The Los Angeles Chargers will get one final preseason matchup to sort out any remaining questions they have about their 53-man roster.
How will the cornerback room shape up with both UDFAs Rodney Shelley and Avery Smith pushing for spots on the final roster? Are Kyle Kennard or Bud Dupree (or both) vulnerable to the efforts of Nadame Tucker to force his way into the OLB room? Will Jacob Spomer put up one more solid performance to secure his spot as a the team's backup center?
But even beyond the 53-man roster, there are decisions to be made about the practice squad— and given the Chargers' injury history, there's a chance that at least one of the players that don't make the initial cut finds themselves at least with a temporary role before the end of the season.
Of the players on the 90-man roster, though, here are four who might ultimately be left off both lists when it's all said and done, making the matchup against the Los Angeles Rams their final one in a chargers uniform.
4 Chargers who may not make it to the other side of the Aug. 30 roster deadline
1. Bud Dupree, OLB
Dupree certainly has some juice left as a veteran pass rusher— it's only a question of how much. The Chargers clearly value his experience and the intensity he brings to the field on every play, but his production has dropped precipitously across his two seasons in Los Angeles. Across 16 games in 2025, he posted just 16 combined tackles and two sacks in a complementary role the Chargers' main trio of pass rushers.
Right now, it seems like he might have the edge over second-year defender Kyle Kennard and perhaps even Tucker. He posted two pressures in his lone preseason appearance against the San Francisco 49ers, and Chris O'Leary raved over the weekend about Dupree's commitment to the game.
But if things ultimately don't shake out in his favor, the Chargers likely won't hold a veteran like Dupree on the practice squad— at least not when there are depth OLB roles to be claimed across the NFL. If Dupree is ousted by either Kennard or Tucker, expect him to be finding a new home before the start of the regular season.
2. Andre Carter II, OLB
Carter's issue is based on the same roster bubble as Dupree's— the Chargers currently have eight outside linebackers under contract, and it remains to be seen how many they'll ultimately want to carry on the 53-man roster and the practice squad.
Carter has impressed during preseason and his practice reps since he was picked up as a late training-camp signing by Los Angeles, posting one pressure against the Houston Texans and four against San Francisco. He might have a slight edge on second-year defender Garmon Randolph.
It will likely come down to both players' performance in the final preseason game (and if Kennard ends up on the practice squad this season), but there's a chance that Carter's tenure in Los Angeles is, rather disappointingly, short-lived.
3. Devonte Ross, WR
There had to be a wide receiver on this list somewhere— Ross simply just made sense as the first choice. Picked up as a UDFA this offseason by the Chargers out of Penn State, Ross has made a couple impressive plays in training camp. But his production has been limited in the preseason. He's posted four receptions for 38 yards across Los Angeles' pair of matchups.
This room will be difficult to sort out. At this point, it seems like all six of Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre' Harris, Brenen Thompson, Derius Davis, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith will ultimately make the roster. But there are 11 total receivers under contract, and if I had to guess right now, I'd say that JaQuae Jackson and Dalevon Campbell are the practice-squad selections.
That leaves Ross, who posted a 1,000-yard season with Troy in 2024, as the first man off the list.
4. Kendall Williamson, S
This is also a difficult one to project. Williamson made the 53-man roster last season and stayed with the varsity squad over the course of the campaign. He became a real special-teams contributor over the course of his sophomore season, but he played just 3% of the team's defensive snaps across 17 games. With the introduction of fourth-round draft selection Genesis Smith to the safety room, Williamson feels like an obvious cut candidate at this point.
Whether he sticks on the practice squad or not will depend on how highly the Chargers think of UDFAs Noah Avinger and Devin Grant as potentially versatile pieces within their secondary. Williamson is probably the most likely practice-squad candidate on this list, but there's a real possibility he's left searching for a new home when business is wrapped up.
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