Chargers' sneaky breakout candidate may already be destined for the practice squad

The Los Angeles Chargers' UDFA class has a real chance to be impressive this season.

Although Isaiah World is on the non-football injury list and almost certainly won't play a down in 2026, the Chargers guaranteed him a near-record amount of money on his UDFA contract because of the value they see in him long-term. Outside linebacker Nadame Tucker, meanwhile, has a real chance to displace either Bud Dupree or Kyle Kennard on the 53-man roster if he's able to carry the momentum he's built through the first two weeks of training camp into live preseason action. Even cornerbacks Avery Smith and Rodney Shelley have put together some strong performances to this point in camp.

But UDFA linebacker Lander Barton shouldn't be ignored, either.

Barton has a real chance to show his brand of flash and aggression over the rest of training camp, making a similar rise to the one Wax made last season. But his path to the roster is likely non-existent at this point, making any display from Barton simply a bid to remain on the practice squad heading into 2026.

Lander Barton is destined for the practice squad— even if he shows out over the rest of training camp

Barton isn't the most physically dominating specimen at inside linebacker. But he's entering the league with a solid pedigree at the position, having amassed 55 combined tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks at the University of Utah last season.

He's not abundantly fluid in the open field, but he has the strength and quickness to trigger downhill consistently against the run. That's the exact sort of skill set that helped Wax cement himself as a roster candidate during last year's training camp, and it wasn't unimaginable to think Barton could make a similar rise this year.

Barton evidently hasn't shown much in camp, though. Almost no one has remarked on a play he's made since the pads came on. It will take a strong showing in live preseason action— which kicks off on Aug. 13 against the Houston Texans— for him to even truly battle for a practice squad role.

Wax also had the benefit of Junior Colson's shoulder injury, which sidelined him for the entirety of the 2025 season and opened up a roster spot for Wax to become an important special teams contributor. At this point, the Chargers' decision in the inside linebacker room will come down to Wax, Del'Shawn Phillips, and Colson for the final two roster spots in that room beyond their defined trio of Daiyan Henley, Denzel Perryman, and Troy Dye.

Essentially as soon as the competition took shape, there was no real path for Barton to make the roster. But it's still worth keeping an eye on him over the remainder of training camp, especially as he gets his chance to shine in the preseason.

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