The Chargers wrapped up training camp on Tuesday with one last practice in the books before Thursday night’s preseason meeting with the Rams, and the timing couldn’t be sharper. With roster cutdown day coming Sunday at 3 p.m. Pacific time, this final exhibition game is the last real stage for players on the bubble to make their case.
A few of those decisions are being shaped by health. Running back Keaton Mitchell has now missed three straight practices after what offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel described as a setback.
Mitchell’s left knee has been a major storyline since the injury he suffered in 2023, which cost him half of the 2024 season. He also dealt with a minor knee issue last season, though he did not miss additional time after being pulled from a December game.
Mitchell’s absence opens the door to a bigger question: could the Chargers carry four running backs on the initial 53-man roster? If that happens, Amar Johnson looks like the leading candidate to claim that spot, especially if he can make noise Thursday night against the Rams.
The list of players who did not take part in Tuesday’s final practice also included offensive lineman Branson Taylor, edge rusher Kyle Kennard, tight end Scott Matlock and wide receiver Sincere Brown. Cornerback Eric Rogers and wide receiver Brenen Thompson were present for some individual work, but neither fully practiced.
One of the biggest camp debates has been along the offensive line, where the left guard job has turned into a genuine puzzle. Mike McDaniel and Jim Harbaugh have both pointed to Kayode Awosika as the front-runner in the building after five different players were in the mix. But for four straight practices, after season-ending injury hit starting center Tyler Biadasz, the Chargers have opened their first-team period with veteran Trey Pipkins at left guard.
Pipkins entered the competition late and has also been filling in for Rashawn Slater at left tackle over the past few weeks. Even with camp now over, the Chargers still do not have a complete starting offensive line set in stone. Thursday night offers one final audition, and the player who steps out in front of Justin Herbert against the Rams will likely be the one who gains the edge - even if the team does not make anything official right away.
Harbaugh has also already laid out the plan for the starters in the preseason finale. The expectation had been two series, but he clarified that to mean roughly six to nine plays apiece. Derwin James and Khalil Mack will not play.
For plenty of the 90-man roster, Thursday is the finish line. Sunday’s cutdown deadline will begin the next phase, and while some players will land on the practice squad or elsewhere around the league, others will be out of time. The Chargers will be careful not to overwork their starters in a game that means far more to the players fighting to survive than it does to the names already locked in.
In Other News...
Chargers Fringe Players Face One Last Shot To Survive Cutdown Day
With cutdown day approaching, the Chargers still have a handful of fringe roster battles hanging in the balance, and the preseason has given several players one last chance to make their case. Jacob Spomer, Amar Johnson, Andre Carter II, Junior Colson, TeRah Edwards and Greg Desrosiers Jr. have all been trying to turn limited opportunities into something more meaningful, whether that means a spot on the 53-man roster or a path to the practice squad.
For a team sorting through injuries and crowded position groups, those late-August evaluations matter as much as anything that happened earlier in camp. The Chargers are not just judging production in a vacuum, either, since special teams value, depth needs and positional fit all factor into the final call, leaving a few players squarely on the edge as the deadline closes in. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Special Teams Breakdown Put JK Scott Under The Spotlight
The Chargers had one of those preseason moments on special teams that can linger long after the snap, when a coverage lapse turned into an 83-yard punt return touchdown against the 49ers. Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken dug into the play afterward and made clear the problem was not a single bad bounce or one isolated miss, but a unit-wide failure to do the job on the coverage side.
JK Scott still found himself in the middle of the discussion, since Ficken said the punter should have helped finish the play and was disappointed he did not make the tackle. Even so, the emphasis was on how the coverage lost contain and opened the door for the return, a reminder that the Chargers third phase is still sorting out its details before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Have One Last Chance To Build Momentum Against The Rams
The final preseason tuneup against the Rams gives the Chargers one more shot to carry some momentum into the real thing, even if most of the familiar names are likely to be off the field quickly. Both teams have already shown their hand this month, with Los Angeles on the other side of the city winning its first two preseason games while the Chargers have split theirs, and the matchup also serves as a reminder that the clubs will see plenty more of each other when the regular season arrives on Nov. 1, 2026.
There is still enough intrigue to make this one worth watching, especially with the Rams getting strong early returns from first-round pick Ty Simpson in exhibition play. For the Chargers, though, the bigger question is how much they can glean from a game in which both coaching staffs have signaled a light workload for starters, leaving the spotlight on depth players trying to make one last impression before the preseason closes. [Read more 🡒]