Official 2025 Chargers Discussion | 2025 Roster Build | Free Agency and Draft

[Boltjolt]

It's going to be hard for them to cut Matlock, IMHO. He stepped up bigly for the team last year when they needed a FB. That is going to be a tough one. For us fans it's a no-brainer but for the Hortiz/Coaches it's probably not that easy.

Why would it be harder for them to cut him than anyone else? He wasnt cutting it at DT so it was easy to try him at FB. If he doesnt play FB and stay on DL, do you think he makes the team with the newly acquired DL?

What changes with a newly aquired FB/H back? Hard decisions will have to be made.

[Bolt4Knob]

Chargers may have found the best UDFA running back


Several years ago, I was researching the top returning running backs in college football and this guy named “Rocket” came across my screen. During the 2022 season for Arkansas, Raheim Sanders rushed for over 1,400 yards and scored 10 touchdowns (1,600+ yards of total offense). As a junior in 2023, Sanders missed half the season to an injury but he wasn’t seeing the same success prior to it anyway. He was averaging just a paltry 3,4 yards per carry and had 209 rushing yards in that span.

Looking for a fresh start, he transferred to South Carolina where he won the starting job and went on to rush for a team-leading 881 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had him listed as a fifth or sixth round pick in this year’s draft. He also had one of the best relative athletic scores in this running back class (although slightly incomplete). Lastly, he rushed for over 3,000 yards and scored 33 career touchdowns in the SEC over four seasons.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds pretty good for an undrafted back. The Chargers don’t need him to be the next big UDFA gem, but if they can get a good backup running back out of him, that’s more than anyone could ask for at this point.

IMO, he’s in competition for the 3rd RB slot.

Sanders with Vidal

Klotz and Matlock

Grimm maybe added to the mix

Competition is good. It seems under Telesco it was a 45-47 player roster - excluding LS, K and P. Now, with Hortiz, might actually have 52 players for 50 spots - good problem to have

[Topcat]

Mini camp drills. This is exactly what Zion needs.


The players rotated through four main sections of practice. One of those sections was individual drills. Players worked with their position groups. Each position was tasked with mastering three drills throughout the practice. An example of one of those drills with the interior defensive line, coached by Mike Elston: A player set up in front of the leverage sled and worked through five coaching points. The first was stance. The second was the strike at the sled. The third was peeking into the primary gap responsibility while maintaining outstretched arms. The fourth was disengaging into the primary gap. The fifth was disengaging into the secondary gap, the opposite direction.

How about another drill to see which O linemen consistently adapt best to stunts? Keep a chart all through Mini Camp, TC and PS games...

[Formula 21]

It's going to be hard for them to cut Matlock, IMHO. He stepped up bigly for the team last year when they needed a FB. That is going to be a tough one. For us fans it's a no-brainer but for the Hortiz/Coaches it's probably not that easy.

The coaches like BIG and Matlock is BIG. Its not a done deal yet.

[CanadianBoltFan]

Sanders with Vidal

Klotz and Matlock

Grimm maybe added to the mix

Competition is good. It seems under Telesco it was a 45-47 player roster - excluding LS, K and P. Now, with Hortiz, might actually have 52 players for 50 spots - good problem to have

Mickens and Jefferson

I don't see Grimm anywhere but practice squad maybe

[Chargers8491]

Why would it be harder for them to cut him than anyone else? He wasnt cutting it at DT so it was easy to try him at FB. If he doesnt play FB and stay on DL, do you think he makes the team with the newly acquired DL?

What changes with a newly aquired FB/H back? Hard decisions will have to be made.

On a personal level it is going to be hard to cut him. I know it is a business, and it will be a hard decision to be made if they cut him.

With that said, I don't think Matlock will be cut this year. He got much better in the 2nd half of the season and has a full year of experience in the system. As much as I love watching Stevo trucking players it's a pretty tall order for him to take over the starting job as an UDFA.

I do think Stevo will make the team as a ST'er and likely TE/FB. He will most likely be the 4th/5th string TE and 2nd string FB. He could likely see playing time in jumbo sets. There is a long way to go but this is my initial thought.

[Boltjolt]

Sanders with Vidal

Klotz and Matlock

Grimm maybe added to the mix

Competition is good. It seems under Telesco it was a 45-47 player roster - excluding LS, K and P. Now, with Hortiz, might actually have 52 players for 50 spots - good problem to have

That RAS score is missing all his slow agility drills. I posted both in here 2-3 weeks ago when somebody posted his misleading RAS score in here.

RAS scores are worthless anyways but here is the difference with all his drills...and some of those times are wrong in the upper one. Those were his projected and he didn't reach them. Official times in lower one.

Screenshot_20250510-170925.png

Screenshot_20250510-170444.png

[Boltjolt]

Klotz either makes it and is the 4th TE or he is on the PS. Matlock would have to make it as a FB imo. Idk how well Klotz will be as a rookie but he is mostly going to be blocking. Guessing he is ahead of the curve there from Fisk and Matlock who are both new to offense unless they played TE in highschool.

I'm also trying to say there isn't any room on the DL for Matlock. He hasn't been good. Who is he going to beat out?

Matlock played 730 snaps last session and only 137 were on defense. 231 on STs, 362 on offense.

TC is 2.5 months away. Lol

[Formula 21]

So Matlock doesn’t show a big improvement between years 1and 2 in Harbaugh’s system?

I’m not counting him out yet.

[dmac_bolt]

It's going to be hard for them to cut Matlock, IMHO. He stepped up bigly for the team last year when they needed a FB. That is going to be a tough one. For us fans it's a no-brainer but for the Hortiz/Coaches it's probably not that easy.

I didn’t think Matlock blocked very well and he wasnt much for DT either. Fisk also didn’t block well for a blocking TE. My view isn’t unanimous and obviously all are welcome to come in and compete. Klotz kills NCAA defenders but he has to show he can do the same vs grown up NFL players.

Klotz’ NCAA tape is far better than anything we saw from Matlock last year, but he’ll have to show it at the next level to take his spot. Let the games begin!

[dmac_bolt]

I didn’t think Matlock blocked very well and he wasnt much for DT either. Fisk also didn’t block well for a blocking TE. My view isn’t unanimous and obviously all are welcome to come in and compete. Klotz kills NCAA defenders but he has to show he can do the same vs grown up NFL players.

Klotz’ NCAA tape is far better than anything we saw from Matlock last year, but he’ll have to show it at the next level to take his spot. Let the games begin!

I’ll add to myself

Not only Klotz has to show he can do what he did at ISU when he plays against pros, Matlock also has the opportunity to improve and compete. I don’t know how it comes out, I just didn’t think 2024 Matlock was that good as pseudo-FB - he missed a lot of blocks, a lot of run plays were blown up because of it. He was ineffective in limited DT work. But it was his first significant work and a year under his belt - who knows.

he can’t fix that he’s a ginger, unfortunately. We can only keep a helmet on him at all times.

[Topcat]

The coaches like BIG and Matlock is BIG. Its not a done deal yet.

Matlock: 6-4, 296#
Klotz: 6-4, 247#

Same height, Matlock sure has the edge in weight...but who is the better blocker? Who is the better RB? Who is the better receiver? We shall see...