp.
3. Nadame Tucker, EDGE
This is a storyline we've followed all offseason, and it's one that's going to draw a spotlight in training camp. After a highly productive, 12-sack, 51-pressure season under Chris O'Leary with Western Michigan in 2025, the Chargers must have been jumping for joy when Tucker was available post-draft as a UDFA.
Los Angeles' primary pass-rushing trio of Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Akheem Mesidor is already set in stone. But both veteran Bud Dupree and second-year edge rusher Kyle Kennard are vulnerable. Dupree has clearly declined in his pure pass-rush abilities since he joined the Chargers, and Kennard's rookie production was less than inspiring— he was a healthy scratch in the majority of his games even as the Chargers' pass-rush depth suffered.
Tucker has a lot to work on in terms of nuance and agility when lined up out wide, but he has the experience and the pedigree to truly challenge for a roster spot when the pads come on in late July.
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