2021 Official Chargers Season Discusssion

[dmac_bolt]

I could also be the one confused. I know Kelley was playing ST last year, albeit with some big mistakes, but I can’t recall seeing JJ play at all during his time here. Honestly seeing what he went for I’m bummed we didn’t get Michel, he would have provided a great tandem with Ekeler.

There are no STs in the ice tub

[Xenos]

[Xenos]

Popper’s final thoughts on training camp. OL seems set. This is also healthiest that he’s seen this team since covering them in 2019.
https://theathletic.com/2792821/2021...amp-practices/

After 17 training camp practices at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex, the Chargersmoved back to their facility, Hoag Performance Center, for practice this week. They practiced in the afternoon Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and those were the final three practices of the summer open to the media.

The Chargers leave for Seattle on Friday afternoon for their preseason finale against the Seahawks. By Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT, general manager Tom Telesco and coach Brandon Staley must trim their roster from 80 players to 53.

With open practices over, here are my observations, thoughts and notes as final roster cuts loom.


The remaining roster decisions
Staley was asked Thursday how many roster spots are still up for grabs. He is usually very quick with his responses. He took a deep breath after this question and took a couple seconds to collect his thoughts.

“It’s going to be tough on us,” Staley said. “We have enough depth at some positions where you’re going to have to make difficult decisions, which is a good thing for your organization.”

Staley almost certainly had an exact number in mind. But he did not share it with us.

I will pick up where he left off.

I see six spots that are flexible at this point. I initially had seven spots, including the offensive line, but Staley said Thursday that he will be keeping nine offensive linemen, and those spots are all filled: Corey Linsley, Bryan Bulaga, Matt Feiler, Oday Aboushi, Rashawn Slater, Brenden Jaimes, Trey Pipkins, Scott Quessenberry and Storm Norton.

These are the six decisions still looming. Telesco and Staley, at this point, have a good idea of which way they are leaning. Staley said Saturday’s preseason finale will merely be “confirming what’s in your mind … one way or the other.”


Kicker
Michael Badgley vs. Tristan Vizcaino. I still think this competition is open, and Saturday should have a sizable impact on the outcome. Badgley, to me, has a slight advantage right now. He went 8-for-10 this week, while Vizcaino went 7-for-10. But Vizcaino could win the job with a great performance in Seattle. Staley said Thursday that he will not be dividing the snaps up by half, as he did in the first two preseason games. He wants both kickers to have a chance in the game. Vizcaino did not attempt a field goal or extra point Sunday against the 49ers. I would expect a more frequent rotation — likely kick-to-kick — for Badgley and Vizcaino in Saturday’s game.


Backup quarterback
Chase Daniel vs. Easton Stick. Daniel is starting Saturday’s game and Staley said he will play the entire first half. Stick will play the second half. I think this is noteworthy. That means Daniel will have started two games to Stick’s one in the preseason. I asked offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Wednesday what he believes to be crucial traits for a backup quarterback. “Being able to get mental reps,” he said. “Especially as the season starts, they get even less reps than they do during training camp. Being able to be ready if their number is called without having those physical reps. A lot of it is visualization, staying after practice, walking through the script, getting the plays maybe he didn’t get.”

This answer seems to be describing a more experienced quarterback — a quarterback, say, with 11 seasons taking these mental reps. But we shall see.


Wide receiver
This has been one of the fiercest and most fascinating battles in camp. Right now, I have four receivers definitely making the roster — Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, Jalen Guyton. And I think the Chargers will keep six receivers total. So that leaves two spots open for four receivers — K.J. Hill, Tyron Johnson, Joe Reed and Jason Moore. Moore has not practiced all week and missed Sunday’s game against the 49ers. Same with Reed. Hill, too, missed practice all week with an injury he suffered in Sunday’s game. Johnson might be the only receiver of the four to play Saturday.


Inside linebacker
There are four players who will definitely make the roster in this group: Kenneth Murray, Kyzir White, Drue Tranquill and rookie Nick Niemann. Do they keep five? That is the question. Amen Ogbongbemiga is dealing with an AC joint sprain, but Staley said Thursday that the undrafted rookie should be ready for the start of the season. I could see Ogbongbemiga creating the fifth spot, though he will not play Saturday. Cole Christiansen, who will play against the Seahawks, is also in the mix.


