There are quite a few players the previous LA Chargers regime drafted who are on the roster bubble ahead of the 2024 season. One of those players is edge rusher Chris Rumph II, who gets forgotten about in a crowded edge-rusher room and needs to prove his merit to stick around.
The 2021 fourth-round pick was dealt an unfortunate hand during Saturday's preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Rumph left the game earlier with what was later confirmed to be a foot injury, hurting his roster chances in the process.
The Chargers did not provide specific details about the injury on Monday other than the fact that Rumph will "miss some time". While the Chargers may not have confirmed a concrete timeline for his return, the actions the team took on Monday might have done the trick.
In addition to providing a vague update on Rumph, the Chargers also signed linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, who was released by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The signing might be telling of Rumph's future (or lack thereof) in LA.
Shaquille Quarterman potentially being a special teams option for the Chargers is bad news for Chris Rumph
As our own Alex Insdorf pointed out, this signing probably has more to do with Rumph's injury than it does Junior Colson's. While the Chargers are justified to build up the backend of the linebacker room, this is more of a special teams play than anything else.
Rumph is one of the more experienced players on the roster in Ryan Ficken's special teams and if he made the team he was going to play a key role on that side of the ball. If the Chargers believe he may miss significant time then they would look to find someone who can replace his special teams impact.
Quarterman can do just that for the Chargers' special teams unit.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars fourth-round pick has played 931 special teams snaps and only 171 defensive snaps since he came into the league in 2020. Quarterman only has 29 defensive snaps in the last two seasons, so it is clear the team isn't signing him for his defensive prowess.
Instead, Quarterman was signed for what he can do on special teams and that is bad news for Rumph. Rumph was already on the roster bubble and if the Chargers just signed someone who is just as productive as him on special teams then there will be no reason to keep Rumph around.
Add in standout camp player Tre'mon Morris-Bash and it is hard to find a lane for Rumph on this team. He might not be one of the best four pass rushers on the edge, and now, he might not even be the best special teams option for Ficken.
Nothing is official yet, but this could be the beginning of the end for Rumph in LA.