5 position battles to watch during Chargers training camp
The Chargers officially begin training camp Wednesday with their first practice of the season.
With two new coordinators in Costa Mesa, things could look much different than they did last season as LA looks to finally turn a talented roster on paper into a legitimate contender.
While many starting spots are locked up before the Chargers take the field, here are a few that will be hotly contested throughout the next month.
Kicker: Cameron Dicker vs. Dustin Hopkins
I rate the kicker competition as the most important of the offseason for the Chargers. The reason is simple: win the battle, and you’re a starter. Lose, and you’re out of work. The only other starting job on this list doesn’t come with stakes that high.
Hopkins has been a revelation at kicker since coming over from Washington midseason in 2021. Take his 16 game sample and pretend it came in one season, and Hopkins’ 90% accuracy rate would be the best from a Chargers kicking unit in a full decade. He deserves a ton of credit for bringing stability to the position for the first time since Nick Novak, and cutting him feels like the old adage about the boat and the mystery box.
Of course, Los Angeles has peeked in the mystery box a bit, and it sure seems like there’s a boat in there. Dicker went 19 of 20 on field goals and averaged two more yards per kickoff than Hopkins. He’s also a decade younger and about $2.2 million cheaper. Hopkins may have stabilized the position, but Dicker could hold it down for the next ten to fifteen years.
Ultimately, I think Dicker wins it off upside.
Slot CB: Asante Samuel Jr. vs. Ja'Sir Taylor
The slot seems to be the only non-specialist starter job up for grabs, and it seems increasingly likely that Samuel and Taylor will actually share responsibilities depending on the matchup. This could also be a postponed competition if JC Jackson isn’t ready to go – removing Jackson from the lineup forces Samuel back onto the outside with Michael Davis.
Taylor seems to have the edge early on based on the way the season ended. He adds more as a run defender, where Samuel’s lack of size was exposed time and time again in the playoff game against Jacksonville. Samuel is by far the better coverage player, but teams will see the way he was abused against the Jaguars and run straight at him when he’s on the field.
If the defense is serious about improving their lackluster run defense, Taylor is the logical choice. But I think what ends up happening is a platoon: Taylor starts against better rushing offenses, Samuel against superior passing games. For that reason, I’m refusing to predict a winner in this one.
Swing guard: Zack Bailey vs. Brenden Jaimes vs. Jordan McFadden
Realistically, two of these three will make the roster and combine with Foster Sarell and Will Clapp to form the backups along the offensive line. McFadden is likely a safe bet to make the roster – the Chargers just spent a fifth-round pick on him in April and will likely be patient with him as he transitions from tackle to guard.
I thought Bailey was the better swing tackle option last preseason over Sarell, but the Chargers disagreed then and seem confident enough in Sarell that Bailey is primarily a guard now. LA has spoken highly of the 27-year-old this summer, and it sounds like they’re going to give him every opportunity to win a job somewhere on this line.
Then, we come to Jaimes, who has simply not developed the way the Chargers envisioned when they took him in the fifth round in 2021. In the few snaps he’s been forced to play due to injury, it’s been disastrous. I thought it was possible he missed the roster before last season, but a lack of depth at the time saved his job. With McFadden in the fold and Bailey kicking inside, there’s no longer any such luxury.
Give me McFadden and Bailey as the swing guards, with Jaimes a potential practice squad addition.
Sixth defensive lineman: Jerrod Clark vs. Christopher Hinton vs. Nick Williams
I think it’s likely the Chargers keep six defensive linemen on the roster to start the season, especially with Austin Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia coming off injuries. If either of them start the season on the PUP list, two of Clark, Hinton, and Williams likely crack the roster. Otherwise, it’s a three-way race for one spot.
Williams seems like he was signed as insurance for this very reason. Brandon Staley has spoken highly of the veteran from their shared time in Chicago, where the 33-year-old was also running a similar defense to what LA is installing. However, he’s also in the twilight of his career and is coming back from an injury of his own – a bicep tear that ended his season with the Giants in November.
Hinton was one of the midseason additions to cover for Johnson and Ogbonnia’s injuries. He flashed enough in limited time that a spot on the opening roster shouldn’t be out of the question, especially because he’s best at nose tackle, where LA is the thinnest.
Clark enters training camp as the Chargers’ priciest and most anticipated undrafted free agent, which automatically puts him in contention for this spot. However, I wonder if his body composition and adjustment from Sun Belt college ball to the NFL will end up warranting a redshirt season of sorts on the practice squad.
Assuming Johnson and Ogbonnia are healthy, I’m going with Hinton here. Williams makes the team if one of those two starts on PUP. Clark will be a priority addition to the practice squad.
Fourth safety: AJ Finley vs. Raheem Layne vs. Mark Webb Jr.
For three straight seasons, the Chargers have had an unheralded safety make a ton of noise in OTAs and/or training camp. In 2021, it was Webb, a seventh-round pick that year who seemed poised to be Derwin James’ mini-me before injuries slowed his momentum.
Last season was Layne’s turn to take the spotlight after joining the squad as a UDFA from Indiana. While he didn’t make the initial roster, he saw time in six games last season and was bandied about as a potential starter at times.
Now, it’s Finley who’s turning heads after a strong OTA session reminded Chargers fans to take a peek at the depth chart at safety. The Mississippi product was undercovered as a prospect prior to April’s draft, but his ball skills are undeniable and would be useful for an LA team that generated a middling 14 interceptions last season.
Unlike last season, where Layne and Webb had a difficult path to the roster, there’s a spot open for one of this trio. James and Alohi Gilman look to be your starters, with 2022 third-round pick JT Woods still developing. LA will carry four safeties, especially if they stick with only five corners. For now, my money is on Layne to come out on top.
