3 Chargers draft picks who may be playing their last game in LA vs Cowboys

The LA Chargers will wrap up the 2024 preseason on Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys. Los Angeles is 0-2 in the preseason thus far and is yet to score a single touchdown with backup quarterbacks Easton Stick and Luis Perez struggling to lead the offense.

The outcomes of these games do not matter at all for the Chargers, it is the individual performances that do. There are still several roster spots up for grabs entering the last preseason game of the year with more players competing than spots allocated.

There will naturally be players who are left out during this process, some of which include players who were drafted by the Chargers in recent years. With a new regime and coaching staff in place, the same players who skated by in the past because of their draft status may not be safe this time around.

3 Chargers rookies who may be playing their last game in LA vs Cowboys:

1. RB Isaiah Spiller

It is becoming harder and harder to find a spot for Isaiah Spiller on this roster. Spiller already had his work cut out for him with the additions of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards in free agency as well as Kimani Vidal in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That uphill battle got steeper with Vidal having an excellent game in preseason Week 2 and Jaret Patterson emerging as a better depth option. Patterson has gotten far more playing time in the offense than Spiller (who only played seven offensive snaps last weekend), which could be telling of the inevitable.

Spiller has gotten some special teams snaps with the first team during camp but that should not matter much. Spiller has never been a special teams guru and has never played a special teams snap in the regular season in his career. Patterson can play special teams, leaving Spiller will no place on the Chargers roster.

2. DB JT Woods

JT Woods switched positions from safety to cornerback during training camp and that is his only hope for saving his spot on the roster this season. In theory, the Chargers could carry a seventh cornerback with versatility over a fourth safety but if that is the case, Woods is going to have to earn it with a tremendous showing in the last preseason game of the year.

If not, Woods will likely be one of the last few players cut by the Chargers and will be one of the first players signed to the practice squad. That opens the door for Woods to return to the team at some point in the future but nothing is guaranteed, especially if another team wants to bet on his upside.

This change is promising for Woods but it may have been too little, too late. With other young defensive backs thriving in camp and the preseason, Woods' case for making the 53-man roster is shrinking. His future will be in his hands on Saturday.

3. WR Cornelius Johnson

It is painful to admit as a big Cornelius Johnson fan heading out of the draft but it is hard to envision him making the Chargers' 53-man roster unless he can put together an excellent showing against the Cowboys.

Johnson seemed like a better bet to make the roster over fellow seventh-round pick Brenden Rice because of his blocking ability. However, the addition of D.J. Chark has muddied those waters and Johnson has not really impressed thus far in his young career.

Even though the room is rather thin at the top, the Chargers have a lot of depth at the wide receiver position and someone will naturally get left out. Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Chark and Derius Davis are the five locks for the WR room, leaving Rice, Johnson and veteran Simi Fehoko to compete for the final sixth spot.

Even if the Chargers go the unconventional route of carrying six receivers, both Rice and Fehoko have better cases to make the roster over Johnson. Johnson will likely be retained on the practice squad but there are no guarantees he ever plays a regular season game for the Bolts.