The Los Angeles Chargers' extended preseason schedule is now officially a thing of the past following Saturday night's finale against the San Francisco 49ers, which resulted in a 30-23 defeat.
Now, when it comes to the biggest winners of the preseason, one could easily go in several different directions. Quarterback Trey Lance looked fantastic throughout, leaving no doubt that he'll be the second-string signal-caller behind Justin Herbert.
Edge rusher Caleb Murphy turned quite a few heads as well and seems to be a lock for the 53-man roster. And undrafted rookie wideouts Luke Grimm and Dalevon Campbell certainly gave head coach Jim Harbaugh a lot to think about when deciding whom to place in the sixth slot on the depth chart.
In the humble opinion of this writer, however, the honor for the biggest winner of the preseason goes to third-round rookie defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell, who looks poised to be an absolute star in this league once he truly gets going.
Jamaree Caldwell wants to "wreak havoc" and has done just that for the Chargers thus far
Taken by the Bolts with the 86th overall pick in April's draft, Caldwell brings a lot of versatility to the defensive line, as he took on several different roles during his final two seasons at the collegiate level.
In 2023, which marked his second and ultimately final season at the University of Houston, the South Carolina native was much more aggressive in going after the quarterback, notching 6.5 sacks. But after transferring to Oregon, he had zero sacks in 2024, as the Ducks opted to utilize his talents a bit differently.
Caldwell showcased a little bit of everything during the Chargers' four preseason contests, registering 10 total tackles, six stops, two hurries, and a sack, thus earning an 82.4 overall PFF grade, the highest mark of any defensive lineman on the Los Angeles roster and the sixth-highest mark among all Chargers defenders.
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The soon-to-be 25-year-old (his birthday is August 30) is easily a better run defender than he is a pass rusher, but he's been working hard to improve the latter since the start of camp, as he recently told the team's official website.
"I was coming from Oregon … not penetrating as much," Caldwell said. "Here, I feel like I'm doing better at getting a bit closer to the quarterback than I was my year at Oregon. That's been my main focus, being more destructive going vertical."
With the loss of Poona Ford during the offseason, there was naturally some concern that the Chargers' interior defensive line would take a hit as a whole, but Caldwell has already helped ease some of those worries. And no matter what he's asked to do or where he's asked to line up by defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, the 6-foot-1, 340-pounder is willing to do it.
I don't really have a preference," Caldwell said after a recent practice. "You just put me in there … if you want me to play quarterback, I'm going to try my hardest. Just wreak havoc. That's how I look at it."
And wreak havoc he has. Now, Bolts fans will look forward to Caldwell doing the same when wins and losses matter, starting with Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.