I finally felt like I could take some time to take a deep look at the Chargers roster situation now that the draft is behind us. I decided to write this post as I reasoned through a final roster projection to generate some offseason discussion and take my mind off other things.
Current Roster
Right now, the Chargers have 89 players on the roster according to Spotrac. Here are those players:
- Offense (42):
- QB (3) – Herbert, Lance, Uiagalelei
- RB (6) – Hampton, Vidal, Mitchell, Patterson, Johnson, Desrosiers (UDFA R)
- FB (2) – Ingold, Matlock
- WR (10) – McConkey, Johnston, Harris, Lambert-Smith, Davis, Campbell, Grimm, Jackson, Ross (UDFA R), Brown (UDFA R)
- TE (5) – Gadsden, Kolar, McLachlan, Yasmin (IPP), Bradley (UDFA R)
- OL (16) – OT Alt, OT Slater, C Biadasz, RG Strange, G/T Penning, T/G Pipkins, G Awosika, OT Burke (R), G/T Logan Taylor (R), G Harkey (R), OT World (UDFA R), G Cleveland, G/T Branson Taylor, C Kaltenberger, C Spomer (UDFA R), C Svodboda (UDFA R)
- Defense (43):
- Edge (7) – Mack, Tuipulotu, Kennard, Dupree, Randolph, King (UDFA R), Tucker (UDFA R)
- IDL (9) – Tart, Tomlinson, Caldwell, Eboigbe, Barrett (R), Edwards, Carter (UDFA R), Guillory (UDFA R), Webb (UDFA R)
- LB (7) – Henley, Colson, Perryman, Dye, Phillips, Wax, Barton (UDFA R)
- CB (10) – Jackson, Still, Hart, Reed, Leonard, Rogers, Waxter, Shelley (UDFA R), Smith (UDFA R), Wilson (UDFA R)
- S (10) – James, Molden, Jefferson, Mickens, Smith (R), Williamson, Emany Johnson, Avinger (UDFA R), Grant (UDFA R), Wilson (UDFA R)
- Special Teams (4):
- PK (1) – Dicker
- P (1) – Scott
- LS (2) – Harris, Bowden
They also have three unsigned rookies:
- Edge Mesidor
- C/G Slaughter
- WR Thompson
Position Groups
I’m going to walk through all of the position groups with roster and practice squad projections. All of this discussion ignores unexpected injuries.
Quarterback
Final Roster:
- QB1 Justin Herbert
- QB2 Trey Lance
Practice Squad:
- QB3 D.J. Uiagalelei
Hopefully Herbert will be better protected and fully healthy for a change, and there is reason to expect the offensive scheme to be better under OC McDaniel. All of these things should elevate Herbert’s performance.
Runningback
Final Roster:
- RB1 Omarion Hampton
- RB2/3 Kimani Vidal
- RB2/3 Keaton Mitchell
- RB4 Hassan Haskins
Practice Squad:
- Jaret Patterson
- Amar Johnson
Not rostered:
- Gregory Desrosiers (UDFA R)
The top three are clear. Hampton should be better in his second season. Mitchell provides an upgrade over the RBs behind Hampton and Vidal last season, and maybe over Vidal as well. They should have better run blocking with a healthier and upgraded OL, FB Ingold, and Kolar. And McDaniel’s scheme should also be a big upgrade. The Chargers should have a top 5 rushing offense this season.
As I have written in previous posts, I have been expecting the team to re-sign Haskins as a core four special teams player who has really excelled on special teams in both of Harbaugh’s seasons as Chargers head coach (plus, he played for Harbaugh at Michigan). I’m showing that here, and I assume re-signing him would bump Desrosiers off the 90 man roster. If they do not bring Haskins back, Patterson or Johnson could make the final roster. Or maybe they keep just three RBs… as we will see below, there are a few tough final roster decisions, so they could allocate the RB4 roster spot to another position.
