The Chargers had an eventful NFL offseason. It saw them solidify their roster at nearly every position. They bulked up their front seven and secondary through free agency and the draft, and added other pieces for their future.
While all this is positive, it does lead to a roster issue. Some players are going to be casualties to all the new additions. That means a few are going into camp with their job on the line.
With that in mind, here are four notable players on the roster bubble for Los Angeles going into training camp and preseason.
QB Cardale Jones
The Chargers traded for Jones back in 2017 with the idea that they were going to develop into a quarterback of the future. Two seasons have gone by and Jones has done nothing to help his case.
Jones has been buried on the depth chart, showing the inability to beat out Geno Smith for the No. 2 job last year and now him earning the third spot is very slim after Los Angeles brought in Tyrod Taylor and Easton Stick this offseason.
Jones will be tasked with beating out Stick this summer. There’s no doubt that Sticks’ skillset and intangibles are more superior than Jones. But given the fact that the Bolts used a fifth-round selection on the former North Dakota State product, it was hinting that Jones will likely be finding a new team in 2019.
RB Detrez Newsome
Newsome was brought in last year as an undrafted free agent out of Western Carolina. He wasted no time showing his worth in preseason action, leading the team in yards from scrimmage, posting 150 rushing yards and a pair of scores on 42 carries. He also added nine catches for an additional 66 yards.
Newsome also saw some playing time against the Chiefs to fill as the No. 3 running back with the absence of Melvin Gordon. There, he rushed for 34 yards on six carries and took two catches for 19 yards.
But just because of his production in 2018 doesn’t mean that he will have a guaranteed spot on the 53-man roster. He is already buried on the depth chart behind Gordon, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson and will be facing some stiff competition within the next two months.
The one player that could steal him from a job is undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion, Jeremy Cox. Cox possesses the ideal size at 6-foot and 236 pounds and his play style suggests something that they don’t have in their backfield, which is an athletic bruiser who can fight for extra yards and also contribute as a pass-catcher.
DT T.Y. McGill
The Chargers brought in McGill for the majority of the 2018 season. He was brought in last September, was then waived in November, was signed and let go by the Eagles and he finally returned to Los Angeles.
McGill played a minimal role down the final stretch of the season when the team was thin up front due to injuries, posting just two total tackles.
Los Angeles addressed the interior part of the defensive line heavily this offseason, re-signing Brandon Mebane and Damion Square and drafting Jerry Tillery and Cortez Broughton.
These moves pushed McGill down the depth. Assuming that the team decides to keep four and potentially five defensive tackles on the roster, he will have to be very sharp in order to earn a roster spot.
LB Nick Dzubnar
Dzubnar agreed to a two-year contract with the Chargers back in March. He has been one of the leading special teams players for Los Angeles since joining the franchise in 2015 as an undrafted free agent.
It has been quite the uphill battle for the former Cal Poly product as he has dealt with injuries, has been waived, has spent sometime on the practice squad but has remained with the team because what he can do on special teams.
This might be it for Dzubnar in a Chargers uniform though as the team made the point to bolster their linebacker room with Thomas Davis, Drue Tranquill and Emeke Egbule.
Not to mention, they will have Denzel Perryman, Kyzir White and Jatavis Brown all returning. This makes it the most difficult for Dzubnar in his entire career given the amount of bodies he will have to compete against to remain on the team.
