The Los Angeles Chargers have their work cut out for them in training camp— at least from a perspective of the few peripheral roster battles they'll need to sort out.
For the most part, the offense is set. But on the defensive side of the ball, there will be competitions within virtually every position group. As a result of the extra roster spots that might be claimed by the offensive line or the pass-rush room, third-year linebacker Junior Colson remains a cut candidate.
Of course, since the Chargers spent third-round draft capital on Colson just two years ago, they may be hesitant to leave him off the roster at this juncture. It simply depends on how much room they feel like he has to grow and how patient they're willing to be with his role in the defense.
But Bill Barnwell at ESPN clearly thinks there's some serious upside there. In his 'All-Backup' team for the 2026 season, Colson was one of two selections from the Chargers along with new running back Keaton Mitchell.
Mitchell's selection makes perfect sense given his projected role in Mike McDaniel's run game. Colson's selection, on the other hand, merits some further analysis.
Can Junior Colson truly develop into a reliable linebacker at the NFL level?
Barnwell makes clear that Mitchell's addition to his fictional team is an effort to add explosiveness to its backfield alongside Tyler Allgeier, Rico Dowdle, and Kenneth Gainwell. But his justification for Colson is based on the coverage abilities he flashed during his time at Michigan.
"Colson, meanwhile, missed all of 2025 with a shoulder injury, but the Michigan product was an effective coverage linebacker in school and has the athleticism to play on passing downs in our lineup." Bill Barnwell, ESPN
Barnwell's evaluation of Colson's game, when he's healthy, is correct. Across three seasons at Michigan, Colson displayed an impressive degree of athleticism and composure in pass coverage. While he lacks the speed or the force to make a true impact moving downhill as a run-stopper, he's certainly capable of helping secure the middle of the field in both zone and man-coverage.
When it comes to the actual Chargers roster, though, that might not be enough to help him secure his spot for 2026. Given the depth Los Angeles is likely wanting to carry on the offensive line and the edge rusher room, there's a real chance only five roster spots are distributed to the inside linebacker room this season. Daiyan Henley and Denzel Perryman are cemented as the starters, and although Dye struggled in coverage last season, he's still cemented as the primary rotational linebacker behind that pairing.
Both Marlowe Wax and Del'Shawn Phillips, who were important special teams contributors last season, will be pushing for those roster spots as well.
Perhaps the Chargers see a deficit in their coverage game among their existing linebackers, especially considering Perryman's athletic decline outside of his run defense. But as of now, Colson remains a real cut candidate after two underwhelming seasons in Los Angeles.
His spot on the roster will depend on whether the Chargers see the same room for development that Barnwell does in his game.
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