Pregame
It’s a rare summer homecoming at SoFi. For the first time since their departures, former Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and head coach Brandon Staley return to Los Angeles. Somewhere in the bowels of the stadium, there’s probably a yoga mat unrolled, waiting for Staley to revisit his infamous cat/cow pregame ritual.
But nostalgia aside, tonight isn’t about the headlines — it’s about the depth chart and 53-man roster. Preseason is where roster battles are won and dreams are made (or dashed). Here’s what to keep an eye on:
1️⃣ Jamaree Salyer at Left Tackle – Can he anchor the blind side with enough comfort and push in the run game to make this a real position battle at either tackle spot?
2️⃣ Josh Kaltenberger’s Momentum – The rookie UDFA has been turning heads all camp. Can he keep building his case for a spot on the 53-man roster?
3️⃣ Andre James in the Run Game – The last time James was at his best, Josh Jacobs racked up over 2,000 scrimmage yards in 2023. Will we see that kind of road-grading form tonight?
4️⃣ Nikko Reed’s Cornerback Challenge – Could a standout performance make Deane Leonard and Ja’Sir Taylor expendable trade chips… on the very day their old coach is in the building?
5️⃣ Trey Lance’s Backup Bid – Lance has strung together an impressive camp. Another strong showing tonight could solidify him as Justin Herbert’s No. 2.
It’s time to see who’s ready to step up under the lights.
💬 Your turn, StormCloud — Which players are you most looking forward to watching in tonight’s game?
Postgame
The Los Angeles Chargers opened their 2025 preseason with a convincing 27–10 victory over the New Orleans Saints, blending efficient offense with opportunistic defense.
The Bolts wasted no time setting the tone. Trey Lance orchestrated a surgical 14-play, 85-yard drive in the first quarter, capping it off with a 5-yard rushing touchdown. Although the 2-point conversion failed, the early score gave the Chargers control.
The Saints clawed back in the third quarter when Tyler Shough connected with Mason Tipton for a 54-yard touchdown bomb, briefly cutting into the lead. But Los Angeles immediately swung momentum back in its favor.
Cornerback Eric Rogers read Shough perfectly, jumping a route for a 43-yard pick-six that electrified the crowd and widened the gap once again.
The dagger came in the fourth quarter when Raheim Sanders broke free for an 11-yard rushing touchdown, sealing the win and showcasing the depth behind the Chargers’ starting lineup.
It was the type of performance head coach Jim Harbaugh will appreciate — crisp execution, minimal mistakes, and contributions from all phases of the game. For a preseason opener, the Chargers looked sharp, aggressive, and already in sync.
Next up, they’ll look to build on this momentum as the evaluation of the depth chart continues.
https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/chargers/2025/08/10/chargers-saints-trey-lance-caleb-murphy-eric-rogers/85603356007/?utm_source=smg-chargerswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbaseline&utm_term=Content%20List%20-%20Stacking%20-%20optimized&utm_content=8872WS-E-ChargersWire
A few random thoughts about yesterday’s game:
I unfortunately didn’t see the game, didn’t get into Dubois WY until about 530pm MDT and wasn’t showing here.
Hines muffed puntS? I only read about 1.
Salyer should be getting AT LEAST as much consideration as a starter as Pipkins.
I saw one muff and heard about another. From Charger Wire:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6545973/2025/08/10/chargers-preseason-saints-caleb-murphy/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=12566676&source=dailyemail
Rogers ahs a day and gets hurt… man that sucks
I have a ton of personal drama going on at the moment, so had to stop watching football and deal with life. Saw the highlights. Also saw that Rogers and Barnhardt went down? If they could IR them for the season and give them both a redshirt season…. Didn’t think either were going to contribute this year, but have potential.
Dont be afraid to reach out if you need anything Kev. Hope everything is OK.
Yeah, both went down. Roger’s I think hurt his ankle pretty bad? I think Barnhardt was rolled up on by a teammate but I missed it.
Thanks Kyle – Much appreciated. Not sure you can help with this: Came back from a month in Japan to find a fountain of water shooting 6′ in the air behind a toilet. Basement flooded, main floor hardwoods f*cked.
Insurance had a contractor come in and demo. They tell us to leave for a week so they can sand and refinish the hardwoods, so I talked the insurance company into a week at Hilton Head. Come back, minimal progress. They need another week, so we check into the Westin down the street. Last Friday, they were finally going to start staining the floors. I went and looked at it – complete disaster. Sanding swirls all over the place, inconsistent application, edges don’t match the floor. Contractor obviously didn’t know what they were doing.
