Chargers news: Zander Horvath officially leaves LA, special teams depth chart surprise, McDaniels responds to jab

The 2023 NFL season is less than a week away as Chargers fans patiently wait for the Bolts to be back in action for the first time in eight months. The last time that the Chargers played they suffered an extremely disappointing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card Round. It is time to shake that nasty feeling away.

There is plenty of Chargers news for fans to digest as the season is on the precipice of starting. Long gone are the dog days of summer as there is something new every day for Chargers fans to keep up with.

Here is your Chargers news dump to keep you up to date with what was happening over Labor Day Weekend.

Chargers news roundup:

• Zander Horvath has officially signed on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad. After making the initial 53-man roster, Horvath was waived to make room for linebacker Tanner Muse, who the Chargers claimed off waivers. It was widely expected that Horvath would return to the Chargers' practice squad but instead, he is following in the footsteps of Derek Watt and is joining the Steelers.

• Ryan Ficken spoke to the media on Monday and among all of the interesting tidbits that Ficken shared, the most interesting relates to the depth chart at the return position. Ficken said that practice squad WR Alex Erickson is the third-string kick and punt returner (behind Derius Davis and Elijah Dotson). This comes as a surprise as it was assumed that Keelan Doss would get that role after he was kept on the practice squad.

• Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked about the Chargers depicting him vaping on the team's 2023 schedule release video back in May. McDaniel played it off cool, responding in only a way he could.

NFL news roundup:

• 12-year NFL veteran Kyle Rudolph announced he is retiring on Monday. The Minnesota Vikings are going to honor Rudolph, who played in Minnesota for 10 seasons, in Week 3 when the Chargers come to town.

• The Dallas Cowboys signed right tackle Terrence Steele to a five-year, $86.8 million contract extension. If Steele is getting that kind of money then Rashawn Slater is going to get a massive deal when his contract is eventually due for an extension.

• It does not appear that Nick Bosa is going to play anytime soon for the San Francisco 49ers. Ian Rapoport said that both sides needed a "significant breakthrough" to get him on the field while is holds out from the team.