Voluntary OTAs tend to feel like a feeling out process before mandatory minicamp or training camp. That's especially true for the Chargers with two new coordinators under Jim Harbaugh and several staff additions. Justin Herbert is rebuilding his footwork currently rather than throwing. Before the pads come on, the kitchen sink is generally not being thrown around in these practices.
That being said, OTAs can still tell us which players are headed in the right direction before the later summer practices. And certain players from around the league are being noticed for their hard work at this stage of the offseason.
One Chargers 2025 draft pick is apparently making a positive impression early at OTAs.
Ryan Fowler, an NFL insider for NBC Sports Philadelphia, shouted out a few names making early impressions at OTAs. These were players that came up in his conversations with NFL personnel. His Chargers representative on the list was safety R.J. Mickens.
Mickens was LA's sixth-round draft pick in 2025. He was a constant presence on special teams throughout the season and gained more defensive responsibility throughout. Specifically, his first defensive snaps of the regular season came in Week 6 against the Dolphins. This happened after the Chargers completed a trade with the Ravens that sent veteran safety Alohi Gilman to Baltimore in exchange for EDGE Odafe Oweh.
Mickens played really well when he was on the field generally speaking. He came away with two interceptions on the year including in his highest PFF-graded defensive performance against Pittsburgh in Week 10. His role and responsibilities kept increasing until he suffered a shoulder injury vs. Kansas City that caused him to miss some time. He returned in a more limited capacity vs. Denver and then eventually against New England in the playoffs.
The Chargers' safety room will be pretty deep if Mickens continues off of last year's trajectory and they also get some contributions from rookie Genesis Smith. Outside of those younger players, the room also has recently extended All-Pro Derwin James, Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson, and special teams contributor Kendall Williamson.
All things considered, the safety room is probably one of the deepest on the team considering the resurgence of Jefferson late in his career and the level Molden can play at when healthy. If Mickens builds off of last year into his sophomore campaign, it's a really efficient group of contributors. New DC Chris O'Leary will have options when it comes to deploying his DBs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google