Roster (Cuts and Trades to Initial 53)

[sonorajim]

Five of our projected top 8 OL have a lot of improvement to do. Count me worried.

I'm not confident that we'll improve a great deal on the #4 scoring offense that LAC put on the field in 2018 but will be totally shocked if we are not among top 10 run, pass, scoring. With an improved D there will be more and better opportunities.
Strictly addressing 5 OL starters, LG, RG, RT need to improve. That may happen without personnel change. Either way, the depth gets stronger. The LAC went 12-4 with them starting. As depth they're not too shabby. I expect Lamp to dominate one of the OG slots. Scho won a SB at RT, might be asked to move over. Balance of the depth are currently potential. Time for Lynn, Whiz & Meyer to earn their pay. The young OL at TC will be one of the most exciting pos to watch after the pads go on. They'll be working against very good DL personnel.

[Tol]

Revised and Updated 53 Man Roster Prediction:

Offense - 25

	Starter	Backup	3rd	4th
QB	Rivers	Tyrod Taylor	Easton Stick
RB	Melvin Gordon	Austin Ekeler	Justin Jackson	*
FB	Derek Watt	*Detrez Newsome
WR1	Keenan Allen	Travis Benjamin	Geremy Davis
WR2	Mike Williams	Dylan Cantrell
TE	Hunter Henry	Virgil Green	Sean Culkin
LT	Russell Okung
LG	Dan Feeney	Scott Quessenberry
C	Mike Pouncey	Cole Toner
RG	Forrest Lamp	Michael Scholfield
RT	Trey Pipkins	Sam Tevi

Defense - 25

	Starter	Backup	3rd	4th
DE	Joey Bosa	Isaac Rochell	Anthony Lanier
NT	Brandon Mebane	Justin Jones
DT	Jerry Tillery	Damion Square	TY McGill
LEO	Melvin Ingram	Uchenna Nwosu
OTTO	Thomas Davis	Emeke Egbule
MIKE	Denzel Perryman	Drue Tranquill
WILL	Kyzir White	Jatavis Brown
RCB	Casey Hayward	Desmond King
SS	Derwin James	Adrian Phillips
FS	Nasir Adderley	Rayshawn Jenkins
LCB	Trevor Williams	Michael Davis	Brandon Facyson

Practice Squad - 10

	P/S Offense		P/S Defense
OT	Trent Scott	DT	Cortez Broughton
OC	Tanner Volson	DE	Patrick Afriyie
TE	Daniel Helm	LB	Tre'Von Johnson
RB	Jeremy Cox	CB	Kemon Hall
WR	Artavis Scott	SS	Jaylen Watkins

Special Teams - 3

K	Michael Badgley
P	Tyler Newsome
LS	Mike Windt

A lot of tough decisions to make. I'm looking forward to camp battles and Pre-Season.

Another possible best-5 starting OL could be Okung-Lamp-Pouncey-Schofield-Pipkins. And the more I think about it, the more I like it. It all starts with who wins the RT position. Lamp? Tevi? Pipkins? If Pipkins is the answer at RT, then Lamp would likely take one of the OG spots. If he can play LG better than Feeney, then why not leave RG to Schofield?

There's a lot of depth at Defensive Tackle, so they might put Cortez Broughton on the practice squad just like they did to Rochell who is also a 7th round pick. That way you can keep TY McGill who "offers versatility at both spots along the interior." -source

I will say this, our defense is STACKED!!!

[Boltjolt]

Jaylen Watkins i dont believe is practice squad eligible. He has been in the league since 2014 and on a roster the whole time...cept last year w/ us on IR.

