The Chargers are officially halfway through preseason, and they are one step closer to finalizing the 53-man roster.
At the halfway mark, here’s how some of the key positional battles have been taking shape:
Wide receiver
The first preseason matchup of the year didn’t present that much because nearly all of the wide receivers were underwhelming to say the least. Despite the absence of Travis Benjamin and Andre Patton in the opener, notables like Artavis Scott and Geremy Davis failed to step up.
Fast forward a week later to the second preseason matchup against the Saints, and the position room finally came back to life. Patton and Scott were the clear standouts, posting four receptions and going over 60 yards each. Patton posted the only touchdown among the wideouts. Next was Geremy Davis, who had two catches for 21 yards on the afternoon.
It’s a tight race, but it only got tighter with the addition of Dontrelle Inman. Inman played with the Chargers for four years, and there’s no denying that he’s going to really challenge the group that’s fighting for the final two or three spots. Even with two weeks, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see him make the 53-man roster given his familiarity with the offense.
Advantage: Artavis Scott, Geremy Davis, Andre Patton, Dontrelle Inman
Left guard
Third-year Forrest Lamp has been the fan favorite to start at left guard over Dan Feeney. Lamp has really impressed this summer, and has shown that he should be starting Week 1 but based on the snaps given at practice, all signs are pointing to Feeney starting the regular season opener.
Center Mike Pouncey has yet to play in a preseason contest, leaving Feeney as his replacement, which makes it challenging to gauge who has the advantage. But during 11-on-11 drills, it’s been Feeney at left guard and Pouncey at center with the first-team.
Both Lamp and Feeney have had their fair share of standout moments, making it a toss up at the moment. The next two weeks will be critical for the 2017 draft picks to determine who’s going to start at left guard when the Chargers take on the Colts.
Advantage: Dan Feeney
Cornerback
Entering the summer this was bound to be one of the tighter positional battles, but thus far we have an idea of who’s going to start alongside Casey Hayward and Desmond King. That player is Michael Davis, and there’s really no question about it.
Trevor Williams, who was returning from an ankle injury, hasn’t practiced before the first preseason game because of another unknown injury. Coach Anthony Lynn hasn’t said when Williams will be back, but the injury shouldn’t be long-term.
The battle for the last cornerback spots has been something we have been monitoring, as well. Brandon Facyson has looked good in both contests, but so has Arrion Springs. If Los Angeles elects to keep six cornerbacks, it’ll come down to Springs or Jeff Richards most likely.
Advantage: Michael Davis, Brandon Facyson
Safety
Like the cornerback position, this was supposed to be one of the most enticing positional battles but injuries have effected it significantly. Second-round selection Nasir Adderley has missed the most of this summer with a hamstring issue and Derwin James is out for the next three to four months with a foot injury.
Adrian Phillips is a lock to start at strong safety in their base defense, but from coach Anthony Lynn’s comments, Phillips will still play dime linebacker. Rayshawn Jenkins, who is expected to start at free safety, would then go play strong safety. Or, they could keep Jenkins at the single-high role and bring in Jaylen Watkins to play strong safety.
Undrafted free agent Roderic Teamer is on his way to making a spot on the 53-man roster, as he continues to impress on the defensive side of the ball and as a special teamer. Teamer offers some versatility to do it all. This past weekend, 21 snaps came at linebacker, 19 at slot cornerback, six as an extra pass rusher and three at free safety.
Advantage: Rayshawn Jenkins, Jaylen Watkins, Roderic Teamer, Nasir Adderley
