4 Chargers falling out of favor heading into training camp

2. Asante Samuel Jr.

This is a bit of a new revelation for Chargers fans as the last time the team played Asante Samuel Jr. was the player of the game. Samuel had a historic game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card round and many fans consider him to be a huge part of the team's defense moving forward.

However, the team's circumstances may push Samuel to not even be in the starting eleven. If J.C. Jackson is healthy, the Chargers are trending toward playing Jackson and Michael Davis on the outside with Ja'Sir Taylor in the slot. This leaves nowhere for Samuel to play.

Of course, the exact direction that the team takes will be determined by Jackson's health as well as what happens in training camp. If Taylor has not developed as planned then perhaps the Bolts could try Samuel in the slot, even though he has played far more outside. Samuel does have some concerns in the run defense department, which is a huge part of a slot corner's game.

This is a great problem to have as the Chargers could have a deep rotation full of moving parts that can be interchangeable and depend on the matchup. The biggest thing is just making sure that everyone buys in and that Samuel is the biggest variable.

Samuel is still a very solid player and the hope is that he continues to get better. But it is clear that his stock is lower now than fans expected it to be.