The Chargers are officially six practices deep into training camp. Today, the team has the day off before they get together with the Rams for a joint practice on Thursday.
There have been standouts on a daily basis, as the top positional battles continue. Whether it’s for a starting spot, depth or just a shot at the 53-man roster, the competition has been heated in Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, CA.
With that, here’s where some of the key position battles stand:
Wide Receiver
The battle at the wide receiver position has been up in the air. There has been a different player turning heads at each practice.
Artavis Scott has made a ton of great plays in all of camp thus far. Travis Benjamin and Geremy Davis have been rotating in and out as WR3 is not necessarily set in stone but the competition behind those guys has been the most intriguing.
Jason Moore, the undrafted free agent, kicked off Day 1 with some impressive plays from rookie quarterback Easton Stick. Justice Liggins has shown off his great hands. Andre Patton has looked good in 7-on-7’s.
Dylan Cantrell was waived by the Chargers on Sunday due to a shoulder injury. He passed through waivers but he’ll likely remain on injured reserve for the remainder of the season, leaving a final spot open for one of these guys if the team elects to go into the season with six wideouts.
Offensive Line
The offensive line has been the biggest roller coaster for the Chargers. Just when we thought the team had a formidable line, it went downhill.
Offensive tackle Russell Okung revealed that he suffered a pulmonary embolism last month. His return is up in the air, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he misses some regular season action.
The team has rotated with Sam Tevi and Trent Scott. Tevi filled in for Okung at left tackle for minicamp and the start of training camp. The past few days, however, Scott has gotten the bulk of the snaps at left tackle. Rookie Trey Pipkins has stood out, but has received the majority of the snaps with the 2’s.
As for the interior part of the line, Forrest Lamp has played both guard spots with the first-team along with Michael Schofield, primarily on the right side. Meanwhile Dan Feeney has been playing his natural position but has also seen snaps at center. Feeney isn’t going to take Mike Pouncey’s job, but the coaching staff may be seeing him as a swing player this season.
Cornerback
The battle for the second cornerback spot between Michael Davis and Trevor Williams is arguably one of the most monitored competitions, given how tight it is.
Both players have seen time with the first-team and have tabbed interceptions along with a few great plays in practice. We won’t have an idea for the Week 1 starter until after preseason action most likely. At the moment, it’s slightly 50/50 with Williams having the slight advantage over Davis.
Arrion Springs has been the guy that has gotten the majority of the attention at the positional group. Springs, an undrafted free agent out of Oregon, has been impressive in coverage. He posted two interceptions and one pass defensed. If he continues to keep the momentum, he could earn the last roster spot.
Free Safety
The starting free safety spot is another one of the most compelling battles in camp and thus far, it’s been quite close between Rayshawn Jenkins, Nasir Adderley and Jaylen Watkins.
Jenkins, who has been playing mainly with the 1’s, has the early advantage. Adderley has mainly played with the third-team defense during 11-on-11 drills with Watkins getting the second-team reps.
Jenkins has shown gradual progress since being drafted in the fourth-round of the 2017 NFL draft. He cut 15-16 pounds and is moving more freely in practice. Adderley, the second-round selection, hasn’t earned time with the starters but he has shown incredible range, speed and ball skills. Watkins, who was expected to be the starter at the beginning of the 2018 season, hasn’t made as much noise as the others.
The bottomline is that it’ll likely come down to the last week of preseason action until we find out who will be paired with safety Derwin James Week 1.
