The Chargers face off against the 49ers on Friday night before head coach Brandon Staley and company begin their trimming of the roster to 53 players next week.
Here are six storylines to watch for during Los Angeles’ final preseason matchup against San Francisco:
Who will be under center?
First things first, Justin Herbert will not take a snap on Friday. Instead, it will be Easton Stick and Max Duggan, or at least that’s what we think. However, we did not know Stick would play the entire game against the Saints this past Sunday.
“Just the flow of the game,” Staley said on Stick playing all four quarters. “It was a tight game and we were trying to work our way back. That’s kind of what I told you guys. I really want Easton to get the work. Easton needed to play in a game like this.”
It makes sense for the Chargers to see what they have in Stick, who will back up Herbert this season. But Duggan’s reps are just as valuable. They must see what the seventh-round pick offers to the table at this level, whether or not they plan to keep him on the 53-man roster.
Can Elijah push his way to 53-man roster?
As the Chargers sort out the backfield behind Austin Ekeler, undrafted free agent Elijah Dotson warranted some consideration to earn a spot on the roster with his preseason-opening performance that consisted of 92 rushing yards and two touchdowns on six carries. But Dotson drew some pause this past weekend after dropping two passes on the final series. Can Dotson replicate the product from two weeks ago to have Los Angeles consider carrying four backs?
Will the tight ends please stand up?
The tight end position behind Gerald Everett has left a lot to be desired. Donald Parham and Tre’ McKitty have been underwhelming this summer, with Parham dealing with dropped passes while McKitty not improving much as a blocker. Stone Smartt, on the other hand, has flashed. It’s hard not to think that the position group could benefit from a free-agent signing, but the chances of the team going that route are slim. So, instead, Parham and McKitty need to show some promise on Friday night.
Who will play their way into the sixth wide receiver?
With Jalen Guyton trending toward starting the season on the reserve/PUP list, it leaves a spot open as the sixth wide receiver. Keelan Doss and John Hightower are the frontrunners for it. Doss has consistently caught everything thrown to him, while Hightower offers another speed element. What will the team favor? It may come down to who makes more plays on Friday.
Who fills out the defensive tackle room?
Otito Ogbonnia is still on the reserve/PUP list, leaving a spot open if he’s on there to open the regular season. If they carry six defensive tackles, it will be two up for grabs. This has been a tight battle in the preseason between Nick Williams, Christopher Hinton, David Moa and undrafted free agent Jerrod Clark. Given what Ogbonnia offers as a run defender, one of the spots will come down to who can fill that voided element.
Offensive line shore up
Through two preseason games, the Chargers have allowed four sacks and 18 quarterback pressures. This has been a good resource to evaluate the offensive line depth and it has left much to be desired. For a unit that has had its fair share of injuries to the starters, getting promising play from the backups is vital. This will be a huge test against a 49ers team that will play its starters.
