3 most shocking decisions Chargers made with the 53-man roster

Elijah Dotson AND Stone Smartt both making the Chargers roster

There were several preseason standouts that Chargers fans wanted to see make the initial 53-man roster. There arguably were not any standouts bigger than running back Elijah Dotson and tight end Stone Smartt.

With the way that roster construction typically works, it was accepted by many that at least one of the two was not going to make it, if not both. There are only so many roster spots to hand out and both Dotson and Smartt would be the fourth player at their respective positions.

That is why it is so shocking that the Chargers ended up giving both players a roster spot. Chargers fans would have been happy if one of the two ended up making the roster. Both of them making the cut is icing on the cake and is indicative that the Chargers have changed how they construct the roster. In years past, a third quarterback made it over one of these two.

There are two roster cuts that made this happen. The first is the one we already alluded to in Max Duggan. Not having a third quarterback on the roster made it possible to give one of these standouts a chance, which is huge.

The other is the team only carrying five receivers again. It was accepted by many that the Bolts would carry six receivers but they went against the grain. Instead, the Chargers are masterfully handling Keelan Doss and Jalen Guyton while Guyton works his way back from an ACL injury.

Dotson and Smartt might not even be active in Week 1 of the season or the two could continue moving up the depth chart in practice. Either way, keeping them on the roster was shocking in a great way.