While highlight reels from superstar players tend to grab the headlines during NFL training camps, there are upwards of 40 players on every team fighting for their professional survival.
The Chargers are no exception, with a handful of final roster spots available for the taking.
Here are the ones making an impression.
Wide receivers John Hightower and Darrius Shepherd
Hightower has been the star of camp thus far, with his name on every Chargers fan’s lips nearly every day of practice. One of LA’s speediest receivers with 4.43 speed, Hightower has shined with extra reps in the wake of Jalen Guyton’s absence while on the PUP list. As far as making the roster goes, Hightower will likely need Guyton to go on the reserve PUP list prior to the start of the season. The Chargers’ top five receivers are set with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, and Derius Davis. Teams rarely carry more than six, so if Guyton is healthy, Hightower remains on the outside looking in.
Similarly, Shepherd has made an impact early on in training camp primarily as a returner. Working with the second team return squad, the XFL Special Teams Player of the Year has popped both in kick and punt situations. With Davis acclimating at a normal pace rather than a breakneck one, it’s possible that the Chargers keep Shepherd over Hightower if Guyton starts the year on PUP for the added special teams versatility. In that case, a more cautious, redshirt-like approach is probably in order for Davis.
Offensive linemen Andrew Trainer, Zack Bailey, and Brenden Jaimes
Trainer made it until about the second week of training camp last season before landing on injured reserve as a rookie, so information on him has been sparse during his tenure as a Charger. Suddenly, when camp started last week, Trainer was working as the second team left tackle behind Rashawn Slater. That could be notable if the Chargers elect to lean heavy on the exterior after the injury issues they experienced last season, especially with Trey Pipkins missing a number of practices this year. There are other reasons Trainer is taking these snaps, namely that Slater’s actual backup options are likely starting guard Jamaree Salyer and swing guard Bailey.
Speaking of Bailey, the Chargers seem to be high on the 27-year-old as a potential guard option. Prior to Pipkins’ injury, Bailey took the majority of his snaps as a second teamer behind Zion Johnson and Salyer. But the injury to LA’s starter at right tackle has illuminated another reason why Bailey may prove valuable. With Foster Sarell pushed into first team right tackle reps, Bailey has slid over to second team tackle as well. That versatility is something LA has coveted in recent years, and could be the difference between Bailey making the team or not.
That spot could come at the expense of Jaimes, who’s been working as the second team left guard but has struggled in his brief NFL career thus far. Rookie Jordan McFadden started camp as a third teamer, but it’s rare that a fifth rounder misses the team as a rookie. Assume therefore that McFadden is in, and it begins to get difficult to find a spot for Jaimes if the Chargers prefer tackle depth from Trainer or versatility from Bailey.
Defensive linemen Nick Williams and Christopher Hinton
With Otito Ogbonnia and Austin Johnson on the PUP list without a timetable to return, there’s room for additional defensive linemen on the first version of the 53 man roster. Williams seemed like he had a leg up entering camp as a veteran with experience in Brandon Staley’s system, but he’s been quiet thus far. He also did not practice on Wednesday for undisclosed reasons.
Hinton, meanwhile, has been rotating in with the first team defensive tackles when Sebastian Joseph-Day and Morgan Fox require a break. Hinton flashed down the stretch last season when pressed into game action. Through one week of practice, it seems like the former undrafted player has carried that momentum into this year.
S Raheem Layne
Three safeties seem safe on the 53 man roster: Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, and JT Woods. James and Gilman are the clear starters, with the latter having a great camp, while Woods has still been inconsistent but will likely make the roster due to the investment the Chargers made in him last season. There is, however, a fourth spot likely available, with Layne, Mark Webb Jr., and undrafted rookie AJ Finley sparring for it.
Through one week of camp, Layne firmly has the lead for that spot, and looks as though he’ll open the season ahead of Woods on the depth chart. The former undrafted player had the first turnover of camp, an interception of Easton Stick on Thursday, and has consistently been around the ball all week. Webb and Finley have been much quieter, so it looks like this spot may be locked up sooner than later.
Kickers Cameron Dicker and Dustin Hopkins
The rare roster bubble battle that also has a starting spot at stake, Dicker and Hopkins remain locked in a competition for the kicker spot. The veteran Hopkins hasn’t kicked since the second practice of camp, with Dicker taking all the attempts during the last three sessions. That said, Brandon Staley is on record that the competition will drag on, so there’s likely not much to read into through one week of camp.
Neither Dicker of Hopkins have looked particularly fallible so far, with neither of them missing more than one kick per session. Unless one of them falls apart down the stretch, it appears as though the Chargers will have two good options to choose from, a problem they haven’t had in nearly a decade.
