The Los Angeles Chargers are now entering their Week 2 preseason matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, and that means two important things.
Firstly, we're slowly creeping closer to the season. The deadline for cutting the roster down to 53 men, Aug. 30, is just 10 days away, and Los Angeles still has a number of things to sort out among the players who currently sit on the edges of their respective competitions.
Secondly, it means we'll finally get to see the starters in some live game action. Jim Harbaugh has said that the starters will play one series against San Francisco. It will be an important opportunity to see how those pieces are progressing in their new schemes on each side of the ball.
The 49ers matchup, therefore, holds slightly more intrigue than a regular preseason game would. Let's dive into the four players to keep an eye on as action kicks off tonight.
4 players worth watching in the Chargers' matchup with the San Francisco 49ers
1. Justin Herbert, QB
Herbert will only play one series in tonight's game, and even that might be too much. Tyler Biadasz went down with what seems like a pretty severe ACL injury in joint practice with the 49ers on Tuesday. The Chargers, frankly, can't afford to risk any more injuries between now and Week 1.
But if we're going to set those concerns to the side for a moment, it will certainly be intriguing to see Herbert take the field under Mike McDaniel's new offense. He's reworked his shotgun stance this offseason, and McDaniel will likely use this opportunity to preview the outside zone and quick-timing offense that will be the Chargers' calling card this season.
Don't put a ton of stock into Herbert's performance, but everyone's attention will be on the field when the starting QB steps into the game.
2. Jake Slaughter, C
With Biadasz set to miss at least some time—if not the entire season—Slaughter is the heir apparent for his snaps at starting center. The Chargers coaching staff has harped all offseason on his potential positional versatility an his soundness at the center position from his time in college. Slaughter looked solid at guard in Los Angeles' preseason opener, but now it's time to see him take extended live-action reps at center.
Perhaps the Chargers choose to hold him out of the non-starter drives in an effort to preserve his health. But Slaughter needs as many reps as he can get between now and Week 1, and it wouldn't be surprising in the least if we see him match his snap share from the Houston matchup.
He'll take the field at some point, regardless, and his confidence at center will be a major underlying storyline of this week's matchup.
3. Kayode Awosika, LG
Awosika's case is very similar to Slaughter's. With Biadasz down and Slaughter likely shifting over to center, the competition for the starting left guard spot takes on a whole new complexion.
McDaniel said just a couple days ago that there were three players clearly in the lead in the battle— presumably Awosika, Slaughter, and Branson Taylor. Slaughter's abdication leaves just Awosika and Taylor as the top contenders for the job.
We'll get a strong indication of where the battle is heading based on who plays snaps with the starters on Thursday. But Awosika, who has relatively extensive NFL experience compared to Taylor, should be the favorite at this point. A strong showing from him against San Francisco could go a long way toward easing any lingering concerns.
4. Brenen Thompson, WR
Now we can finally touch on a non-starter. While the offensive line remains the primary concern in Los Angeles (surprise, surprise), there are still players looking to prove themselves on both sides of the ball. Thompson is one of them.
The Chargers coaching staff has remained impressed by Thompson's speed and acclimation to the offense during training camp, but we didn't get to see more than a couple flashes in the opener. Against the Texans, Thompson posted just two receptions for 30 yards on six targets. He made a nice grab with a defender barreling down on him in the flat, but he's going to need to do more than that if he wants to enter the season with the type of momentum Los Angeles is likely hoping for.
With the official departure of Keenan Allen to the Indianapolis Colts, there's room for Thompson to carve out a significant share of snaps behind Ladd McConkey, Tre' Harris, and Quentin Johnston. It would be nice to see Thompson get targeted more in intermediate and downfield situations as the Chargers continue to warm up their offense.
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