Fullback
Final Roster:
- FB1 Alec Ingold
Practice Squad:
- FB2 Scott Matlock
Ingold should be a significant upgrade over Matlock and has proven he is valuable in McDaniel’s scheme. I think Harbaugh likes Matlock, so I expect he will make the practice squad.
Wide Receiver
Final Roster:
- WR1 Ladd McConkey
- WR2 Quentin Johnston
- WR3 Tre Harris
- WR4 Brenen Thompson (R)
- WR5 KeAndre Lambert-Smith
- WR6 Derius Davis
Practice Squad:
- Dalevon Campbell
- Luke Grimm
Not rostered:
- JaQuae Jackson
- Sincere Brown (UDFA R)
- Devonte Ross (UDFA R)
This is a young WR group, so it seems reasonable to expect all of them should improve individually at their WR craft with another NFL offseason. McDaniel’s scheme should be much better than Roman’s (no more “WR shielding”), which will help elevate the WR performance. And Thompson could make a surprisingly significant impact in that scheme.
I would love to see Davis gone, since I think he delivers poor value for his roster spot, as I posted for a couple years now. It would be ideal if Thompson could pick up punt return duties, but he only had one punt return in college (though it was a good one — 44 yards).
For now, I have to assume Davis makes it. If so, Davis would need to be active on gamedays even though he may not contribute on offense, probably meaning KLS will typically be inactive. Thompson’s speed makes that an easier decision. As a Keenan fan, if Davis doesn’t make the final roster, I would love to see Allen re-signed. But I don’t expect it at this point.
The team picked up Johnston’s fifth year option, currently projected at $18M against the 2027 cap. I wouldn’t have done that myself. I would have drafted a WR to replace Johnston in the 2027 draft, let him walk next offseason, and let another team sign him for $18M+ in the grossly inflated WR market, contributing positively to the 2028 compensatory pick formula.
It seems apparent that Hortiz will work to maximize the number of draft picks the Chargers will have every year — 26 draft picks in 3 drafts so far, and not less than eight picks in any draft. Given that approach, it seems like a viable strategy to plan to draft a WR every year on day 2 or 3, only sign second contracts for true top 30 caliber WRs like McConkey, and let the rest of them walk after their rookie contracts end, contributing positively to the comp pick formula, which helps feed this cycle. This would keep the team’s cap spending at WR down, enabling that cap space to be spent on other valuable position groups, like OL and Edge.
That said, given the team picked up QJ’s option, I hope that sets the stage for Johnston to have his best season yet. (I realize they could still trade him at some point, I just don’t see any reason to expect they will do that.)
Tight End
Final Roster:
- Move TE1 Oronde Gadsden
- Inline TE1 Charlie Kolar
- TE3 Jonnu Smith
Practice Squad:
- Tanner MacLachlan
- Thomas Yasmin (IPP)
Not Rostered:
- Jerand Bradley (UDFA R)
Gadsden should be better in his second season, and Kolar should be an upgrade over Dissly. It seems obvious to me that the team will sign a veteran TE to play behind the top two, and I am projecting that to be Jonnu Smith, who excelled in McDaniel’s offense in 2024. I expect that veteran signing to bump Bradley off the 90 man roster. MacLachlan seems better suited than Bradley for the practice squad, and Yasmin should make it as the team’s international player, giving them a 17th practice squad slot.
This group seems like a nice upgrade over last season’s group of rookie Gadsden, Dissly, and Conklin.
