Ask anyone who has attended LA Chargers training camp thus far who the biggest standout has been and 90% of the responses will be the same: John Hightower.
Hightower was brought in as a desperation depth signing last season that was initially for the practice squad but eventually bled into the actual NFL roster. Hightower didn't do much in his rookie season and many fans wrote him off from making the roster in 2023.
However, Hightower has shown up in Chargers training camp and has been a massive standout in Kellen Moore's offense. With a unique blend of size and speed, as well as the ability to return kicks, Hightower seemingly has what it takes to produce for the Chargers in some capacity.
So if Hightower makes the team, who is going to miss out? Many would say Jalen Guyton, who has not even participated in training camp because of injury. Guyton may not be back for the start of the 2023 season but when it ultimately comes down to it, the Chargers may end up cutting another player on offense and make the rare decision to carry seven wide receivers on the active roster.
Chargers may cut Zander Horvath to make room for John Hightower
If the Chargers want to get bold and carry seven wide receivers on the roster once Jalen Guyton is healthy then the man to cut is Zander Horvath. The team already has to carry just three running backs on the roster to get to a sixth receiver, so this may seem like a risk for the Bolts.
However, Horvath has not done much of anything in training camp thus far. Moore has thrown a full-back out on the field just one time in the last three seasons for the Dallas Cowboys. It obviously is not an emphasis on the offense and instead, the Chargers could look to add depth with Hightower.
This only makes sense if the team does not expect Derius Davis to play any kind of role in the offense in his first season. In theory, Davis would be a special teams-only player (which Horvath would essentially be if he made the team) with Guyton and Hightower being the WR5 and WR6 on the depth chart.
It is probably less risky to cut Horvath loose than it would be for Guyton and Hightower as well. If either receiver gets let go there is a higher chance of another team signing them away from the Chargers. Horvath is so unproven and plays a forgotten-about position so there should be no issues in bringing him back on the practice squad.