3 key positions to watch closely during Chargers preseason game vs Rams

3. Safety

Some fans may argue that linebacker is a more important position to watch in this game but I don't really think it is. Linebacker might be the thinnest position on the entire roster but this preseason game is not really going to tell us much as it pertains to the regular season.

The position is banged up at the moment and those getting playing time in this game are depth options and guys who won't make the roster. Sure, you could make the case that one of the depth guys could make the most of this opportunity, but that seems less likely than it does at safety.

At safety there has been an opportunity for guys to get more snaps with Derwin James' contract hold-in and some have made the most of it. For example, Nasir Adderley has really stepped up as the leader of the position with James out and is showing that he is ready for an even better fourth season.

However, since Adderley is pretty much locked in as the SAF2 on this team, there is a good chance that he does not play. Plus, he is not the player that Chargers fans should be overly concerned with in this game.

Instead, it will be interesting to see how the young guys on the roster perform. Rookie JT Woods should get some playing time with Mark Webb and Raheem Layne definitely getting playing time.

Webb turned heads the first week of training camp with his coverage ability and it appears that he might be more valuable to the team than we initially realized. Meanwhile, Layne has thrived both in defense and on special teams in camp and is the UDFA with the best chance of making the roster in 2022.

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It will be interesting to see how these training camp standouts translate to an actual football game to see how legit they actually are.