A day after the Los Angeles Chargers finalized their initial 53-man roster, the waiting game began on which players who failed to make the cut would wind up elsewhere once the results of waiver claims started rolling in on Wednesday.
Much to the dismay of many Bolts fans, undrafted running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, who endeared himself to the Chargers' faithful with a dynamic preseason, will not be making his way back to LaLa Land after being claimed by the Cleveland Browns.
On the flip side of things, however, Chargers fans appear to have zero problem saying goodbye to seventh-round rookie cornerback Trikweze Bridges, who will now share a locker room with Bolts bust Kenneth Murray Jr. after being claimed by the Dallas Cowboys.
You remember Murray, right, the Bolts' 2020 first-round pick who never came anywhere close to living up to his draft status and is now on his third team in three years? Okay, just checking.
Trikweze Bridges had a dreadful preseason for the Chargers
Taken by Los Angeles with the penultimate pick in this past April's draft at No. 256 overall, Bridges was initally seen by some as a potential steal.
Yes, he spent six years at the collegiate level, five with Oregon and last season with Florida. But in his lone season with the Gators in 2024, the Alabama native led the team with 70 tackles (38 solo) and also racked up two interceptions, six pass breakups, one tackle for loss, and a pair of forced fumbles. He also didn't allow a single touchdown when targeted, ranking third among all SEC defensive backs with at least 400 snaps in passer rating against when targeted (29.9).
So, there were certainly some things to be excited about. Until there wasn't.
During the Chargers' four preseason games, Bridges earned a dreadful 49.6 overall defensive PFF grade and a 47.6 coverage grade after allowing 12 receptions on 16 passes thrown in his direction. The 212 yards he conceded were the most among 77 eligible cornerbacks, and his passer rating allowed figure was an abysmal 137.5. And to make matters worse, he missed three tackles.
So, it's pretty easy to understand why Chargers fans aren't shedding any tears about his departure.
Bridges was one of two defensive backs claimed by the Cowboys on Wednesday, as America's Team also picked up nickel corner Reddy Steward from the Minnesota Vikings. To make room on his roster, first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer parted ways with undrafted rookie safety Zion Childress and fourth-year corner Andrew Booth Jr.