Some players are great in training camp while others struggle. But there are a select few who don't move the needle either way. Neither good nor bad. Nonexistent. The LA Chargers have several of those players in 2024.
There is still plenty of time for these players to make an impact during training camp but as it stands right now, their summer workouts have been relatively quiet for the Bolts.
3 Chargers who have been virtually nonexistent during training camp:
Joshua Palmer
This is a big year for Joshua Palmer as he is entering a contract year after not being the most durable player over the last two seasons. It is a huge opportunity for Palmer, who entered training camp as the de facto No. 1 receiver on the roster.
If Palmer can have a productive season then he will almost certainly earn himself a fruitful contract next offseason, whether it be from the Chargers or someone else. But if training camp is any indication, Palmer may not have a huge season for the Bolts after all.
The fourth-year wideout has not made any prominent plays or taken an extra step up during the training camp process thus far. That is not to say that he has been bad but all of the talk in the wide receiver room has been around rookie Ladd McConkey, new signing DJ Chark and second-year wideout Quentin Johnston (for better or for worse).
Isaiah Spiller
Isaiah Spiller needs a big training camp to carve out a role on the Chargers in 2024. Granted, the injury concerns around Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins may naturally get him a roster spot but he won't have an actual role unless he earns it in camp.
And thus far, there really has not been much around Spiller, which is not a great sign. Spiller has been a rather forgettable pro thus far in his career and the last thing he needs is to simply blend into the mix.
Edwards and Dobbins are naturally going to be the leading candidates in the running back room while rookie Kimani Vidal continues to impress. Entering his third season in the league, Spiller really needs a breakout training camp (and preseason) to finally turn his doubters into believers.
Derwin James
Despite being one of the biggest stars on the entire roster, Derwin James really has not done much thus far in Chargers training camp. And... well... it makes perfect sense as to why that is the case.
Training camp, especially in the early portions without pads, is not set up for a player like James to make much of an impression. The physicality is turned down during camp, which takes away James' biggest strength, and it is not like James is a mercenary in pass coverage.
In most instances it does not matter at all if a star player is relatively quiet during the training camp period. And while it won't have any impact on James' role in 2024, he is still someone who fans want to see something out of in camp.
James is coming off the worst year of his career where the previous Chargers coaching staff really showed they did not know how to use him properly. The hope is that with Jesse Minter in town, James can regain his All-Pro form. We cannot wholeheartedly predict that to happen based on the training camp showing thus far.