Offensive Line
Final Roster:
- OT Joe Alt
- OT Rashawn Slater
- C Tyler Biadasz
- RG Cole Strange
- C/G Jake Slaughter (R)
- G/T Trevor Penning
- T/G Trey Pipkins
- OT Travis Burke (R)
- G Kayode Awosika
Reserve/Injured:
- OT Isaiah World (UDFA R)
Practice Squad:
- G/T Logan Taylor (R)
- G Alex Harkey (R)
- G/T Branson Taylor
- C Josh Kaltenberger
Not Rostered:
- G Ben Cleveland
- C Jacob Spomer (UDFA R)
- C Evan Svodboda (UDFA R)
Roles
If healthy, Slater and Alt will be the starting tackles and Biadasz will be the starting center. All represent strong upgrades over the non-Alt snaps the Chargers got at their positions last season. I’m not sure if Slater can return to his previous form in 2026, but I expect he will at least be above average. All reports to date have been positive.
Harbaugh said at the NFL owners meetings that the team plans to start Strange at RG. I’m going to repeat here some of what I have written elsewhere about him.
Strange
Here is the way I think we should view Strange.
First, here are his career snaps and PFF grades:
- 2022 NE (all snaps at LG):
- 54.6 offense on 982 snaps
- 48.3 run blocking on 384 snaps
- 67.8 pass blocking grade on 598 snaps
- 2023 NE (all snaps at LG):
- 64.6 offense on 564 snaps
- 66.2 run blocking on 224 snaps
- 57.7 pass blocking grade on 340 snaps
- 2024 NE (all snaps at C):
- 48.6 offense on 117 snaps
- 40.4 run blocking on 42 snaps
- 79.0 pass blocking grade on 75 snaps
- 2025 MIA (all snaps at RG):
- 54.9 offense on 808 snaps
- 57.0 run blocking on 351 snaps
- 42.2 pass blocking grade on 457 snaps
Strange tore his patellar tendon in week 15 of the 2023 season. Looking at his PFF grade progression up to that point, it looked like he had some potential to reach above average starter status.
He missed the rest of 2023 and the first 14 games of 2024. We have talked about this injury since Slater suffered it, so we know it is difficult to come back from at previous performance level in less than two years (if ever).
In addition, Strange changed teams for 2025 and also changed positions, moving to RG for the first time. It was his first time playing for McDaniel and OL coach Barry. He played the final 14 games for Miami. He showed really significant improvement in the last 7 games vs. the first 7, which is a reason for encouragement.
Straight averaging these grades is not really the right way to do things, but I can’t figure out how to get PFF to allow me to show cumulative grades for a subset of games in a season. So here are the straight averages just to provide an easier point of comparison:
- Games 4-10 (7 games):
- Offense grade average: 49.4
- Run blocking grade average: 52.8
- Pass blocking grade average: 38.2
- Games 11-18 (7 games):
- Offense grade average: 64.5
- Run blocking grade average: 62.6
- Pass blocking grade average: 61.1
That is massive improvement in the last 7 games. Why? We can reasonably assume he got better as he got further from the injury, and we can also reasonably assume he got better as he gained snaps and experience at (1) RG and (2) in McDaniel’s scheme.
He turns 28 in July, so he should be in his prime. Now he enters his second season in McDaniel’s scheme, presumably his second season at RG, and his third season removed from his injury. It seems reasonable to believe his performance should mimic his late season performance going forward. If so, Strange should be an upgrade over the performance Becton delivered last season.
The Chargers arguably got a steal, and McDaniel and Hortiz knew it.
Starting Left Guard
So that is four of five starting OL positions upgraded. But with Zion’s departure, who will start at LG is a question mark. It appears Harbaugh’s “competitors welcome” mantra may actually apply here.
If the team does not sign another veteran guard, then it appears that Penning, Slaughter, Awosika, Logan Taylor, Branson Taylor, Harkey, and Cleveland will compete for that starting position. IMO Branson Taylor, Harkey, and Cleveland would seem to be such long shots that I think the competition would really be between Penning, Slaughter, Awosika, and Logan Taylor.