[Formula 21]

Revised and Updated 53 Man Roster Prediction:

Offense - 25

	Starter	Backup	3rd	4th
QB	Rivers	Tyrod Taylor	Easton Stick
RB	Melvin Gordon	Austin Ekeler	Justin Jackson	*
FB	Derek Watt	*Detrez Newsome
WR1	Keenan Allen	Travis Benjamin	Geremy Davis
WR2	Mike Williams	Dylan Cantrell
TE	Hunter Henry	Virgil Green	Sean Culkin
LT	Russell Okung
LG	Dan Feeney	Scott Quessenberry
C	Mike Pouncey	Cole Toner
RG	Forrest Lamp	Michael Scholfield
RT	Trey Pipkins	Sam Tevi

Defense - 25

	Starter	Backup	3rd	4th
DE	Joey Bosa	Isaac Rochell	Anthony Lanier
NT	Brandon Mebane	Justin Jones
DT	Jerry Tillery	Damion Square	TY McGill
LEO	Melvin Ingram	Uchenna Nwosu
OTTO	Thomas Davis	Emeke Egbule
MIKE	Denzel Perryman	Drue Tranquill
WILL	Kyzir White	Jatavis Brown
RCB	Casey Hayward	Desmond King
SS	Derwin James	Adrian Phillips
FS	Nasir Adderley	Rayshawn Jenkins
LCB	Trevor Williams	Michael Davis	Brandon Facyson

Practice Squad - 10

	P/S Offense		P/S Defense
OT	Trent Scott	DT	Cortez Broughton
OC	Tanner Volson	DE	Patrick Afriyie
TE	Daniel Helm	LB	Tre'Von Johnson
RB	Jeremy Cox	CB	Kemon Hall
WR	Artavis Scott	SS	Jaylen Watkins

Special Teams - 3

K	Michael Badgley
P	Tyler Newsome
LS	Mike Windt

A lot of tough decisions to make. I'm looking forward to camp battles and Pre-Season.

Another possible best-5 starting OL could be Okung-Lamp-Pouncey-Schofield-Pipkins. And the more I think about it, the more I like it. It all starts with who wins the RT position. Lamp? Tevi? Pipkins? If Pipkins is the answer at RT, then Lamp would likely take one of the OG spots. If he can play LG better than Feeney, then why not leave RG to Schofield?

There's a lot of depth at Defensive Tackle, so they might put Cortez Broughton on the practice squad just like they did to Rochell who is also a 7th round pick. That way you can keep TY McGill who "offers versatility at both spots along the interior." -source

I will say this, our defense is STACKED!!!

Good job. I may not agree with it all, but this roster is stacked and not everybody is going to make the final 53. We need one guy to step up at RT or LG.

[SYB]

Revised and Updated 53 Man Roster Prediction:

Offense - 25

	Starter	Backup	3rd	4th
QB	Rivers	Tyrod Taylor	Easton Stick
RB	Melvin Gordon	Austin Ekeler	Justin Jackson	*
FB	Derek Watt	*Detrez Newsome
WR1	Keenan Allen	Travis Benjamin	Geremy Davis
WR2	Mike Williams	Dylan Cantrell
TE	Hunter Henry	Virgil Green	Sean Culkin
LT	Russell Okung
LG	Dan Feeney	Scott Quessenberry
C	Mike Pouncey	Cole Toner
RG	Forrest Lamp	Michael Scholfield
RT	Trey Pipkins	Sam Tevi

Defense - 25

	Starter	Backup	3rd	4th
DE	Joey Bosa	Isaac Rochell	Anthony Lanier
NT	Brandon Mebane	Justin Jones
DT	Jerry Tillery	Damion Square	TY McGill
LEO	Melvin Ingram	Uchenna Nwosu
OTTO	Thomas Davis	Emeke Egbule
MIKE	Denzel Perryman	Drue Tranquill
WILL	Kyzir White	Jatavis Brown
RCB	Casey Hayward	Desmond King
SS	Derwin James	Adrian Phillips
FS	Nasir Adderley	Rayshawn Jenkins
LCB	Trevor Williams	Michael Davis	Brandon Facyson

Practice Squad - 10

	P/S Offense		P/S Defense
OT	Trent Scott	DT	Cortez Broughton
OC	Tanner Volson	DE	Patrick Afriyie
TE	Daniel Helm	LB	Tre'Von Johnson
RB	Jeremy Cox	CB	Kemon Hall
WR	Artavis Scott	SS	Jaylen Watkins

Special Teams - 3

K	Michael Badgley
P	Tyler Newsome
LS	Mike Windt

A lot of tough decisions to make. I'm looking forward to camp battles and Pre-Season.

