The Los Angeles Chargers may not have as much intrigue as many other teams in training camp— but they certainly have their fair share of decisions to make.
It starts with the competition for the starting left guard spot, but it extends to the linebacker, cornerback, safety, wide receiver, and edge rusher rooms. What UDFAs will ultimately complete their push to make the roster? What players will ultimately be pushed to the practice squad?
There's a long way to go between now and Aug. 30—when the Chargers need to cut down their roster to the fateful 53— but here, as far as we can tell, is where things stand currently.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Bud Dupree crack the roster after Chargers' preseason opener
QB (2): Justin Herbert, Trey Lance
Even with a bit of a shaky showing from Lance in his series of drives against Houston, this room is still relatively clear-cut. Herbert, obviously, will be the starter. He's missed a significant stretch of games just once in his NFL career. So while there's reason to be concerned about the Chargers' backup QB situation in a theoretical sense, it's likely not the most pressing issue on the coaching staff's mind.
That being said, Lance certainly left the door open for DJ Uiagalelei to continue to challenge for the QB2 role after a strong showing during the offseason program. Perhaps it takes another year of practice squad development, but don't be surprised if we have a real roster battle brewing at this time next year.
RB (3): Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, Kimani Vidal
The running back room is also fairly clear-cut for Los Angeles. Former Green Bay Packers UDFA Amar Johnson had a stunning, two-touchdown performance against the Texans, but there isn't a real path for him to make the roster unless the coaching staff is somehow convinced that he's a better fit within Mike McDaniel's scheme than Vidal.
There's room to make that argument from a perspective of pure athleticism— but Vidal was a major piece for the Chargers offense last season, and he certainly still has upside when paired with Hampton and Mitchell as a change-of-pace back. Until further notice, there's no reason to believe this Vidal will be displaced.
WR (5): Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre' Harris, Brenen Thompson, KeAndre Lambert-Smith
Now we're finally starting to see some changes. On our previous iteration of these predictions (put together by Alex Insdorf), Derius Davis made the roster as WR5 over second-year receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. To this point in training camp, it seems as though Davis has successfully defended his job as the team's punt/kick returner.
McDaniel kept less than six receivers on the initial 53-man roster in three out of his four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. If Los Angeles is going to distribute extra roster spots to the offensive line and the secondary, that seems like the most likely outcome this season.
There will be a looming competition over the rest of camp, then, between Davis and Lambert-Smith.
It may simply come down to the Chargers' flexibility at Davis' position. They have Mitchell, Brenen Thompson, and Tarheeb Still— each of whom has experience on special teams and may have similar upside to Davis. If Lambert-Smith is able to continue to build momentum after his four-reception, 58-yard performance against Houston, the Chargers may have no choice but to keep him on the roster.
TE/FB (4): Charlie Kolar, David Njoku, Oronde Gadsden II, Alec Ingold
Still no Matlock. Although the Chargers tested him out at offensive tackle last week and he continues to get extensive blocking reps in camp, there simply doesn't seem to be room on the roster for the Harbaugh favorite.
Los Angeles has plenty of blocking power between Njoku, Kolar, and Ingold, and Gadsden has made that skill set a clear focus of his offseason. Having a versatile piece like Matlock is a luxury the Chargers plainly can't afford with how tight some of the edges of this roster are.
The real intrigue will come in Week 1 as we start to see how the hierarchy between these tight ends unfolds. Kolar has a real chance to earn a role as an every-down player, and balancing Njoku and Gadsden will be one of the great challenges of McDaniel's first season in Los Angeles. Just hold tight on this one.
OL (10): Rashawn Slater, Jake Slaughter, Tyler Biadasz, Cole Strange, Joe Alt, Trey Pipkins, Kayode Awosika, Trevor Penning, Travis Burke, Branson Taylor
The offensive line is certainly the most intriguing room of training camp, and it's also the one with the most room for change.
Here are the definite roster locks right now— Slater, Alt, Slaughter, Biadasz, Strange, and Pipkins. It's almost certain that Burke makes it as a developmental backup swing tackle, and I'd wager the same for Penning and Awosika in terms of the depth they provide on the interior.
Branson Taylor also seems like a lock for the roster. He took first-team reps at left guard last week, and the Chargers coaching staff has raved about the former sixth-round pick's improvement this offseason.
