LA Chargers: 4 starters with the most to prove in first preseason game vs. Rams
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers preseason is right around the corner with the Bolts taking on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.
This will be our first real look at the new-look Chargers with Brandon Staley calling the shots against his former team. Granted, most of the game is going to be played by backups, but there is still a lot of value to get out of these games when it comes to the team's depth.
There is also value to get from the starters as well. The starters will likely play in this game, it will just be in a limited capacity. Just like the reserves behind them, there are certain starters with more to prove as well.
Update: Brandon Staley said on Thursday that Justin Herbert and Derwin James, among a list of other starters, will not play in ANY of the preseason games this year. He also said most starters will not play against the Rams.
4 LA Chargers starters with the most to prove in first preseason game vs. Rams:
1. Asante Samuel Jr.
Asante Samuel Jr. is one of the starters that Brandon Staley confirmed will be playing on Saturday against the Rams.
Samuel has been really impressive during LA Chargers training camp. He started off camp not getting as many reps with the first team but this easily could have been the team easing him into first-team reps as well as giving him a slight chip on his shoudler.
Everything that has come out of camp around Samuel has been positive. Whether it is him tapping himself in to face off against Keenan Allen or him literally clamping down Allen, who is one of the best route runners in the game, Charger fans have to be happy with what they have seen.
The reason for Samuel having more to prove is simple: he is a rookie and it will be nice to see just how he holds up in multiple drives against receivers he is not familiar with guarding every day in practice.
We definitely know what Chris Harris brings to the table and we already have a fairly good idea of what Michael Davis will provide for the team. Samuel is more of an x-factor and it would be nice to see him have a solid showing in his first professional football game.