Of all the decisions the Los Angeles Chargers had to make coming into training camp, the majority of their most intriguing ones were going to take place on the defensive side of the ball.
With Nadame Tucker pushing for a roster spot in the OLB room, Rodney Shelley and Avery Smith pushing for cornerback roles, and former UDFA Marlowe Wax stating his case for an enhanced role in the inside linebacker room, there were numerous players, including recent draft selections, facing pressure for the Chargers.
The first of those decisions was made earlier today when Los Angeles decided to waive Kyle Kennard— an unsurprising decision given his unproductive rookie campaign and his lack of production in the preseason. But their decision to waive Junior Colson ahead of his third season comes as somewhat more of a surprise.
Chargers waived former third-round pick Junior Colson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2026
Colson did everything he could to prove he was worthy of a 53-man roster spot during the preseason, but it ultimately wasn't enough to pass up Wax for a spot behind Denzel Perryman, Daiyan Henley, and Troy Dye on the Chargers defense.
Both of these moves, while unfortunate, are significant— the Chargers were faced with the option to stubbornly hang onto their recent draft picks in hope of further development, but they chose to go with the best players available. That's a sign of a healthy organization, even if the waiving of Colson and Kennard isn't the best outcome for a pair of mid-round draft picks.
Junior Colson and Kyle Kennard still have gas left in the tank— but the Chargers have better pieces ready to go
Both Kennard and Colson were worthy draft swings when the selections were made. Kennard had just won SEC Defensive Player of the Year when he was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Colson was a major piece on Jim Harbaugh's Michigan defense before he was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
But neither have shown much on-field promise to this point in their career.
Kennard was limited to just five games as a rookie, appearing as a healthy scratch for much of the season and amassing just two tackles and zero sacks during that span. He lacked the intensity and the strength to be impactful against NFL linemen, and he didn't show a ton of improvement during this year's training camp.
Colson has shown more upside, especially with his pick-six against the San Francisco 49ers and his excellent preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams, but his injury history left him with a steep path to carving out a spot on the Chargers' roster this season. He missed a significant portion of his rookie campaign due to injuries, and a severe shoulder injury sidelined him before his sophomore season ever got started.
After his preseason performances, though, it seemed as though the Chargers might do whatever it took to keep Colson on the roster— and their decision to trade Avery Smith, release Tony Jefferson, and move Branson Taylor to the IR seemed to confirm that
Ultimately, the waiving of Kennard and Colson likely opens up a path for UDFA Nadame Tucker to make the roster (if the Chargers choose to carry five pass rushers), and it certainly leaves room for Wax to make the roster as the team's fourth linebacker. Both players showed more pop in the preseason, and both should be able to make a more immediate impact on the roster than their counterparts.
With that being said, hopefully both Kennard and Colson clear waivers and make it to the practice squad— where they can continue to develop within the Chargers' defensive system.
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