Chargers news: Asante Samuel a late addition to injury report, Bolts down a WR

The LA Chargers exited the preseason rather healthy as the team looks to kickstart the Jim Harbaugh era in the win column in Week 1. While nothing is guaranteed, a healthy Chargers team should be able to take care of business at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Justin Herbert and Joshua Palmer were both on the injury report but there are no real concerns around either player as their addition was merely procedural. However, there are players who popped up on the injury report who won't be suiting up on Sunday.

DJ Chark Jr. spent the entire week on the Chargers injury report with a hip injury and his debut in Los Angeles is going to take longer than expected. Chark was officially ruled out with the hip injury on Friday.

Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. was a late addition to the Chargers injury report on Friday with a shoulder injury. Samuel suffered the shoulder injury in practice on Friday and is officially listed as questionable for the game. Samuel did, however, tell reporters that he expects to play on Sunday.

Chargers' depth will officially be tested in Week 1

Wide receiver and cornerback are two of the thinnest positions on the Chargers roster and they will both be tested in Week 1. Chark serves as the team's primary X receiver and while the Bolts have Joshua Palmer to fill that void, that is not putting Palmer in the best position to succeed.

There is depth at wide receiver at the back end of the roster but the top of the position group leaves more to be desired. That inequality is going to be more apparent without Chark in the lineup.

Cornerback was a big area of concern for Chargers fans heading into training camp as Samuel and Kristian Fulton make up one of the more underwhelming outside cornerback pairings in the sport. However, new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had the defense flying around in the preseason, which made fans optimistic about what could be in 2024.

We still have not seen this Chargers secondary under Minter in a game that matters, though. The secondary could absolutely come back down to Earth and that is even more likely if Samuel doesn't play. Even if he does play, a banged-up Samuel is not the best option to be the best cornerback on the field.

Deane Leonard, who played well in the preseason, would likely start in place of Samuel if he is unable to suit up on Sunday. As promising as he looked in the preseason, though, he has not done it at a consistent level in the regular season.

This is an even bigger issue considering the Chargers are going up against Davante Adams, who historically has crushed the Bolts. Thankfully, the Raiders have one of the worst quarterback situations in the sport, so the damage might be easier to manage.