A few comments on the OL draft choices:
- Pick 63, Jake Slaughter – Announced at a position he never played in college. Chosen well ahead of his consensus ranking… though Hortiz did some nice work in trading down in this draft, this was probably a missed opportunity to do it again, since they probably could have gotten him 10-20 picks later. This is quite a reach if he is really just going to be the backup center to Biadasz for 2+ seasons and then the long term starting center. If he earns the starting LG position, the value will match the pick. We’ll have to see how that plays out.
- Pick 117, Travis Burke – They traded up to get him, and he was a 4th rounder. I trust the team on this.
- Pick 202, Logan Taylor – As described below, I see him as a player on the final roster bubble. Camp and preseason will obviously be hugely important for him. I was surprised at this pick, since I thought the team might have been better off taking the best CB or TE available.
- Pick 206, Alex Harkey – Feels like a wasted pick, a la Branson Taylor. Especially as the 4th OL drafted. Similar to Branson, the probability that he will ever deliver actual value seems extremely low. Hortiz has shown he can find value at non-OL positions in the 6th round (e.g., Vidal, Mickens). He should probably stick with non-OL players with his late draft picks. Again, I thought the team would have been better off taking the best CB or TE available.
Veteran Free Agent?
IMO if the Chargers are trying to compete for a Super Bowl this season, the LG answer is a veteran free agent. tAs of 4 pm Eastern time on April 27, signing veteran free agents no longer impacted the comp pick formula for the 2027 draft, so no issue there. Any veteran free agent signed this late isn’t likely to command a high dollar contract, and the Chargers are flush with cap space right now.
Joel Bitonio would be my first choice. He played 11,966 snaps over the past 12 seasons in Cleveland, including 11,811 snaps at LG. The last six of those seasons, he played for head coach Kevin Stefanski, who is from the same Shanahan/Kubiak coaching tree as McDaniel, implying Bitonio would be a good fit.
James Daniels would be my next choice. McDaniel signed Daniels to a three year, $24M contract in March 2025, and he started the opening game at RG before suffering a season ending injury. As one would expect, McDaniel had a number of positive quotes about Daniels after that signing. Although he has suffered season ending injuries the past two seasons, his 2025 injury was a pectoral injury, so there is no reason to believe it would affect his play in 2026.
If the Chargers went this route, they could move on from Awosika, since they would have plenty of quality depth without him and would not need him to start. However, there have been no media reports I am aware of to indicate the Chargers are considering this. For now, I have to assume they are happy with what they have.
Slaughter?
For now, I am skeptical that Slaughter is going to start at LG. It seems like too large a leap to me for him to switch from C to LG in one rookie offseason, having never played a college snap at any position other than center. This is especially true if he is also going to be expected to be the backup center in the regular season, which implies he needs to take some camp/preseason snaps there.
I am aware that he was Hortiz’s “blue star” player, and it has been reported that McDaniel believes he is a good fit at guard in his scheme. So I assume the team is expecting him to win the starting LG position. I hope they don’t force it, and Slaughter legitimately proves me wrong (not forced due to draft capital). Otherwise, it seems like a serious overpay to draft him in the second round to be a backup to Biadasz for at least two seasons and then (hopefully) the long term center.
Competition
As noted previously, absent another veteran free agent, I think the LG competition would really be between Penning, Slaughter, Awosika, and Logan Taylor. Awosika could have an edge here, at least to open the season. Consider the career NFL snaps at LG for these players:
- Awosika 615
- Penning 358
- Slaughter 0
- Taylor 0
That said, I think the team could choose Logan Taylor over Awosika. Taylor had a 9.19 Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which ranked 156 out of 1908 guards from 1987 to 2026, so he has good athleticism, useful for a guard in McDaniel’s scheme. He also demonstrated impressive position versatility in college; Here is a breakdown of his college snaps:
- LT 1,673
- LG 758
- RG 524
- RT 190
- Inline TE 21
It is worth noting that there is a benefit to not selecting Penning as the starting LG. That would mean the Chargers would have both Penning and Pipkins as depth players who could theoretically cover both guard and tackle positions if needed. And either would then be available to line up as an inline TE when McDaniel wants to use that formation. That would also enable rookies like Burke and Logan Taylor to watch and learn without having to be forced onto the field, and that would benefit their development.
