3 recently added Chargers players who are already cut candidates

The LA Chargers will have 90 players on the roster heading into training camp and only 53 of those players will make the active roster. Another 16 players will be assigned to the practice squad, leaving 21 players without a job looking for a new team.

There are always surprises during the roster-trimming process and just because someone is new to the team does not guarantee them a spot on the roster. The best 53 players are going to make Harbaugh's roster, regardless of how or when they were added to the team.

As a result, there are going to be some players who were just added to the team who do not even make the cut. This does not include undrafted free agents or signings who already have a minuscule chance of making the roster. Instead, let's dive into the more notable names who are new to the Chargers and may not last forever.

x recently added Chargers who are already cut candidates

Tony Jefferson

The Chargers signed Tony Jefferson after working him out during minicamp in early June so he could compete for a roster spot. The veteran safety (and former Raven) has a decent chance of making the roster as the depth behind Derwin James and Alohi Gilman is not great.

That being said, Jefferson making the roster is far from a guarantee. Jefferson is competing with several young safeties who may prove to be more valuable to the Bolts on special teams. If Jefferson is not going to play much on defense and does not add special teams value, then it may not be worth keeping him around.

Just because he has existing ties to the Chargers does not mean he is guaranteed a roster spot with the team. Jefferson is going to have to prove that the year away from the league did not slow him down too much.

J.K. Dobbins

Another former Raven makes the list and it is a surprising name. The Chargers signed J.K. Dobbins as a flier late in the offseason process to reunite with his former running back partner, Gus Edwards.

While the Chargers need all the help they can get at running back, Dobbins' place on the team is far from guaranteed. Dobbins brings injury concerns with him as he has been unable to stay on the field. Even if he is completely healthy, there are also concerns about how his injuries have impacted his play.

Dobbins certainly will get a fair chance at making the roster this season and if he proves he is still the best version of himself then he will. But if Dobbins is dealing with early injuries or is a step slower, the Chargers should have no issues turning to rookie Kimani Vidal and third-year RB Isaiah Spiller.

Brenden Rice

This may seem like a bold inclusion after all of the Chargers fanbase hyped Brenden Rice up when he fell to the Chargers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Rice was projected to be taken in the fourth or fifth round before the draft, leading many to believe the Bolts got the steal of the draft.

While that is possible, there is also a reason why someone falls many rounds lower than expected. If Rice was truly a home-run fourth or fifth-round prospect then he would have been taken in those rounds. Pre-draft expectations mean nothing when NFL teams outright tell us what they think about a certain player.

Seventh-round picks are not guaranteed a roster spot in the slightest and while the Bolts do not have a true elite WR, the room is crowded. Right now, the likes of Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark and Derius Davis are all guaranteed a roster spot.

That leaves one spot (if the Bolts even want to carry six receivers) for both Rice and fellow seventh-round pick, Cornelius Johnson. Johnson may have a better chance of making the roster, though, because of his run-blocking and special teams potential.

Rice does not have the same ability as a run blocker or impact as a special teams player. With the addition of Chark to give the Bolts depth at the X receiver role, Rice is a bit redundant and that may lead to him being planted on the practice squad.