Westin was sold out, so we had to move. My wife found an AirBnB near my kids school. Insurance could not reserve, since it was late Friday, so we had to scramble and find a hotel. Now, wife is pissed, we’re at the Courtyard, still trying to find a better location, contractor is saying they found a sub that knows what their doing, but it’s going to take at least 2 more weeks to finish.
Wow….that sucks man. So sorry.
As most of us older dudes know, life happens. It’s how we respond to the challenges life throws at us that defines us.
That said, my wife is looking to take someone’s head off right now. Not a lot of space to hide in a hotel room. Trying to keep my head down and ply her with alcohol.
Oh yeah Kev – not much I can do from here… moreso just if you need a buddy to vent to 🤣. Construction sucks, I know all too well my man. Hang in there!
When we were engaged, my wife and I were living in our garage while the house was renovated for 4 months. I understanding the head down tactics my man! 🤣
Your wife tolerating living in a garage is how you know you made a good choice in life partner.
Oof. Hope this resolves quickly, my friend.
You are choosing the best course of action in dealing with the wife. That landmine is worse than anything the contractor throws at you. Nothing worse than walking on eggshells at home. I often find myself in these situations taking all the slings and arrows from the wife and my only thought is “how I can address it to make it stop?” It’s like trying to get a baby to stop crying. You will do almost anything to get it to stop, but you know one wrong word or move and it’s coming back tenfold. That feeling of imminent doom you know is coming the second you open that door is so debilitating. Hopefully the contractors get everything at least moving in the right direction to get you guys more settled.
Trikweze Bridges is looking like he’ll be out on the first round of cuts. He’s been exposed so many times in both practice and preseason games.
Both his feet and his processing have looked slow :/
Ohhhh hell yeah!! This defense is so fun to watch. What a pick and score.
Different kid every week man… so cool.
Hopefully Minter sticks around next year, really don’t want to say goodbye to this guy anytime soon.
That block by Nyheim!! Oh my word
Come on Gads… we want to see you break out so bad man.
They’re treating him like a possession receiver which is very interesting. I thought he’d be a vertical threat.
Not a good series by Trey either.
Caleb Murphy! Flattened that edge yet again
Murphy making a case to make the team.
James getting beat at Guard.
Never played there before today, but still that was a bad miss
Awful, awful. So weird to try him at LG and Zion at C, I don’t get it.
Hey Kyle, you’re great at real estate. Let’s see how you do at open heart surgery.
“SCALPLE! “
Heineke looks shaky to say the least.
Lance may have the edge over him, eh?
If he doesn’t find some rhythm on the next drive then I think it’ll be hard for him to get a foot in if Lance has a good game.
I know this is a minority opinion, but I just watched Easton Stick light up the same Lions scrubbies Lance lit up last week. Good game last week. Heineke is a vet with a lot of experience in the league. Not ready to anoint Trey just yet.
How about now? Haha
Agree – not looking good. I just don’t know what the coaches are asking him to do.
If this is truly a competition, then yea, Heineke looks like shit thus far. Taylor has also won a lot of games as a starting QB in the league.
Salyer still playing LT
Playing well too, quick feet and picked up a stunt
Matlock…
He’s looking so much quicker with his lighter frame and he’s not used to it haha
He missed the TFL on the play prior to the 4th down stop. Great penetration, followed by a big whiff.
Caldwell! He’s so quick for a big man.
TMB is a getting into a bit of a habit of losing contain that’s twice in this game already but Mickens covered so well.
Mickens looked good there man! Solid containment.
Yikes. Some extra security for Davis after that botched punt return
That was not a well timed muff. Hines needs to catch that if he wants to make this team.
Yeah, he sure tightened the battle between him and Davis with that play, huh?
That’s a horrific botch. Straight through the basket.
Rumph and Clapp are on the Saints?
The Saints are going to suck this year.
I posted a bit about this elsewhere; While it was great to see Lance light up the Lions, Easton Stick did the same thing against the same team last night. Great to get excited about the former 1st round pick. I’m not ready to anoint him QB 2.
Great tackle by Still.
Fantastic technique on that hit
Textbook.
Some bad drops on that first drive but I liked how the protection looked and there were lanes open on the ground.