The Chargers are headed into their preseason opener with more than just a game on the calendar. Thursday night against the Houston Texans is the first real chance to see which training camp battles are actually turning into something.
Coach Jim Harbaugh sounded ready for it Tuesday after the team’s 12th practice at The Bolt.
“I just can’t wait to watch them compete,” Harbaugh said. “It’s that feeling in a game that is exciting for everybody in the entire organization.”
That’s where the Chargers are now: past the early camp stage, deep enough into the summer to know the roster still has some real sorting to do. There’s a starting job open on the offensive line.
The backup quarterback spot behind Justin Herbert is not settled. And several young defensive players have pushed their way into the conversation, which means the next few weeks could get messy in a hurry when it comes time to trim to 53.
One of the biggest things to watch Thursday is left guard. The Chargers have four offensive line spots spoken for, with Rashawn Slater at left tackle, Joe Alt at right tackle, Cole Strange at right guard and Tyler Biadasz at center. The one opening is on Slater’s side.
Slater has missed four days after a minor flare-up in his surgically repaired left knee. He called it “nothing to be concerned about” and said the missed time is more about being “smart” and “thoughtful” while coming back from a torn patellar tendon.
Harbaugh said multiple players will get “opportunities” at left guard in the preseason opener, including veteran Kayode Awosika and rookie Jake Slaughter. Second-year lineman Branson Taylor has also been in the mix with the starters during camp.
Trey Pipkins III started out rotating there, but with Slater sitting out, he’s been working at tackle instead. Trevor Penning appears to have slipped out of the race and was working at both guard spots Tuesday, mostly with the third-team offense.
Harbaugh singled out Slaughter when asked about the competition.
“Jake Slaughter had a great weekend,” Harbaugh said. “If we were right up to the minute right now, yeah, really liked the tape from the weekend.
And his confidence, it’s like he’s getting it. So that’s super encouraging.”
Slaughter has shown he can move laterally in the run game, though Tuesday also brought some rough moments. Bud Dupree beat him in pass protection, and Jamaree Caldwell got the better of him on a run play.
Awosika and Taylor both got first-team reps as well. Awosika gave up back-to-back sacks on his first two 11-on-11 snaps with the starters, then looked sharper in one-on-ones, including a strong win against TeRah Edwards.
If Slaughter backs up the positive buzz with a good showing Thursday, he could move to the front of this battle.
Quarterback No. 2 is another spot worth watching closely. Trey Lance entered camp as Herbert’s backup, just as he was last season, but DJ Uiagalelei has made this more interesting.
Uiagalelei spent 2025 on the Chargers’ practice squad and has flashed in camp, especially as a thrower. Lance still brings the run element that can change a live game, which is why Thursday should tell us a lot.
Harbaugh said each quarterback will play a half.
“Both have really acquitted themselves well, and the next piece is in the games and how they play,” Harbaugh said. “That’s something we’ll all see.
I imagine, from what I’ve seen in practice, it’s going to be pretty close. They’re both good.”
Uiagalelei still has to clean up the ball security. He threw two interceptions in Tuesday’s practice, one to Devin Grant and one to Donte Jackson. But Harbaugh’s comments made it clear the door is open.
The cornerback room also has some real competition brewing at the back end. Jackson, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still have all worked with the first team, though Still was out Tuesday because of an injury. Deane Leonard looks like a strong bet to make the roster because he’s the team’s best gunner and brings special teams value.
After that, the fight gets crowded. Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers both made the roster last year as undrafted rookies, and this summer Avery Smith and Rodney Shelley have shown enough playmaking to make the Chargers think.
The team could keep five corners, six corners, or even seven, as it did last season. Rogers was placed on injured reserve almost immediately after cutdown day and missed the entire season, but the point remains: there are four players chasing one or two spots, and nothing is settled yet.
The edge rusher group has a similar feel. Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Akheem Mesidor and Bud Dupree sit at the top of the depth chart, leaving one major question: will the Chargers carry a fifth?
That battle appears to be between Kyle Kennard and Nadame Tucker. Kennard, a 2025 fourth-round pick, barely made an impact as a rookie, appearing in only five games.
This camp has looked different. His pass-rush traits from college are starting to show up more consistently, and Tuesday was another step forward.
He won two one-on-one reps using different moves, first with an inside swim and then with an inside chop.
Tucker has made noise too. The undrafted rookie has flashed power in both team drills and one-on-ones. On Tuesday, he drove Taylor backward with a bull rush in one-on-ones and later powered through Pipkins, knocking the tackle off balance and several yards into the backfield.
The Chargers could still decide to stop at four edge rushers, but Kennard and Tucker have done enough to keep themselves in the conversation. Thursday night is their next chance to press the issue.
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