By Adam Kerr
Amidst a formative offseason for the Los Angeles Chargers, there have been many questions. While no questions could be answered in August, fans walked away from El Segundo satisfied with what they saw. On Sunday, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers hosted Sean Mcvay and their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Rams at their new practice facility, the Bolt. While it is still very early in the football year, Sunday’s practice was a tale of two units. The defense dominated Matthew Stafford and company, while the offense struggled to gain an identity without star QB Justin Herbert.
The Chargers’ defense showcased their physicality against the Rams, making their presence felt after every snap of the ball. Asante Samuel Jr, Denzel Perryman, and more forcing a total of five interceptions on Pro Bowl QB Matthew Stafford throughout the day. Tuli Tuipulotu continues to shine in his second NFL training camp.
Unfortunately, Sunday also saw star EDGE Joey Bosa leave practice with a hand injury. Bosa’s injury history may come back to bite the Bolts later on, but even missing him did not slow down the Chargers defense. Going into camp, expectations were that the defense would still be a hole, seeing how it has been in the past two years. However, Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter have shown that physicality and a new scheme may be all the defense needs.
Of course, the biggest storyline for the Chargers is currently what the offense may look like without Justin Herbert at the helm. Sunday, the football world saw another glimpse of what could be a tough time for Chargers football, should the worst-case scenario become reality. While things could’ve gone worse for the offense, the passing game was missing what fans hoped to get from the new scheme. With the receiver room looking how it is, neither Easton Stick nor Max Duggan will be able to run the offense the way it will need to be if they want to compete with the league’s best.
In other words, Josh Palmer being the WR1 with Justin Herbert isn’t the end of the world, but Josh Palmer being the WR1 with Easton Stick might be. However, things didn’t look disastrous for the offense by any means, which is something fans can find comfort in.
On the bright side of the offense, some players have shown why they will likely play pivotal roles this year. First, projected RB1 Gus Edwards looks as powerful on the ground as he did with the Ravens in 2023. While it is still likely that he and former teammate J.K. Dobbins will be largely splitting reps, expect Gus Edwards to be a touchdown machine and someone fantasy owners will love as a late-round pick.
Another player who is shining in camp so far is Brenden Rice. The seventh-round pick is on a mission to prove that he should not have fallen as far as he did, and he is off to a great start. Rice is almost guaranteed to make the roster at this point, and may even land ahead of players like Quentin Johnston on the final depth chart. Rice, along with fellow rookie WR Cornelius Johnson impressed at Sunday’s joint practice and continue to make a name for themselves heading into the 2024 season.