Junior Colson’s first step toward a bigger 2026 season came in the Chargers’ preseason opener, and it looked like the kind of performance Los Angeles has been waiting to see.
The 23-year-old linebacker filled up the stat sheet with five total tackles, including three solo stops, along with two stops and one total pressure. Pro Football Focus rewarded that work with an 87.3 overall defensive grade across 22 defensive snaps, plus an 89.7 coverage grade. For a player trying to earn more trust in the defense, that kind of all-around showing matters.
Colson followed that up with a pick-six in the Chargers’ second preseason game.
That’s a welcome development for a player whose pro path has been slowed by injury. Los Angeles took Colson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft after he helped Michigan win a national championship. He came into the league with the kind of traits that usually translate well: physicality, instincts and experience from a major college program.
But the momentum didn’t last. Colson flashed as a rookie, then missed all of the 2025 season after a significant shoulder injury required season-ending surgery. Instead of building on that first year, he spent his second season rehabbing.
The Chargers don’t exactly have a vacant depth chart at linebacker. Daiyan Henley has become one of the defense’s key young pieces, and veteran Denzel Perryman brings experience and steadiness. That means Colson doesn’t need to be thrust into the spotlight all at once.
What he does need is what he showed in the opener: reliability. The Chargers still have reason to believe in his upside, and he doesn’t have to be the face of the unit to matter. If he can make plays when called upon, that’s a real step forward.
New defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary could also help open the door. A linebacker who can handle space, hold up against the run and generate pressure gives a defense more ways to function, and Colson showed a little of that range in his first preseason action.
It’s only one game, and the Chargers will want to see it against better competition and over a longer stretch. Still, after sitting out an entire season, getting back on the field and producing right away was a meaningful start.
In Other News...
Chargers Leave Ugly Loss With Two Bigger Problems Than The Score
The Chargers preseason loss to the 49ers was messy enough on the scoreboard, but the bigger concern came from everything around it. Penalties, missed assignments and an offense that never found much rhythm made it a rough night for a team still trying to set its tone under Jim Harbaugh, and the coach did not hide from the fact that the details were not good enough.
Tyler Biadaszs left ACL injury only adds to the unease, because the center spot now has to be reworked on the fly. Rookie Jake Slaughter is expected to slide into the starting job, while Harbaugh also has an unsettled backup quarterback battle still hanging over the roster, leaving the Chargers with more to sort out than a lopsided preseason score. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Roster Battle Took A Harsh Turn In Preseason Loss
The preseason trip against the 49ers was less about the final score than the Chargers ongoing roster audit, and several players made cases for themselves in live action. Junior Colson stood out on defense with an interception and multiple tackles, Devin Grant also came away with a pick, and Gregory Desrosiers led the running backs in rushing yards, all of it the kind of production that can matter when coaches start narrowing down jobs.
Not every audition went smoothly, though, and Devonte Ross had a rough moment when a muffed punt undercut his chance to build momentum. In a game designed to sort out the back end of the roster, those kinds of mistakes can linger just as long as the highlights, which is why the Chargers will likely spend as much time studying the errors as the takeaways from a night that brought clarity to some spots and more pressure to others. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Leave Chargers Game With A Bigger Concern Than The Score
A preseason game can fade quickly once the result is in the books, and Sundays matchup in Los Angeles felt like one of those nights for the 49ers. They left with a win over the Chargers, but the bigger concern was the list of players who were banged up along the way, including offensive lineman Austen Pleasants, cornerback Renardo Green and linebacker Nick Martin, all of whom exited with injuries.
Kyle Shanahan said Pleasants knee injury is not an ACL tear, while Green and Martin are still waiting on more imaging after hamstring issues. Left guard Robert Jones is also dealing with an unspecified injury that could affect his availability for the next game, giving San Francisco plenty to monitor even as the preseason calendar keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]