The LA Chargers trimmed the roster down to 53 players on Tuesday and there were several legitimate surprises that through everyone's roster predictions for a loop.
This year's roster was infinitely harder to predict than in Jim Harbaugh's first season and the end result is a testament to the unpredictability. There is not a single person that guessed the entire 53-man roster as it was jam packed with surprising decisions.
Three moves, in particular, stand out as the most surprising moves the Chargers made during the cut-down day.
Biggest surprises from the Chargers' 53-man roster:
1. Carrying only three running backs (with Najee Harris being one of them)
Najee Harris hasn't practiced at all since suffering an eye injury on the Fourth of July, leading many to believe that the veteran running back would start the season in IR. Instead, the Chargers have activated Harris to the active roster, and cut several running backs to do so.
Raheim Sanders, Kimani Vidal and Nyheim Miller-Hines were all let go with the Chargers committing to a three-man running back room. Carrying three running backs is a shock in itself, but carrying three with a giant question mark in Harris is staggering.
One would have to assume that Harris will be ready by Week 1 to shoulder a large portion of the carries alongside rookie Omarion Hampton. The question now becomes which running back the team inevitably elevates from the practice squad to provide depth in Week 1.
2. Tony Jefferson getting cut over other defensive backs
Tony Jefferson looked like a lock to make the 53-man roster, even in a crowded safety room. Another strong preseason wasn't enough to save Jefferson as for the second year in a row as the veteran safety has been cut by the Bolts.
This year's cut is even more surprising, especially when you consider the defensive backs who were kept in favor of Jefferson. Both Ja'Sir Taylor and Kendall Williamson were kept over Jefferson for reasons that are hard to explain.
Perhaps this is all a game of roster manipulation by the Chargers, but nobody expected to see Jefferson get the boot in favor of these two names.
3. Branson Taylor getting cut before ever playing a snap
Seventh-round pick Trikweze Bridges was cut and it wasn't a surprise. The second-to-last pick in the 2025 NFL Draft struggled mightily in the preseason and was a cut waiting to happen. Fellow 2025 draft pick Branson Taylor is another story.
Taylor didn't fair too well for the Chargers in the preseason but it seemed as if his job was locked in stone. After all, the Chargers just used a sixth-round pick and need all the offensive line depth they can get.
Instead of keeping Taylor around solely because of the need, the Chargers are running a smaller offensive line room that doesn't have the team's sixth-round pick on it. Nobody could have seen this coming, especially after Rashawn Slater's season-ending injury.