Trevor Penning is an interesting one here. He hasn't impressed much in camp, and he's clearly fallen behind in the competition for the left guard spot. Would Los Angeles be willing to take on the full $3.5 million in dead cap if they decided to use his roster spot elsewhere?
This prediction notably leaves both of the Chargers' recent sixth-round selections—Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey—off the list, along with both true backup centers in Josh Kaltenberger and Jacob Spomer. But it's hard to see Los Angeles devoting more than 10 roster spots to the O-line, so those players may simply be left in the dust.
EDGE (5): Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Akheem Mesidor, Nadame Tucker, Bud Dupree
Kyle Kennard needs a major showing in the preseason if he wants to claw back his roster spot from Tucker. He didn't get it on Thursday night against the Texans, posting one pressure on 11 total pass-rush snaps.
Since Tucker landed with the Chargers as a UDFA this offseason, it's been pretty widely assumed that he would have a shot to displace either Dupree or Kennard on the final 53-man roster. Los Angeles is clearly fond of the veteran experience and run-defending skill set that Dupree provides, so Kennard is the man left off here.
There's ample room for this to change between now and the start of the season, but this is where it seems like things are heading at the moment.
DT (5): Teair Tart, Jamaree Caldwell, Dalvin Tomlinson, Justin Eboigbe, Nick Barrett
The interior defensive line is also relatively straightforward—although both TeRah Edwards and Jahmeer Carter had strong showings in the Chargers' first preseason outing.
Tart, Caldwell, and Tomlinson will be the starters, while Eboigbe will get the chance to rotate in for pass-rush opportunities and Barrett will serve as a versatile NT/DT backup piece during his rookie campaign. Snaps could be somewhat limited here if O'Leary chooses to use either Tuipulotu or Mesidor extensively on the interior, but this is a relatively deep room with a lot to look forward to in 2026.
LB (5) Daiyan Henley, Denzel Perryman, Troy Dye, Marlowe Wax, Del'Shawn Phillips
Colson is the obvious cut candidate here, and he hasn't done a ton to improve his stock over the first two and a half weeks of training camp. He did post four tackles and had a nice coverage rep against the Texans, but that likely won't be enough to save him from being a victim of the Chargers' roster squeeze.
If they had a sixth linebacker spot to give out, it would almost certainly go to Colson. But Wax and Phillips have both cemented themselves as special teams contributors, and there simply may not be the snaps to go around to justify his inclusion.
CB (6): Cam Hart, Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson, Avery Smith, Eric Rogers, Deane Leonard
There's also plenty of room for intrigue in the Chargers' cornerback room. Cam Hart, Tarheeb Still, and Donte Jackson are the defined starters, and Eric Rogers will likely get a shot to replace some of what Benjamin St-Juste provided last season. Deane Leonard is also likely a roster lock as a special teams contributor.
But here we have Avery Smith surpassing Nikko Reed as the backup nickel corner behind Derwin James Jr. Reed made the roster as a UDFA last season, but he played 50 defensive snaps as a rookie. He hasn't particularly been disappointing in training camp, but Smith has been an undeniable riser. He had an impressive PBU against Houston, and his teammates and coaching staff have only raved about his intensity and his confidence.
That sounds like the type of player that might sneak into O'Leary's secondary.
S (5): Derwin James Jr., Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson, RJ Mickens, Genesis Smith
Genesis Smith put his widely-publicized ball skills on display against Houston with a near one-handed, toe-tap interception in the end zone, and that's only the latest piece in his growing portfolio of impressive plays.
Los Angeles still needs to decide on who will be their second starting safety when James slides into his nickel/dime role, and Smith seems like the hot hand at this point in training camp. But both Mickens and Jefferson have NFL experience, and that could be the deciding factor when we get to Week 1. This room's distribution of roster spots won't change, but keep an eye on that depth chart as we get closer to the season.
Specialists (3): Cameron Dicker, Josh Harris, JK Scott
These spots are basically all set in stone. Dicker was one of the league's best kickers again last season, and he place third in FanSided's latest comprehensive kicker rankings. JK Scott is one of the best at his position as well.
The Chargers do have an extra long snapper on the 90-man roster (Peter Bowden, who was waived by Los Angeles in May but picked up again in training camp), but it doesn't seem like there's any competition brewing there.
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