The first preseason game of the Jim Harbaugh era for the LA Chargers is in the books as the Bolts lost 3-16 to the Seattle Seahawks. The biggest upside for the team after Saturday’s game was a blitz-heavy defense that was flying around and held the Seahawks to just 16 points.
The defensive performance should begin to erase the memories of those Brandon Staley days. For the offense, it was not at all a good first showing. If Justin Herbert misses time into the regular season, coach Harbaugh may be looking for a better backup quarterback.
While it is unfair to panic about any part of a team after the first preseason game, the deficiencies on offense were glaring. Easton Stick will receive much of the blame (including in this article), but receivers could not catch the ball for Max Duggan either, the running game was virtually non-existent except for QB runs, and O-line protection was iffy at best once the starters exited the game.
Recently signed new quarterback, Luis Perez brought the team their only hope at quarterback and that came late in the 4th quarter. There is more than enough time for the team to rebound in the next two preseason games, but with some players on the bubble, time is nearly out.
With cuts looming, here are three players whose stock began to plummet after the first preseason game for the Bolts.
3 Chargers whose stock is plummeting after preseason loss to Seahawks
Easton Stick
Justin Herbert’s primary backup is very well-liked in the team’s locker room which has arguably saved Stick in the past. A few more performances like Saturday’s and his likability will not save him from being cut.
Stick was simply awful and that’s being kind. He finished the game going 5 of 13 for just 32 yards and an interception with one rush of 11 yards and a quarterback rating of 14.9. 14.9! That is not to say that Stick had a ton of help from play-calling or execution, he didn’t. But in the first two drives, the pocket was often clean, and Stick could not find anyone open.
The Chargers offense was putrid in the first half, with Cameron Dicker’s career-high 58-yard field goal being the only bright spot for the team offensively. Easton Stick is not the only reason for the ineptitude of the offense, conservative playcalling by Greg Roman did no favors, but Chargers fans are already calling for the team to sign Ryan Tannehill to be the primary backup. Another game like this and Easton Stick’s time in LA could come to an end.
Chris Rumph II
It is never a good time for any player in the NFL to suffer an injury, but it can be brutal for a player who is already likely on the bubble of making a roster. For linebacker Chris Rumph, II that is exactly the scenario that he finds himself in after Saturday night.
Rumph entered training camp in a battle to find a roster spot in a linebacker room that has Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, Junior Colson, Bud Dupree, Denzel Perryman and Khalil Mack. After arriving looking noticeably bigger and explosive, especially in run protection, Rumph had high hopes for a strong preseason Week 1 on Saturday.
Sadly, that strong performance did not materialize and Rumph exited the game early on Saturday. With Tre’Mon Morris-Bash impressing during training camp and looking strong during the 1st preseason game of 2024, Rumph’s 3 years with the team could come to an end soon.
JT Woods
Like Chris Rumph, 2022 third-round pick JT Woods needs a strong preseason to have a shot at a roster spot for the team. With Wednesday’s news that new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had elevated AJ Finley into the 3rd spot on the depth chart, it was imperative for Woods to hit the ground running on Saturday.
While the defense overall was strong, Woods’ performance was not strong enough. He was noticeably blown up on a run block by Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and other than one pass deflection and a few plays where he showed some pressure on the quarterback, that was about it for Woods. He ended up finishing the game with that pass deflection and one tackle on 2 attempts. Tackling was also not a strong suit for Woods on Saturday.
For a player that is already seeing his stock sliding and with more options for that 3rd roster spot, JT Woods needed to have an eye-opening strong game during Week 1 to turn momentum around. Unfortunately, that was not to be, and the downward slide of JT Woods’ career with the team is likely to continue.
For the Chargers, Saturday was the first chance to see where the players on their roster bubbles stand. With the defense, there was a lot to like. It was fast, aware, brought blitz after blitz and disguised coverages. The score could’ve easily run away from the team if it was not for this team's defense.
For it's offense, there was not much good to see from mostly backups (though Joe Alt fared well) and the team needs better options in a myriad of positions, quarterback chief among them. Especially with the real likelihood that Justin Herbert will miss the entire preseason.
The good news for Bolts fans is that there are 2 more preseason games for this offense to get their act together. For the three players mentioned above, time may well have run out on Saturday.