Final Roster
The first eight players I projected on the final roster all seem like locks to me barring injury, and World seems certain to go to IR. That seems to leave Awosika, Logan Taylor, Branson Taylor, Harkey, and Cleveland battling for the 9th roster spot. I already mentioned I don’t think Branson Taylor, Harkey, or Cleveland are real options in the LG competition. For the same reasons I wrote that, I’m not considering any of them as serious options to make the final roster.
I assume the Chargers will have nine OL players on their final roster. There are some tough roster decisions to be made, and keeping a 10th OL player on the final roster which just add to the challenge across other position groups. This could play out in a variety of ways:
- Nine OL players
- If the team signs another veteran free agent to start at LG, he and the first eight players I listed on the final roster will likely be the nine OL players on the final roster, and the team can move on from Awosika. (Again, assuming all these players are healthy.)
- If the team does not sign another veteran free agent, IMO the 9th OL player comes down to Awosika vs. Logan Taylor.
- Ten OL players
- If the team signs another veteran free agent to start at LG, that player, the first eight players I listed on the final roster, and Logan Taylor will be the ten final roster OL players.
- If the team does not sign another veteran free agent, Awosika and Logan Taylor will be the 9th and 10th OL players.
For my roster projection, I assumed Awosika makes it as the 9th OL player, and the team does not keep a 10th, pushing Logan Taylor to the practice squad along with a few others.
Overall
However the starting LG shakes out, it seems that the starting OL will easily be the most improved in the NFL, and the OL depth is also strong. Seriously, this could jump from the worst OL in the NFL to the best OL in the NFL. I’m not saying I expect “best OL in NFL” level performance, but it’s hard to look at this OL and not expect top level OL play, unless it gets derailed by injuries again. Concentrated injuries like last season could still change this, but surely that can’t happen again… right?
Sorry for the length of OL discussion here. This seems like the most complicated group to sort out, by far.
Edge
Final Roster:
- Khalil Mack
- Tuli Tuipulotu
- Akheem Mesidor (R)
- Kyle Kennard
- Bud Dupree
Practice Squad:
- Garmon Randolph
Not Rostered:
- Niles King (UDFA R)
- Nadame Tucker (UDFA R)
Entering the offseason, I expected the team to release Dupree before his $1M bonus was due. They did not do that, and paid him that bonus, which incurs $1M against the 2026 cap. I suppose they could still cut him… it’s only $1M, right? But some close to the team like Daniel Popper have seemed to assume he is a lock. This affects other position groups. For now, I assume Dupree will stick, at least until the team sees quality play from Kennard on the field.
Interior Defensive Line
Final Roster:
- Teair Tart
- Jamarree Caldwell
- Dalvin Tomlinson
- Justin Eboigbe
- Nick Barrett (R)
Practice Squad:
- TeRah Edwards
Not Rostered:
- Jahmeer Carter (UDFA R)
- Jacobian Guillory (UDFA R)
- Terry Webb (UDFA R)
Given I assume the team will keep five Edge players, I think that limits them to five IDL players. In addition to Edwards, I projected Matlock to make the practice squad, so there is a bit more IDL depth there if needed (in dire circumstances, obviously!).
Linebacker
Final Roster:
- Daiyan Henley
- Troy Dye
- Denzel Perryman
- Marlowe Wax
- Del’Shawn Phillips
Practice Squad:
- Junior Colson
Not Rostered:
- Lander Barton (UDFA R)
I think there are four locks here: Henley, Perryman, Dye, and Phillips. I think it would be tough for the Chargers to keep six LBs, barring injuries that clear the way to do so. So I assume they will keep just five. If so, I think that means Colson and Wax are battling for the final LB spot. This could be the most interesting position battle to watch.
