Football is officially back with the LA Chargers reporting to training camp on Tuesday and the first day of camp action coming on Wednesday. After an extremely active offseason, the excitement around the LA Chargers is at an all-time high.
The Chargers have one of the most talented rosters in the entire sport that is suited to go on a deep playoff push this season. On paper, this is the most talented team that the Chargers have fielded since the infamous 2006 team.
Roster decisions are not going to be particularly easy to make with all of the talent on the field and the Bolts are going to have to trim from 89 players to just 53. A lot can happen in camp that changes the course of the roster construction. Before that starts, let's dive into our 53-man roster prediction.
Chargers 53-man roster prediction, special teams:
Starting with the most boring side of the ball is the trio of players that are only special teams players. Depth player on defense and offense will obviously make up most of the unit itself but the three special teams-only players are pretty much locked in.
K: Dustin Hopkins
The Chargers can bring in all the kicking competition to camp that they want, they are not going to let go of Dustin Hopkins after signing him to a new deal in the offseason.
P: JK Scott
The Chargers let Ty Long walk and brought in former fifth-round draft pick JK Scott to take over punting duties. The punter is easily the least important position on the roster with how much Brandon Staley goes for it on fourth down, so this really does not make much of a difference.
LS: Josh Harris
Matt Overton was a fine long-snapper for the Chargers last season but the team still wanted to get better as part of the special teams' overhaul and thus brought in Second Team All-Pro long snapper, Josh Harris.
Total special teams players: 3
Now, let's dive into the offensive side of the football.
Chargers 53-man roster prediction, the offense:
QB: Justin Herbert, Chase Daniel (2)
The LA Chargers carried three quarterbacks on the roster last season and it is just a massive waste. That extra roster spot could be used for things that are so much better than Easton Stick, who has no real purpose to this team. He is not a veteran mentor and he doesn't add anything else.
RB: Austin Ekeler, Isaiah Spiller, Larry Rountree (3)
Larry Rountree wins the battle of RB3s with Joshua Kelley, who will either be released or sent to the practice squad. Quite frankly, I like UDFA Leddie Brown a lot more than Kelley to make the practice squad.
Three running backs may not seem like enough but there is an exact reason for that, which can be explained with our wide receiver predictions.
FB: Zander Horvath (1)
The LA Chargers took Zander Horvath in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft and it would be shocking to see him lose the position battle to Gabe Nabers, who really hasn't done much in his NFL career thus far.
WR: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, Jalen Guyton, DeAndre Carter, Joe Reed (6)
The Chargers carried five receivers on the depth chart last season, which is strange as most teams carry six. The extra roster spot that is going to Stick for literally nothing should instead be going to Joe Reed, who I still haven't given up on.
Reed can really be a versatile offensive piece that the Chargers line up in the backfield, at receiver, and use in pre-snap motion. That brings way more value to the team than Stick with Reed providing receiver and running back depth.
TE: Gerald Everett, Donald Parham, Tre' McKitty (3)
You could make the case for the Bolts carrying four tight ends but I think the Chargers would be better off using an extra offensive lineman with the different range of talent they have in this tight end room. Everett, Parham and McKitty all add something unique and a fourth tight end is not needed, especially with Horvath at fullback.
OL: Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley, Zion Johnson, Trey Pipkins, Storm Norton, Brenden Jaimes, Will Clapp, Jamaree Salyer, Zach Bailey (10)
The Chargers have rebuilt the offensive line over the last two seasons as this is a starting group and reserve group that the team can be proud of. The tackle depth still is not the best with Norton and Bailey being the backup options but the team has a lot of depth on the interior.
That makes it easier for the team to even kick Matt Feiler out to tackle if needed to help there with other options to play guard.
Total offensive players: 25
Chargers 53-man roster prediction, the defense:
EDGE: Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Kyle Van Noy, Chris Rumph (4)
You could make the case for the Chargers to have five edge rushers on the roster but with the talent of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, as well as a great, versatile presence in Kyle Van Noy, the team is probably better off using that depth elsewhere.
IDL: Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, Jerry Tillery, Otito Ogbonnia, Morgan Fox, Breiden Fehoko (6)
This is pretty standard stuff for how the roster is currently constructed. New signing Carlo Kemp does not earn a roster spot but would be a great practice squad addition. Most notably, Breiden Fehoko wins out the last spot over Christian Covington.
Fehoko was really good in the limited time he got last season. That, mixed with a strong camp, should earn him a roster spot.
LB: Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Troy Reeder, Nick Niemann, Amen Ogbongbemiga (5)
This is the thinnest position on the defensive side of the football and while a lot of fans would disagree, I would project Kenneth Murray to be the LB1. It is certainly going to be a battle but with how the NFL works, the Chargers are going to favor the guy they spent a second and third-round pick on to get.
CB: J.C. Jackson, Asante Samuel Jr., Michael Davis, Bryce Callahan, Ja'Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard (6)
The most notable exclusion from this list is Tevaughn Campbell. Campbell may have already been on the roster but he was horrible and the Chargers are better off using the roster spot for the young players they just drafted.
This does get a bit thin towards the backend, but with the addition of Callahan as well as J.T. Woods (who can play some corner and also opens things up for Derwin James to move around), it will be fine.
S: Derwin James, Nasir Adderley, J.T. Woods, Mark Webb (4)
Mark Webb may not have been great by any means last season but the Chargers are going to favor the guy who this current regime drafted over the previous regime in Alohi Gilman, who really has not offered much in his two years in the league.
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Again, this gets thin towards the backend of the depth chart but expecting the fourth safety to be elite is simply setting yourself up to fail. The Chargers have a good trio here in James, Adderley and Woods and will have to hope to remain healthy.
Total defensive players: 25