COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers kicked off their second week of organized team activities Wednesday. It was their fourth OTA of the spring and the second open to media.
Here are my observations.
1. Five players were not on the field for Wednesday’s practice: running back Gus Edwards, running back J.K. Dobbins, tight end Will Dissly, offensive lineman Jordan McFadden and offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood. The Chargers signed Leatherwood late Wednesday morning, and he had not yet joined the team. Four players worked off to the side with trainers during practice: rookie linebacker Junior Colson, tight end Donald Parham Jr., edge rusher Chris Rumph II and tight end/fullback Ben Mason.
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2. During the early stages of last week’s open OTA, Colson walked off the field and into the facility with trainers. He did not return to practice. He was back on the field Wednesday but did not participate in individual or team drills. Colson did, however, participate in the fourth-quarter finishing period at the end of practice, including the sled pulls.
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3. The offensive line rotation was largely similar to last week. The group that started in 11-on-11: left tackle Rashawn Slater, left guard Zion Johnson, center Bradley Bozeman, right guard Jamaree Salyer, right tackle Trey Pipkins. Rookie Joe Alt began team drills with the second team. Alt later worked in at right tackle with the first-team offensive line. When Alt entered at right tackle, Pipkins moved inside to right guard. Salyer also took second-team reps at right tackle.
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4. The starting right guard competition is still in its infancy. Real movement will not come until the Chargers are in pads during training camp. I expect Alt to win the starting job at right tackle. Pipkins and Salyer will have a chance to compete for the starting right guard spot. Leatherwood, a 2021 first-round pick, could also be in the mix. He played over 800 snaps at right guard in his rookie year with the Raiders in 2021. McFadden has guard experience. Undrafted free agent Karsen Barnhart, who won a national championship with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan last season, is another name to monitor. Barnhart has not cracked the first team yet during open OTAs, but he has been working at right guard with the second team.
5. Rookie receiver Ladd McConkey did not participate in team drills, but he did go through individual drills, routes against air and the fourth-quarter finishing period. Second-year receiver Derius Davis got more work in the slot with the first team in McConkey’s absence. He caught a long touchdown from quarterback Justin Herbert on the opening play of the first 11-on-11 period, taking advantage of a busted coverage from the defense. Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston and DJ Chark were the other receivers who got significant reps with the first-team offense.
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6. Johnston had two positive moments and a negative one in the practice. Early in the day, he fought through a holding penalty to make a solid catch on an out route along the right sideline. It was a seed from Herbert, and Johnston handled it. He used his size and strength well to create separation out of his break despite the contact. Later, in the final 11-on-11 period, he won on a similar route to successfully convert a third-and-5. In that same period, Johnston ran a comeback route from an outside right alignment on another third down. Herbert’s throw came in slightly high and with velocity. It hit off Johnston’s hands and squirted out of bounds. A tough catch, but one an NFL receiver should make.
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7. The standout player in the passing game: tight end Hayden Hurst, who caught seven balls in the practice. Six of those came on throws from Herbert, including a full-extension diving catch on a crossing route in the final 11-on-11 period. The seventh came from backup quarterback Easton Stick, which was Hurst’s most impressive catch of the day. He ran a corner route toward the left sideline and came down with an explosive reception in between two defenders. Hurst stood up after making the catch and launched the ball into the air in celebration. Stick threw a very accurate ball with a soft touch on the play.
8. The standout player on defense: cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who had a stellar practice last week, when he had one interception and nearly came away with another. He got his hands on another ball Wednesday. Samuel was on the outside against the third-team offense, led by quarterback Max Duggan. Duggan tried to fit in a throw over the middle to undrafted free agent receiver Jaelen Gill on a third-and-long. Samuel was in coverage and jumped in front of the pass, tipping it into the air. Samuel had the awareness and body control to stick with the play after the deflection and made a fine catch for the pick. Earlier in the practice, Samuel also played tight coverage on Chark on a go ball. Samuel was one-on-one with the receiver down the right sideline. Herbert targeted the matchup and threw a 50-50 ball. Samuel was in lockstep and prevented Chark from making a play on the ball, forcing the incompletion.
9. With Colson sidelined, linebacker Troy Dye worked with the first-team defense next to Denzel Perryman. The rotations at corner, meanwhile, remained the same as last week. With the first-team defense, Samuel and Kristian Fulton started on the outside, with Ja’Sir Taylor in the slot.
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10. The Chargers used a long special teams period to work through the new kickoff procedure. One noteworthy player involved on both the kickoff and return teams was defensive lineman Scott Matlock. Outside of Matlock, special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken trended toward smaller bodies on these units. On kick return, for instance, there were four defensive backs, one receiver, three linebackers and an edge rusher. Davis was the primary returner. I will be monitoring these two units closely through the rest of spring and summer. Ficken will surely be rotating through different players to figure out how best to take advantage of the rule change.
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11. With Edwards and Dobbins absent, the Chargers’ younger running backs all worked in with the first-team offense: Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson, Kimani Vidal and Jaret Patterson.
12. Herbert was donning a gold jersey for Wednesday’s practice. All other offensive players wore white jerseys, including the three other quarterbacks. Defensive players were in blue jerseys. Specialists were in white jerseys. A unique uniform for the franchise quarterback.
(Photo of Justin Herbert handing off to Isaiah Spiller on Wednesday: Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)