Cornerback
Free-agent signing Ryan Smith remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list, so he is not counting against the roster at the moment. Smith dealt with a core muscle injury for pretty much all of camp. Hypothetically, Smith could remain on the COVID-19 list past Tuesday at 1 p.m. At that point, if he is eligible to be activated off the COVID-19 list, the Chargers could place Smith on injured reserve, and he would be allowed to return sometime during the season. If Smith is placed on IR before 1 p.m. Tuesday, he must miss the entire season. If the first scenario happens, a spot would be opened for the ninth defensive back and fifth corner after Chris Harris, Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr. and Brandon Facyson. I think this is a two-man battle between Tevaughn Campbell and Kemon Hall.


Long snapper
Matt Overton is in the driver’s seat for this spot. Cole Mazza is still dealing with a shoulder injury he suffered in the preseason opener. A lot of this depends on Mazza’s health.


A fun end to preseason practices
Thursday was the Chargers’ final practice before cutdown day, meaning the final practice with their 80-player roster. After practice, the team had a festive punt-catching competition. Derwin James faced off with Justin Herbert. They both caught their punts. Linval Joseph faced off with Corey Linsley. Joseph dropped his, and Linsley caught his. The last pairing was Joey Bosa vs. Rashawn Slater. Bosa caught his to even the score 2-2. Then Slater caught his to win the competition for the offense, 3-2. Slater punted the ball in the air in celebration before he was mobbed by his offensive teammates.

Later, quarterbacks coach Shane Day, offensive quality control coach Chandler Whitmer, offensive coordinator Lombardi, Staley and Daniel played a variation of dizzy bat. Each guy grabbed a foam roller and placed their head on the roller before spinning in circles. Then they stood up, stumbling from dizziness, before Herbert, while kneeling, tossed them a football. Then they had to throw a football at a tackling dummy about 10 yards away. They were not very successful. Staley was the only of the five to actually hit the target. Day attempted to punt the ball at the dummy.

“It was time to have some fun,” Staley said.


Camp injuries avoided
I know I will get some comments about jinxing things but this is worth mentioning: The Chargers have officially made it through training camp without any significant injuries. Their offensive line is still fully intact. James is healthy. Even further, they have no missing pieces on their starting defense. Williams, who has been sitting out with a hip flexor injury, is expected back at practice next week.

This is the healthiest the Chargers have been at this juncture since I started covering the team in 2019.

Staley’s process has worked. There are 15 starters who will not play Saturday. I think that number could end up being as high as 20. There are still more than two weeks before the season opener at Washington so I do not want to get ahead of myself. But it is certainly looking like the Chargers will have a, more or less, fully healthy roster for Week 1.

“I think our camp is a validation,” Staley said of the process. “I know that I’m very pleased. But I’m very happy because I know that (the players are) in a good place. And I know that they’re fully invested in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. And that’s a big component of it, is getting your team healthy to the first game, and doing the best you can, knowing that it’s impossible to keep your team fully healthy. But I think what our players know is that everybody here is fully invested in them being as good as they can be. And I think our players are very confident in that. And that was a big goal of mine coming here, because I’m aware of what it’s been like here in the past.”

[like54ninjas]

Popper’s final thoughts on training camp. OL seems set. This is also healthiest that he’s seen this team since covering them in 2019.
https://theathletic.com/2792821/2021...amp-practices/

Good stuff!
Agree with Popper on most of the roster prediction.
I’m not convinced we keep 6 DL. I also think RB, TE, & DB are yet to be finalized.

This OL combination of starters and depth is such a big improvement over the past 8-10 years.

I see six spots that are flexible at this point. I initially had seven spots, including the offensive line, but Staley said Thursday that he will be keeping nine offensive linemen, and those spots are all filled: Corey Linsley, Bryan Bulaga, Matt Feiler, Oday Aboushi, Rashawn Slater, Brenden Jaimes, Trey Pipkins, Scott Quessenberryand Storm Norton

[like54ninjas]

7 toughest cuts from our Chargers 53-man roster prediction

We are a little less than a week away until we know how the Chargers 53-man roster for 2021 season will shape up.

With 27 players to cut, that means there will be some tough decisions to make as they fill out their team.


Going off of our latest 53-man roster projection, here were some of the most difficult cuts to make.


QB Easton Stick
I’m a firm believer that Los Angeles should carry two quarterbacks. While Stick has some momentum on his side, I find it difficult to believe that the team will cut Chase Daniel, who brings the knowledge with Joe Lombardi’s offense and mentorship to aide in Herbert’s transition. However, with another strong performance on Saturday against the Seahawks and Stick could have the Chargers considering rolling into the season with three signal-callers.


