The Los Angeles Chargers have now wrapped up Day 2 of training camp.
With the excitement of Day 1 carrying over, there were certainly some intriguing moments. Brenen Thompson made an excellent catch on a toss from Justin Herbert, and we got to see some reps from the edge rushers and the safeties as they continue to ramp up into the new season.
It's too early to make any projections yet about the looming position and roster battles we've been discussing all offseason. But these early days of camp are about getting a feel for where the dominant storylines will lie over the month of August.
One of those will certainly rest in the safety room. When new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary was asked about the looming competition for the third safety spot, he helped set the stage for what's bound to be one of the most intriguing competitions to follow over the course of training camp— and his praise for both Genesis Smith and RJ Mickens paves the way for it to get even more interesting.
Chargers DC Chris O’Leary on safety room competition: “It’s an awesome competition.”
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) July 30, 2026
“A group of guys chasing a standard of play…We’ve got a group that’s really deep.”
On rookie Genesis Smith: “He’s been really impressive so far.”
On RJ Mickens: “He operates like a vet. He… pic.twitter.com/cr0Z7YXE5o
The Chargers' competition for the third safety spot will be one of the defining storylines of training camp
Since ball-hawking safety Genesis Smith was selected in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it's been known on some level that there would be a competition for snaps. But now that we've reached training camp and Smith has cemented himself as a potential depth-chart riser, it suddenly feels more tangible.
Elijah Molden and Derwin James Jr. are the nominal starting safeties. But James is frequently utilized in a nickel/dime role that pushes him down toward the line of scrimmage, leaving ample snaps to be claimed by a third safety.
Last season, Mickens and Tony Jefferson split that role. Jefferson played 63% of the team's defensive snaps across the 13 games he appeared in, presenting a level of physicality and staunchness in the deeper parts of the field that fit perfectly with Los Angeles' defensive identity. Mickens stepped into a major role after the Alohi Gilman trade, playing 61% in his appearances from Week 7 onward.
Mickens is more of a do-it-all type of developmental safety, and he provides a nice complement to Jefferson at the position. As O'Leary says, Mickens "operates like a [veteran]."
But Smith is the real wild card here. Although he had his tackling issues in his final college season with the Arizona Wildcats, his unique feel for the ball and agility in the open field consistently stood out throughout the offseason program. If he can quiet the noise surrounding his physicality, he likely has the highest upside out of the trio.
There will be snaps available for all three safeties. And of course, the battle for left guard between Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning, and Kayode Awosika holds a healthy dose of intrigue as well.
But the three safeties' complementary skill-sets— and the unique case that each piece has to win the job outright— will make this the most intriguing battle of Chargers training camp.
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