The focus for the Los Angeles Chargers in their preseason matchup against the San Francisco 49ers will fall upon two central storylines— the appearance of the starters and the adjustments along the offensive line in the wake of the Tyler Biadasz injury.
Jim Harbaugh has said that the starters will appear for one series against the 49ers, and those will be the most enticing moments of the game. They'll also perhaps provide us with a glimpse of what the action plan is in the wake of the injury to Biadasz. Is Jake Slaughter limited at all in his center reps to preserve his health? Does Kayode Awosika slide right away into the starting left guard role?
Yet all across the roster, there are still players looking to prove themselves and carve out roles on their respective sides of the ball. With the departure of Keenan Allen to the Indianapolis Colts, Brenen Thompson has officially become one of those pieces.
He always had a chance to be a majorly useful weapon in Mike McDaniel's offense, especially because of his speed and his downfield catch ability. But Los Angeles needs to truly put him to the test before the season starts, and the matchup with San Francisco provides a golden opportunity to do so.
The preseason should still be about testing out the non-starters— and Brenen Thompson needs to see some run
Of course, opportunities for the receivers beyond the established trio of Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Tre' Harris will be somewhat limited. McDaniel tends to lean into multiple tight end-sets, and with Charlie Kolar, David Njoku, and Oronde Gadsden II on the roster, that seems to be his intention for his first season in Los Angeles.
Thompson, though, should have a sizable role to play as a versatile slot/outside pass-catching weapon. He has the type of speed that McDaniel loves to incorporate in his offenses. At the very least, he'll be available to help stretch defenses vertically—and he has the catch-point abilities to provide the occasional explosive play.
Thompson wasn't all that limited in the Chargers' preseason opener against the Houston Texans. He saw six targets, tied for the team lead with KeAndre Lambert-Smith. He played 30 snaps and ran routes on 95% of them, per Pro Football Focus. And yet, apart from one excellent catch he made with a defender barreling down on him in the intermediate part of the field, it didn't seem as though the offense truly focused upon Thompson's abilities.
Lambert-Smith is still competing for a roster spot. But apart from that, the Chargers' wide receiver room seems relatively set in stone. While practice squad candidates like Dalevon Campbell and JaQuae Jackson should certainly still see reps, it's time for the Chargers to fully unleash what they have in Thompson.
He saw only two reps out of the slot against Houston. Perhaps sticking him inside and giving him a chance to run some crossing routes with Herbert or Lance on the field could open up his opportunities. Or McDaniel could simply dial up one or two downfield attempts to see what Thompson has in that regard.
Either way, Thompson is the type of secret weapon that could be a major factor for this offense if he's unlocked. If there's going to be one receiver who serves as a focal point when the starters aren't on the field on Thursday, it should be him.
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