The LA Chargers are entering a new era with Jim Harbaugh at head coach and Joe Hortiz as general manager. It did not take long for the duo to prove that things were going to operate differently under their purview as the team made the shocking decision to trade wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Players who were brought in under the previous regime are not as safe as they would have been if Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley were still calling the shots. While the top-end roster players are healthy, there are several players at the bottom of the active roster who are in danger.
At this point in time, the Chargers have 43 players slated for the 53-man roster and that is before the team makes any other free-agent additions and adds a draft class. With those additions, and room for one or two standout undrafted free agents, it is not hard to see how players currently on the 53-man might get booted off.
These Chargers on the 53-man roster likely won't last until the 2024 season:
EDGE Chris Rumph
The Chargers drafted Chris Rumph as a developmental edge rusher in Staley's first draft with the team. Through three seasons with the Bolts Rumph has not developed as planned and has not proven to be an impactful player.
The Chargers are already stacked at edge rusher and if there is a standout late-round rookie or undrafted free agent then Rumph is going to be on the chopping block. He is definitely playing for his job in training camp this year.
EDGE Andrew Farmer
The only saving grace for Rumph is that there is an edge rusher who is already below him on the depth chart. Farmer is going to be the first one that gets the boot from the 53-man. It would be very surprising if he actually made the 53-man roster in 2024, even if he is on the active roster right now.
S AJ Finley
The Chargers re-signed Alohi Gilman and definitely need to add another safety either in a cheap veteran free agent or via the draft. Either way, with JT Woods filling out the back of the roster (the Chargers likely won't give up on him yet), there is no room for AJ Finley to make the roster.
The one saving grace for Finley is that there is no longer any draft priors for Woods. This coaching staff won't keep Woods over Finley just because they drafted him in the first. He has a chance to win the spot, but likely won't.
OT Foster Sarell
If Foster Sarell is the Chargers' swing tackle again in 2024 then there were some mistakes that were made. He theoretically could still make the roster as a fourth tackle but it seems more likely that he is in the last round of cuts and makes the practice squad.
IOL Brenden Jaimes
It did not seem like Brenden Jaimes was going to make the active roster last season but he ended up actually getting playing time. Jaimes got playing time at the end of the season after backup center Will Clapp got hurt and he did not do great in his short audition at center.
With Jim Harbaugh going out of his way to talk about Jordan McFadden's potential to play center, it does not seem like Jaimes has much of a chance to make next season's 53.
RB Isaiah Spiller
Isaiah Spiller has the best odds of anyone on this list to make the 53-man roster and it might just come down to who the team adds at running back. If the Chargers are just drafting a running back to complement Gus Edwards then Spiller might make the roster as a cheap RB3.
However, if the Chargers add another veteran (such as JK Dobbins, who is met with the team) then there won't be much space for Spiller to make the roster.