One of the best parts of the NFL preseason is seeing players take advantage of opportunities and becoming fan favorites. One of the worst parts?
Saying goodbye to those preseason stars.
Not every preseason star is going to turn into a star on Sundays, so it's important to keep that in mind, but today's preseason star could be tomorrow's key player when you suffer an injury in Week 14. Getting the 53-man roster right is difficult for every team around the league, and sometimes brutal decisions have to be made. The Los Angeles Chargers made a rough one by letting go of Raheim Sanders, and they've now paid the price.
Raheim Sanders plucked away from Chargers by Browns on waivers
Apparently, the Cleveland Browns are concerned enough about the situation with former Ohio State running back and second-round pick Quinshon Judkins that they felt like they needed to supplement their depth on the waiver wire.
Brown’s claimed former Jets DB Jarrick Bernard-Converse and former Chargers RB Raheim Sanders.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2025
The Browns were the team that stole Sanders away from the Chargers, which frankly makes it even more of a bitter pill to swallow. Sanders going to the Browns is brutal for him, even if he's getting a great opportunity there.
Sanders had a fun preseason with the Chargers, developing a bit of a cult-like following among the fan base. He had 28 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns, along with five receptions.
You can't keep everybody, of course, and the Chargers have first-round pick Omarion Hampton on the roster along with Najee Harris and Hassan Haskins. But the situation with Harris is still concerning enough that keeping someone like Sanders for a little bit of insurance wouldn't have been the worst idea possible.
And it's also important to reward guys who play well in the preseason for future UDFA recruiting purposes. You never know when an agent is going to remember that the Chargers cut the guy who won over the fan base with a strong preseason performance, and use that against them when they're competing to sign another UDFA down the line.
The Chargers actually lost a few players on waivers besides just Sanders. They lost Trikweze Bridges to the Dallas Cowboys and Dalevon Campbell to the Carolina Panthers, a total of three players being snatched away from the waiver wire. And the Chargers likely would have wanted to add each to the practice squad, so they'll have to pivot to Plan B.