Another possible best-5 starting OL could be Okung-Lamp-Pouncey-Schofield-Pipkins. And the more I think about it, the more I like it. It all starts with who wins the RT position. Lamp? Tevi? Pipkins? If Pipkins is the answer at RT, then Lamp would likely take one of the OG spots. If he can play LG better than Feeney, then why not leave RG to Schofield?

There's a lot of depth at Defensive Tackle, so they might put Cortez Broughton on the practice squad just like they did to Rochell who is also a 7th round pick. That way you can keep TY McGill who "offers versatility at both spots along the interior." -source

I will say this, our defense is STACKED!!!

Solid work, but here's my take.

Watkins isn't a SS or PS eligible for that matter. Artavis was very likely making the squad before getting hurt, so I'd slot him over Davis and/or Cantrell right now. And I would guess Broughton over Lanier at this point, as guys like Square or Tillery could play the "big DE" spot in a pinch. Which was actually what Square did a bit of while Bosa was out. Hell, Broughton could likely play there too, as Cincy had him line up everywhere and his get off is nasty.

[Tol]

Jaylen Watkins i dont believe is practice squad eligible. He has been in the league since 2014 and on a roster the whole time...cept last year w/ us on IR.

Now that I've looked into it, I think you're right. With just two seasons he might have been eligible, but he's got at least 3: '14, '16, and '17.
If there's anyone else I listed as P/S who isn't actually eligible, then just ignore it. Tre'Von Johnson probably isn't eligible either.

Solid work, but here's my take.

Watkins isn't a SS or PS eligible for that matter. Artavis was very likely making the squad before getting hurt, so I'd slot him over Davis and/or Cantrell right now. And I would guess Broughton over Lanier at this point, as guys like Square or Tillery could play the "big DE" spot in a pinch. Which was actually what Square did a bit of while Bosa was out. Hell, Broughton could likely play there too, as Cincy had him line up everywhere and his get off is nasty.

Watkins is in the Safety group. But I think it will be hard for them to keep more than 4 safeties. A 5th safety would have to have S/T value. Phillips, Jenkins and CB Facyson all have S/T experience and roles.

I agree, Artavis had a good chance to make the 53 last season, but that's still an unknown. Coming off an injury is an uphill climb. S/T contribution will factor in. So in that regard I give Davis the edge for now, since he played some S/T last season, or maybe it was the preseason, I forget. From what I've heard about Cantrell, he should be a lock as WR4.

If they keep Broughton, then I think they would cut McGill. They just re-signed Square, so 5 interior guys should be the max with all the other defensive talent they want to hold on it elsewhere. I doubt they rob DE to pay DT. Chuckie will tell you good pass rushers are hard to find, and I have a feeling Lanier is a better pass rusher on the edge than any of the interior guys, bar Tillery.

[wu-dai clan]

IMHO...

10 DBs--Facyson, Watkins (9&10).
Trent Scott over Cole Toner--OT upside valued over emergency C.
Scott to PS is a guarantee poach.

[Steve]

Watkins may be listed in the S group, but to date most of his playing time (in Philly) was at CB. Because of that, they may be willing to keep extra S, since he adds depth at both S and CB. It will just all depend on how well everyone plays (CB and S). They won't cut a good S, just to keep a half-assed CB. But they won't keep extra S unless they are really good either. But Watkins is kinda a wildcard because while they feel his best position in our D is FS, he has been a good CB in the NFL. FWIW, almost all S have ST value, although I would bet Derwin James won't get a chance to use his skills on ST, much if at all.

