EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - The Chargers are moving into that part of camp where everything tightens up. Thursday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans is close enough to feel real, and Sunday’s practice had that sharper edge to it. The pads were loud, the reps mattered more and the coaching staff got another look at who’s ready to turn camp work into game action.
The most interesting developments came on defense, where the Chargers were without several veterans and depth pieces, including safety Derwin James, left tackle Rashawn Slater, cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Rodney Shelley, defensive back Noah Avinger, outside linebacker Bud Dupree, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and offensive lineman Laekin Vakalahi.
Defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe was on the field before leaving individual work with a trainer, but he still spoke after practice and offered a clear sign of how central his next step could be for this group.
Eboigbe is heading into his third NFL season after being taken in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. His rookie year was a quiet one, with just 26 defensive snaps. In 2025, though, he broke through in a big way, finishing with six sacks, seven tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits in 17 games.
With Da’Shawn Hand and Otito Ogbonnia gone in free agency, the door in front of him is even wider now.
“I would say so,” Eboigbe said when asked whether his confidence has grown heading into Year 3. “It’s like anything, the more and more you get familiar with something, like the system or what coaches want, the more confidence in how you play.”
There’s another layer to that comfort: he’s now working under Mike Elston, the coach who once tried to recruit him to Notre Dame.
“Just full circle to be brought into that system and see what makes Coach Elston such a good coach,” Eboigbe said.
The Chargers are counting on that growth, and Sunday felt like another checkpoint in a development arc that could matter a lot on this defense.
There’s also a new hand steering the unit. With Jesse Minter off to become the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, the Chargers turned to Chris O’Leary, who was with the team in 2024 before spending the 2025 season as Western Michigan’s defensive coordinator. Now he’s back in Los Angeles and running the show.
O’Leary made one thing clear about Thursday’s game against Houston: he’ll be on the sideline calling the defense.
“You can lead the guys. Nothing gets lost in translation.
I communicate my message. If things are going bad, I can get in the huddle and look them in their eyes.”
That sideline presence fits the tone he wants from his defense. He’s not just chasing clean execution. He wants communication, urgency and a sharper edge when the field gets tight.
When asked about the red zone, O’Leary put it plainly.
“It's kind of like you do or you don’t. You either get a stop or a touchdown,” O’Leary said on redzone action. “You’ve really got to execute things, speed up and you have to talk a little bit more down there.”
He also had updates on a few young edge rushers who could factor into the season.
On rookie NaDame Tucker, O’Leary said he has “done a really good job,” while noting that Tucker needs to use his hands more.
Kyle Kennard, in O’Leary’s view, is “consistently getting better,” and the coach added that the effort has improved.
Then there’s Tuli Tuipulotu, who seems to be finding his rhythm again after working back into full participation.
“He’s really rolling now,” O’Leary said. “I like how he looks.”
That matters for a Chargers pass rush that needs impact without having to invent pressure every snap.
On the other side of the ball, the Chargers’ newest tight end is already sounding comfortable with his quarterback. David Njoku joined Los Angeles this offseason after nine seasons in Cleveland, signing a one-year deal worth up to $8 million.
The team didn’t bring him in just to fill a spot. They want his blocking, his playmaking and his value near the goal line.
After getting a look at Justin Herbert, Njoku didn’t hold back.
“He’s a sharpshooter. Amazing, you know what I mean?
He’s a great quarterback. Very accurate.
He’s mobile.”
Njoku also sees the tight end room as a group that can work together rather than a collection of players fighting for the same slice of the pie.
“They’re all great dudes, even Scott Matlock,” Njoku said. “I think we complement each other and push each other to strive for greatness.”
That kind of buy-in matters in camp, where the job is bigger than winning a few reps. It’s about building something that can hold up over a long season, and Njoku seems to understand exactly where that fits.
In Other News...
Branson Taylor Is Giving Harbaughs Chargers Culture A Real Test
Three weeks into fall camp, the Chargers are getting a better read on one of their most intriguing internal battles, and Branson Taylor has made sure the competition at left guard has plenty of attention. The 2025 sixth-round pick spent his rookie year on the practice squad, but his offseason work has clearly changed the conversation, putting him squarely in the mix for a starting spot on an offensive line that still needs to settle in.
Jim Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert have all spoken highly of Taylors progress, which says plenty about how far he has come in a short time. For a team trying to build a tougher identity up front, Taylor has become more than a developmental lineman, he is now a real test of how quickly the Chargers culture can translate into dependable production when the pads stay on and the job gets serious. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Just Made A Telling Training Camp Move At Edge
Training camp roster churn has pushed the Chargers into another look at the edge, and the latest move brings in a familiar developmental type for a team still sorting out depth up front. Andre Carter II, an undrafted free agent out of Army, arrives with the size and pass-rushing background that can make him an intriguing fit when teams are trying to find useful bodies around the quarterback.
To make room, the Chargers moved on from wide receiver Mante Morrow, another undrafted player who had been battling for attention in a crowded receiver room. It is the kind of mid-camp swap that says as much about roster math as it does about talent evaluation, but it also suggests the Chargers are willing to keep probing for help on the edge while the back end of the roster continues to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Rashawn Slater's Camp Absence Has Chargers Fans Watching Closely
Rashawn Slaters training camp absence has become one of the more closely watched storylines around the Chargers, especially after the left tackle spent last season working back from a torn patellar tendon that ended his year. The team has been careful with him through camp, and the goal remains getting one of its most important offensive linemen ready for the regular season without pushing him too fast.
Slater has now missed three straight practices, which is enough to keep fans on edge even though there has not been any official sign of a new serious injury. The early concern that surfaced during the first padded practice has not turned into a confirmed setback, and for now the situation appears to be more about caution than alarm as the Chargers manage his recovery. [Read more 🡒]