EL SEGUNDO - Nadame Tucker has arrived at his first NFL training camp with the kind of edge you can’t miss.
The Chargers’ undrafted pass rusher is 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, and he’s carrying himself like someone determined to turn every rep into a statement. That attitude fits the role he’s been handed: an underdog trying to force his way into the picture after a breakout season at Western Michigan put him on the map.
Tucker’s path to this point was anything but smooth. He spent three seasons at the University of Houston starting in 2022 and appeared in only 13 games there, finishing with 10 tackles. Then he transferred to Western Michigan, where everything changed once he connected with defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary in 2025.
Last season, Tucker put up 55 tackles in 13 games and led FBS with 21 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. That production earned him Mid-American Conference MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors, a leap that made his jump to the NFL impossible to ignore.
“Just starting off by believing in me,” Tucker said of O’Leary’s influence on him during their one season together at Western Michigan. “You know, having a guy, just looking at me and saying, ‘You are that guy.
Play at that level.’ He could kind of see it and he gave me a blueprint.
I knew the kind of player I wanted to be, and he just kind of locked me in that way.”
O’Leary is now with the Chargers as defensive coordinator after Jesse Minter left to become the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach, and Tucker’s move to Los Angeles felt like a natural follow after that huge 2025 season. O’Leary had already set the tone with a simple line: “Wait until you see this guy in pads,” O’Leary had said some time ago.
That prediction has started to look pretty sharp in camp. Pass rushers rarely get to show their full game in OTAs and minicamp, and even early training camp only opens things up a little more.
Still, Tucker has been hard to miss lately while working against Chargers tackles like Joe Alt and Trey Pipkins III. He’s made his presence felt even in a room that includes Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu.
“There’s kind of a fine line between going hard and keeping your (teammates) safe and stuff like that,” Tucker said. “I’m just a guy who wants to go through your face. I don’t know how to turn it off a little bit … and that probably rubbed a lot of coaches the wrong way in the past because when I put the pads on, I’m looking to go, go, go.”
Tucker may be a longshot for the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster, but he doesn’t sound like someone bothered by that label. He backed up the camp buzz in his preseason debut Thursday, finishing with one tackle and one quarterback hit in the Chargers’ 27-7 win over the Houston Texans.
“I feel like I’m home,” he said. “I just know the type of guys I’m around, the stuff I can gain from, you know what I’m saying?
So, I’m going to come with that approach like I’m at home here. I’m not star struck in any way.
I want to be just like those guys in a way. I just try to pay attention to the details.”
Elsewhere in camp, defensive lineman Teair Tart was sent off the field after getting too aggressive with center Tyler Biadasz during an 11-on-11 drill, which led to a brief fracas. Tart was also removed after knocking running back Omarion Hampton to the grass in a recent practice drill.
O’Leary said Tart has brought plenty to the defense.
“He’s been really good for us,” O’Leary said. “He’s stepping into a role where he has a big influence on the defense.
He’s up front. He’s in the trenches.
He’s a violent player, and he’s going to make plays for us. So, we’ve kind of pushed him along into that role.
He’s played hard, he’s practiced hard. At times, he’s got to pull it back a little bit in practice, but we like where he’s at.”
On the offensive line, left tackle Rashawn Slater sat out for a sixth straight practice. Pipkins filled in there, with Kayode Awosika at left guard, Biadasz at center, Cole Strange at right guard and Alt at right tackle protecting Justin Herbert. Jake Slaughter also rotated with Awosika at times.
And in another camp note, Trey Lance, who is battling for the backup quarterback job, connected with tight end Oronde Gadsden on a 15-yard touchdown pass late in practice. Lance handled most of the snaps in the Chargers’ preseason win over the Texans on Thursday.
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Jake Slaughter added to that sense of competition by moving between center and left guard, showing the kind of versatility that can keep a young lineman in the mix. Kayode Awosika also helped his case by posting the highest offensive PFF grade among Chargers players, and with the left guard job still unsettled, this is the sort of performance that can quietly change the tone around a season before the games really count. [Read more 🡒]