Justin Herbert didn’t wait long to notice Brenen Thompson.
The Chargers quarterback has already seen enough from the rookie wideout to believe there’s something real there, and he made that clear after Thompson stacked up a pair of standout catches in the first two days of practice. On Wednesday, Thompson hauled in a deep ball from Herbert on a play-action pass. Then on Thursday, he turned heads again by finishing a catch while sliding along the sideline.
“He’s going to be very good,” Herbert said of Thompson, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic. “He’s going to make a lot of plays for us.”
That kind of praise carries weight coming from Herbert, especially with the Chargers coming off back-to-back playoff trips under Jim Harbaugh. The results have been there, but Harbaugh didn’t take the job just to get to the postseason and stop there. He’s got one of the league’s top quarterbacks, and Herbert is already identifying a young target who could help add another layer to the offense.
Thompson arrived as a fourth-round pick, but his profile fits the kind of player who can force his way into the conversation. At 5-9 and 170 pounds, he’s built like a speed receiver, and he played like one at Mississippi State. Last season, he caught 57 passes for 1,054 yards and 6 touchdowns, leading the SEC in receiving yards.
Before that, Thompson spent one season at Texas and two at Oklahoma.
Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey are expected to be Herbert’s top two receivers, but Thompson is already making a push to become part of the picture.
In Other News...
Another Former Chargers Receiver Is Back In A Brutal Spotlight
Brenden Rices latest stop in the NFL has already hit another rough patch, with Green Bay moving on from the receiver after bringing him in off waivers and then placing him on the Non-Football Injury list. For the Packers, the roster shuffle also meant adding Kaden Prather, a young wideout who was taken in the seventh round by Buffalo this year and later spent time in the UFL after an injury settlement.
For the Chargers, Rices name still carries a bit of unfinished business from a short stay in Los Angeles, where he was drafted in 2024 and got into three games without recording a stat. His career has now become a case study in how quickly a promising receiver can be pushed from one opportunity to the next, and Green Bays latest move only adds another layer to a path that has already been anything but stable. [Read more 🡒]
Derwin James Just Fueled A Chargers Move Fans Rarely See
The Chargers are at least in the conversation for a move that would be unusual even by NFL standards, and Derwin James has already made it clear he would welcome it. On Up & Adams, James publicly backed the idea of Los Angeles adding a big-name defensive tackle, a sign that the locker room would not be shy about embracing a rare kind of roster swing if the front office decides the fit is right.
Vita Veas name keeps coming up because the Buccaneers lineman has hinted at wanting to play on the West Coast, and his contract situation only adds to the intrigue. He is entering the final year of his deal and wants a new one, which leaves Tampa Bay with a decision to make while the Chargers sit with the kind of cap flexibility and trade ammunition that could make a deal possible if the talks ever get serious. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Camp Is Already Exposing A Few Uncomfortable Roster Truths
Training camp has only just opened, but the Chargers are already getting a clearer picture of where the roster is crowded and where the depth chart might not be as settled as it looked on paper. With Mike McDaniel and Chris OLeary stepping in as the new offensive and defensive coordinators, the early work has included a close look at rookies and position fits, along with the kind of daily sorting that can quickly turn into bigger decisions once the pads come on.
Brenen Thompson has been one of the more interesting names to watch because of the way the Chargers are using him alongside Justin Herbert in the base offense, a sign he may be pushing for more than a gadget role. Elsewhere, the team is still weighing how to handle players such as Kimani Vidal and Jake Slaughter, while also keeping an eye on the broader roster math and potential trade possibilities as camp moves forward. [Read more 🡒]