Ultimately, I am projecting Wax to make it, because he played 341 core four special teams snaps last season (3rd highest special teams snaps on the Chargers) and had the 32nd highest PFF special teams grade among players who played at least 200 special teams snaps (3rd highest grade on the Chargers). Wax also played much better in his limited defensive snaps last season than Colson did in 2024.
I cannot assume the team will give up that special teams value for a gamble on draft pedigree and Michigan connection. Frankly, this exact situation is why I was surprised the team brought Perryman back. Had they not done that, Wax and Colson would both be in line to make the final roster, with Wax amounting to insurance that Colson’s last chance did not work out. (I am assuming there is now no chance the Chargers cut Perryman barring injury.) If Wax does beat out Colson, Colson will be cemented as Hortiz’s biggest draft miss by far.
Cornerback
Final Roster:
- Donte Jackson
- Tarheeb Still
- Cam Hart
- Nikko Reed
- Deane Leonard
Practice Squad:
- Eric Rogers
Not Rostered:
- Isas Waxter
- Rodney Shelley (UDFA R)
- Avery Smith (UDFA R)
- Jeremiah Wilson (UDFA R)
Ideally, I would like the team to have six CBs, especially since Leonard primarily plays special teams. (Though I think Leonard can play adequately on defense if needed.)
I think the team drafting both Mickens and Smith in the past two drafts while also re-signing Jefferson again means they will keep five safeties, and I think that takes a CB roster spot away. This is mitigated somewhat since Derwin plays most of his snaps at slot corner. It also seems like rookie Smith could take TE coverage snaps and maybe even some straight CB snaps if needed. So the depth is probably okay, and Rogers is a quality practice squad player available to call up as needed.
The Guilty As Charged guys have talked about the Chargers signing a veteran CB like Rasul Douglas (who did play for Miami in 2025). I would be happy with signing him, but I just don’t know how to fit him into this roster, unless the team is willing to cut Reed, and I wonder if Reed would last on the practice squad. IMO the team would be better off with Douglas than Reed, but I suspect the Chargers don’t see it that way.
Safeties
Final Roster:
- Derwin James
- Elijah Molden
- Tony Jefferson
- R.J. Mickens
- Genesis Smith (R)
Practice Squad:
- Kendall Williamson
Not Rostered:
- Emany Johnson
- Noah Avinger (UDFA R)
- Devin Grant (UDFA R)
- Jerry Wilson (UDFA R)
Having drafted Smith to go along with Molden, Mickens, and Jefferson, the team could consider the idea of trading Derwin that I raised here. That said, I don’t think the team would do it because Harbaugh has committed to Derwin as a foundational player and leader, and it also would have made sense to do it before or during the draft if it was going to happen, not now.
Projections Summary
Final 53 Man Roster
Based on my comments above, here is a projected final 53:
- Offense (25):
- QB (2) – Herbert, Lance
- RB (4) – Hampton, Vidal, Mitchell, Haskins
- FB (1) – Ingold
- WR (6) – McConkey, Johnston, Harris, Thompson (R), Lambert-Smith, Davis
- TE (3) – Gadsden, Kolar, Smith
- OL (9) – OT Alt, OT Slater, C Biadasz, RG Strange, C/G Slaughter (R), G/T Penning, T/G Pipkins, OT Burke (R), G Awosika
- Defense (25):
- Edge (5) – Mack, Tuipulotu, Mesidor (R), Kennard, Dupree
- IDL (5) – Tart, Tomlinson, Caldwell, Eboigbe, Barrett (R)
- LB (5) – Henley, Perryman, Dye, Phillips, Colson/Wax
- CB (5) – Jackson, Still, Hart, Reed, Leonard
- S (5) – James, Molden, Jefferson, Mickens, Smith (R)
- Special Teams (3):
- PK (1) – Dicker
- P (1) – Scott
- LS (1) – Harris
It appears to me there are just two major position battles: 9th OL and 5th LB. Dupree and Davis could also be vulnerable, as discussed. But this is a mature, locked in roster, barring injuries.