Everyone can keep projecting Lanier to be better outside than inside player, but all of his playing time, including the 5 sacks he had for Washington in 2017 were all with him lined up as a 3 tech. He can do both, but before everyone looks at his profile on Chargers.com and say he is too small or too something else, maybe you should do your homework and at least watch his highlights, if not how he played in 2017.

McGill is amazingly quick, which is a good thing to have in a 3 tech. He will probably get a lot of attention from our fans in PS. He was among the most productive/disruptive DT in football last PS. The problem is that he doesn't use his hands well, so while he can beat backups, he is invisible against starts, like he was in the almost 100 snaps he got for us last year. If he uses his hands and can learn to shed blocks, then he can be an impact player for us and a solid part of a rotation. However, he is a 5th-year player, so he is just about out of time. Odds are he won't learn to use his hands. I hope I am wrong, because his quickness could make him special. But most players his age are at the make it or break it stage.

It always depends on how everyone plays. They don't make a roster focused on any one position group or even one side of the ball. Coaches will be looking at the fringe players on both sides of the ball, and even the starters in front of them. Roster dynamics are a tough thing to predict because they are incredibly complicated. Remember, at a minimum, you need at least 1 backup (who can play) for every 2 guys on the field (3 guys cover 2 spots for playing and backup). Ideally, you would want a backup for every player, but normally there are 15+ guys who play a regular role on each side of the ball, so some compromises must be made. If you think of pre-game intro with 11 starters on O and 11 on D and a backup for each, that would give you 44 total, plus 3 ST is 47 of the 53.

The other thing to remember is that while fans get all excited about the final 53 cutdown, NFL GM's don't stop there by any means. TT typically finds some decent players in the next couple of weeks, so the last 4-5 guys on the "final 53" are not even going to be on the roster after that (unless they get hurt). That doesn't include the PS, or other transactions for injuries.

[Boltjolt]

Whats the infactuation with Facyson? I mean if he beats out somebody great but I don't expect him to make the team and he has PS eligiblity.

[Boltjolt]

Now that I've looked into it, I think you're right. With just two seasons he might have been eligible, but he's got at least 3: '14, '16, and '17.
If there's anyone else I listed as P/S who isn't actually eligible, then just ignore it. Tre'Von Johnson probably isn't eligible either.



Watkins is in the Safety group. But I think it will be hard for them to keep more than 4 safeties. A 5th safety would have to have S/T value. Phillips, Jenkins and CB Facyson all have S/T experience and roles.

I agree, Artavis had a good chance to make the 53 last season, but that's still an unknown. Coming off an injury is an uphill climb. S/T contribution will factor in. So in that regard I give Davis the edge for now, since he played some S/T last season, or maybe it was the preseason, I forget. From what I've heard about Cantrell, he should be a lock as WR4.

If they keep Broughton, then I think they would cut McGill. They just re-signed Square, so 5 interior guys should be the max with all the other defensive talent they want to hold on it elsewhere. I doubt they rob DE to pay DT. Chuckie will tell you good pass rushers are hard to find, and I have a feeling Lanier is a better pass rusher on the edge than any of the interior guys, bar Tillery.

Especially when you trade good ones you already have away lol. Chuckie is a terrible GM imo.

[wu-dai clan]

Whats the infactuation with Facyson? I mean if he beats out somebody great but I don't expect him to make the team and he has PS eligiblity.

Facyson has the prototype size for gusD. Is there someone else to be CB#5/ST ?

[SYB]

Especially when you trade good ones you already have away lol. Chuckie is a terrible GM imo.

I thought that was a really odd person to cite as well. Dude dumped a top 3 pass rusher and took Ferrel over Allen. The later may work out, but damn did it seem like mistake at the time.