The LA Chargers will get a head start on training camp in 2025 due to the team's involvement in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31. Rookies are slated to report on Saturday, July 12 with training camp officially getting underway on July 17.
Training camp hasn't even started yet and Chargers fans already have a good idea of how the roster will shake out in 2025. While there is always room for surprises toward the back of the roster, the foundation of the Bolts is pretty set in stone.
Unfortunately, that foundation does not seem like it will include a recent draft pick who fans are high on. Former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice has become a bit of an afterthought heading into his second season, which does not bode well for his chances of making the roster.
Brenden Rice's roster chances are slim ahead of Chargers training camp
Selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Rice had a lot of supporters after he was drafted to the Chargers. Being the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice certianly helped, as did the fact that he was originally projected to be taken in the fourth round.
This combination led many to believe the Chargers had a true steal of a seventh-round pick who could make a difference in his rookie year. That wasn't the case. Injuries slowed down his rookie campaign and when he was healthy, he was not impactful enough to play.
Rice now heads into the 2025 season on the outside looking in and the Chargers aren't really doing much to hide it. The Bolts don't double-dip at wide receiver if they are confident in Rice being a factor in 2025.
After all, offensive coordinator Greg Roman made it a point to mention most of the Chargers receivers and how hard they have been working heading into 2025. The one notable name he left out? Brenden Rice.
Anything can change, and that is exactly what training camp is for. However, with five spots on the depth chart locked up and a fierce battle for the final spot, Rice's odds of making the roster have never looked more bleak.
He could stick around on the practice squad, assuming he gets cut. However, even that is not a guarantee. The Chargers completely parted ways with fellow seventh-round pick Cornelius Johnson last year. If Rice doesn't impress during camp, his fate could be the same.