Practice Squad
Based on my comments above, here is a projected 17 man practice squad:
- QB3 D.J. Uiagalelei
- RB Jaret Patterson
- RB Amar Johnson
- FB2 Scott Matlock
- WR Dalevon Campbell
- WR Luke Grimm
- TE Tanner MacLachlan
- TE Thomas Yasmin (IPP)
- G/T Logan Taylor (R)
- G Alex Harkey (R)
- G/T Branson Taylor
- C Josh Kaltenberger
- Edge Garmon Randolph
- IDL TeRah Edwards
- LB Junior Colson
- CB Eric Rogers
- S Kendall Williamson
This is very offense heavy, with 12 of 17 positions allocated to offense. I’m likely to miss on several of these projections, especially since Hortiz might claim a player or two off waivers at roster cutdowns, and I have no way to account for that. But I think this is a reasonable representation of what the Chargers will end up with on their practice squad.
Conclusion
The offense is probably improved by a greater margin than any team in the NFL from 2025 to 2026, assuming good health for the key players.
The defense was great in 2024-2025. I have confidence in new DC O’Leary, and injecting first round pick Mesidor should add some juice… he should be able to replicate Oweh’s impact. I could see the defense slipping a bit, but not as much as the offense will gain.
Special teams was good and should remain so.
Given good health, this should be a division winner. Anything less will be disappointing in year three of Harbaugh/Hortiz. As much as I want to credit them for the good they have done in building and coaching the roster, that statement illustrates the bottom line nature of their jobs. Win the division. Go on a deep playoff run. It’s year three… it’s time.
Thoughts?
Great job as usual, Tau.
A few observations that occurred to me as I read:
Thanks!
Thanks, Al. A few comments.
Regarding TE, you said next man up as TE3 but I assume you meant TE4, since the team will have Gadsden, Kolar, and Njoku now, barring injuries. With Ingold’s presence and the likelihood of using some formations with an OL lining up as an inline TE, this seems like enough to me. These were the TE offense snaps last season:
Gadsden 654
Fisk 251
Dissly 194
Conklin 169
It seems to me that Gadsden, Kolar, and Njoku can easily absorb that amount of snaps barring injury. Now, that was Roman’s offense, but how much can the TE snaps truly increase? Injuries would be the only issue, and Ingold can help there, as well as the OL inline TE stuff. And McDaniel seems more capable of adjusting on the fly than Roman was if that is needed (i.e., injury in game drives fewer TE snaps the rest of the game). Seems okay IMO.
Interesting comment on RAS. I am not a big watcher of film, so you have me there. I will say that Steven and Tyler (GAC) seemed more positive having watched some of his film. However, they were both pretty down on Harkey, for whatever that is worth.
You mentioned signing Dupree, but he is on the roster. I assume you meant you are fine if they keep Dupree, which is what I projected. I agree, though he would definitely be one of the weakest players on the final roster in that scenario. Maybe he makes up for that with veteran presence/experience, though it seems they have Mack for that…
Regarding the corner comments, this is a reason why I like to address the entire roster across all position groups together. Because there is so much interdependency. If they keep a 6th corner, where does that position come from out of my projection? Would they really cut CB Reed or S Mickens? Same question if they keep a 10th OL, a 6th IDL, etc.
My expression was poor about ‘next man up’. I just meant we are one injury away from having a TE3 who’s a PS quality player.
Since posting, I have listened to new TE Coach Chandler Henley’s press conference from this morning and he may have partially answered the question. He said that he, Butch Barry and Mike McDaniel watched Scott Matlock’s tape and each independently came to the conclusion that ‘he could be a great Y Tight End’.