RB Darius Bradwell
Aside from Larry Rountree, Bradwell has been the most efficient rusher throughout the preseason. He has also made some key plays on special teams. While this may seem like enough to earn the final spot, I still believe that the coaches will roll the dice with the talent of Justin Jackson, despite injury concerns, and the untapped potential of Joshua Kelley. Bradwell should be a strong practice squad candidate, should he not make the roster.


TE Stephen Anderson
I went back and forth with this one, but I kept Anderson off of the 53-man roster for the first time since I started making predictions. The reason for that is because of Gabe Nabers, who has played a similar role. I believe Nabers offers more upside as a blocker, has shown potential as a pass-catcher and most importantly, has been lauded by the coaches for his special teams ability.


DL Joe Gaziano
I’ve always been a fan of Gaziano since he came out of Northwestern, and after making the move inside he has flashed a ton. The one thing that could hurt his chances from earning a spot, however, is that there are a handful of other interior defenders that have performed very well. In this case, I went with the more experienced Cortez Broughton, who has looked like an entirely different player this summer.


NT Forrest Merrill
Like Gaziano, Merrill is in a tough situation because of how great the position group has been as a whole. Merrill, the undrafted free agent, has been a menace in the middle of the defensive line — consistently getting penetration and eating up double teams. Although he’s raised eyebrows, Breiden Fehoko gets the nod for his play and infectious energy he brings to the team.


EDGE Emeke Egbule
I viewed Egbule as a player that would benefit from the defensive switch and while he’s done good things, especially on special teams, he’s recently been sidelined with an injury, which has led to other players flashing like Jessie Lemonier. In this scenario, I have the team rolling with four edge defenders and both players not making the team altogether to save a roster spot for another position group.


CB John Brannon
The defensive backs have benefited from head coach Brandon Staley immensely, which has made it extremely difficult to figure out who will make the squad. While Brannon has led the team in interceptions this summer, players like Tevaughn Campbell and Kemon Hall were given the final spots simply because of their versatility in the secondary and special teams upside.

[like54ninjas]

[wu-dai clan]

Ryan Smith to COVID IR gives us a little room and time.
That leaves Tevaughn Campbell and Kemon Hall for one DB roster spot.

Man I hate to not keep Bradwell.

IMV, roster spot #53 is down to Jason Moore vs Stephen Anderson vs Amen Obongbemiga.

[Heatmiser]

I suspect most of the guys we are agonizing over will go to the PS, so will still be part of the team

TG

[Heatmiser]

If it comes down to it, which one would you keep:

1. Kelley
2. Jackson

The always available, limited, very likeable vs a very talented yet always injured RB? And no saying Bradwell or Rountree. Just compare these two primary backups to Ekeler. The backup/change of pace RB is an extremely important position for this team. Ekeler has an injury history and he cannot be nearly as effective if he has to play all the time.

TG

[Topcat]

CB John Brannon
The defensive backs have benefited from head coach Brandon Staley immensely, which has made it extremely difficult to figure out who will make the squad. While Brannon has led the team in interceptions this summer, players like Tevaughn Campbell and Kemon Hall were given the final spots simply because of their versatility in the secondary and special teams upside.

If the Bolts try to sneak Brannon onto the PS, I think there's a chance he gets poached...

[Topcat]

Ryan Smith to COVID IR gives us a little room and time.
That leaves Tevaughn Campbell and Kemon Hall for one DB roster spot.

Man I hate to not keep Bradwell.

IMV, roster spot #53 is down to Jason Moore vs Stephen Anderson vs Amen Obongbemiga.

I'm with u, Wood...Bradwell could get poached...

[CivilBolt]

If it comes down to it, which one would you keep:

1. Kelley
2. Jackson

The always available, limited, very likeable vs a very talented yet always injured RB? And no saying Bradwell or Rountree. Just compare these two primary backups to Ekeler. The backup/change of pace RB is an extremely important position for this team. Ekeler has an injury history and he cannot be nearly as effective if he has to play all the time.

TG

I rather have a RB that can produce which is Kelley. You can’t do it on the sideline. I think we have given JJ enough chance to prove himself and it looks like he can’t get over the injury bug. He’s the RB version of JV.