LA Chargers: 5 Quick Hit Lessons from Preseason Week 1

On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Chargers completed their first, and perhaps most important, preseason game on the slate against the Los Angeles Rams. While each preseason game has gained more importance for the roster bubble players now that the preseason has been cut to three games, that also means fewer snaps and opportunities for 2022 contributors to see the field in the preseason.

The first preseason game is the most likely time for the Chargers' real role players to get some snaps, as playing now still gives them two weeks of rest before Week 1 of the regular season.

While many of the Chargers' most important players were resting, there were several important role players and even a few starters playing. Those players include Josh Palmer, Jerry Tillery, Chris Rumph, and Nasir Adderley. They were one of many who put on a show in a close 29-22 defeat against their NFC rivals.

That gave us a small opportunity to learn some about the 2022 Chargers. Here are a few of those lessons.

3 Los Angeles Chargers Week 1 Preseason Takeaways

1. Expect a heavy dose of Josh Palmer in 2022

In 2021, we saw glimpses of great talent from third-round rookie Josh Palmer. He demonstrated his elite talent in garbage time at the end of the doomed Patriots game where he Mossed the Patriots defender. In 2022, many are expecting those glimpses to shine through into full game-long displays.

First, it was noteworthy that Palmer was targeted early and often in the game. He received four targets in the game, all early from Chase Daniel. It was clear that the Chargers coaches wanted to get reps for Palmer early with Daniel.

Although Palmer got those four targets early, you may not have noticed much of his involvement, as those four targets resulted in zero catches. Time and time again, it was clear that the timing between Palmer and Daniel was off. QB2 nearly threw an interception on a curl that arrived a solid two yards to the inside of Palmer. Daniel then missed the Tennessee alum on a fade later in the game.

This indicates that Palmer has not been spending much time with Daniel and the second team. Getting more reps in with this second unit squad will be critical, as he will be in for a high volume of targets from Herbert should anything happen to either Keenen Allen or Mike Williams.

The team has huge plans for Palmer in 2022, and his role in this preseason game gave us a slight glimpse what they are.