So at least for now Matlock is full-time in the TE room learning that position. Either he makes the team and can offer those 169 snaps Conklin did last year. Or he doesn’t, and they find some other way as you suggest.
On Dupree, I forgot he was rostered and thought he was in Keenan’s bucket, as an unsigned FA. Whoops!
Nothing against him personally, but the Scott Matlock era needs to be over. We saw it last year when he moonlighted at FB. he offers nothing in the passing game and is a marginal blocker AT BEST. I guess he is a Harbaugh favorite and maybe these guys picked up on it to hype him up, but how can they honestly say someone with his athletic profile can play TE? That’s a slap in the face to every TE in the league. I guess a best case scenario is he makes the roster as an end of the bench DT who can play ST and be used as an extra blocker or FB in goal line or heavy sets? Other than that I don’t see the value he brings to the offense full time.
Agree 1000%
Completely agree, I expect him to be cut.
Nice breakdown as usual Tau. Roster is mostly set at this point. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sign another vet WR (possibly Allen) and cutting Davis, but just not sure who would do punt returns. As you mentioned Thompson isn’t experienced there and using McConkey as the punt returner would be foolish. I know Mitchell has returned kicks, but I don’t believe any punts. Will be interesting to follow this and see who else is returning punts in camp.
I could also still see them adding a vet at the CB position, though it seems fairly solid with the 10 DBs and they’re almost certainly going to carry those 5 safeties unless there’s an injury (as opposed to 6 CBs/4 safeties). That said, I could easily see them signing a vet that would push Reed or Leonard off. At this point they’ve basically just lost St Juste so I don’t feel like the group is much different than last year but if they can upgrade that 4th/5th CB spot then they should.
On the OL, its highly likely there will be an injury that opens a window for someone like Logan Taylor or Harkey. This will obviously be very interesting to watch.
I also think the Edge and LB positions will be interesting to watch. I think Nadame Tucker (at Edge) and Lander Barton (LB) are going to be given an opportunity to seize depth roles and possibly push off guys like Colson, Wax and Kennard.
I wonder if they would work KLS as the main punt returner in the preseason. I assume he would be WR5 or 6 and would be on the 53 so having him take over return duties justifies his roster spot even more. I think they could also sign another RB for competition and depth behind the top 3. Maybe that guy has some return ability also?
I don’t think KLS has ever returned punts but I suppose its possible. Or as you suggested the 4th RB could be in play. Will be interesting to see…
Does Mitchell have return ability? I realize he’s RB2/3 but that speed is sure enticing.
He has experience in both pros and college returning kicks but as far as I can tell he has never returned a punt.
Good breakdown, Tau. I’ll dive deeper later. For now, just a couple of comments….
We signed Njoku at TE. I like this signing just fine. He’ll be just turning 30 week 1, should benefit greatly from a vastly better QB, and adds a veteran presence to further Gadsden’s development.
Obviously hoping both Alt and Slater return to form. I agree with everything said here about the Slaughter pick. I have no issues with the player, but the timing and intended usage are puzzling. Having said that, I do hope he’s the center of the future and I hope someone clearly beats out Penning at LG. Projected improvement for Strange supported by grades is encouraging.
I remain a bit concerned about the CB room. I’ll leave it mostly at that for now. Perhaps pass rush will mask what I perceive as a rather mediocre group.
Thanks for the analysis.
Thanks, Buck.
I knew about Njoku’s visit but had wrongly assumed they weren’t going to sign him when nothing was reported for a week after his visit. Njoku is about a year younger and is probably a better blocker, so this seems like a fine move to me.
I agree that the CB group is a bit of a concern. I was surprised the team acquired more draft picks during the draft and didn’t use one on a CB. Not that a day 3 corner would have really made this look different. The coaching staff under Minter seemed to enable this position group to perform above its apparent talent level. I’m hoping it will continue under O’Leary.
I had given up on Njoku too, very surprised when I read the news this morning of his signing.