The tiebreaker the LA Chargers will use to round out the 53-man roster is the same tiebreaker that every team in the league uses: special teams impact. Those at the back end of the roster need to contribute on special teams to survive. That's always been the case.
This gives Chargers fans an idea of who the team is going to keep on the 53-man roster this season. However, there are always room for surprises and special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken gave fans quite the surprise when speaking to reporters on Monday.
Ficken was asked specifically about the linebacker room and which players he projects to be in the special teams rotation. Del'Shawn Phillips was the first to be named, which is not a surprise given his track record. The second name, though, was a surprise: Kana'i Mauga.
Chargers STC Ryan Ficken on departure of Nick Niemann: "It's tough, you can't just replace one of our top core guys."
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) July 21, 2025
LB Del'Shawn Phillips and LB Kana'i Mauga are in the core ST rotation specifically.
UDFA Marlowe Wax and Junior Colson were also mentioned in ST contributions.
Ryan Ficken's comments bode very well for Kana'i Mauga on the Chargers
Nick Niemann was the team's core special teams linebacker last season and losing him was a tough pill to swallow this offseason. That is the entire reason why the Chargers signed Hand, who has quite a bit of experience on special teams.
The Mauga signing went under the radar. He is not someone who has been projected to make the team's 53-man roster. At best, it seemed as if Mauga was destined for a spot on the Chargers' practice squad to potentially be elevated in the case of injuries.
That no longer seems like the most likely situation. Ficken didn't just say that Mauga will play a role on special teams next season, he outright called him part of the core rotation. That indicates that Ficken expects to use Mauga a lot in 2025.
This shakes up the team's projected 53-man roster. As it stands, there are five solid linebackers who are destined to make the cut. Now, the Chargers may need to free up some space in order to make room for a sixth.
The Chargers are the third AFC West team Mauga has been a member of since his career started in 2022. Mauga signed as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos in 2022, although he never played for the team.
Mauga spent the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he played 17 total games (12 of which were last season). The former USC Trojan played 55 special teams snaps in 2023 and 251 special teams snaps in 2024.