The Los Angeles Chargers preseason is one of the most anticipated in the league this year. Jim Harbaugh‘s return to the NFL has created a buzz, as the national media wants to see if he can turn the team’s culture into a winning one overnight.
This means there will be plenty of eyes on Saturday’s Chargers preseason game with the Los Angeles Rams. Here are the players the national media wants to see.
Top Players To Watch In The Chargers Preseason Week 2 Matchup
Easton Stick, QB
Coach Harbaugh announced that the beleaguered backup Easton Stick will start again in Week 2. Although it seems obvious, interest in Stick has very little to do with the quarterback himself and more to do with assessing the pieces around him. The Chargers will likely start eight new players among the offensive starters and need to determine the places of countless backups.
Here is how NFL.com’s Eric Endholm put it;
“No way to sugarcoat it: The Chargers’ offense, operating without injured QB Justin Herbert, fell flat in the preseason opener. Easton Stick made some poor decisions and threw a pick, which was all the more disappointing in that he was working alongside several offensive starters. Granted, the Chargers kept things very basic and didn’t game-plan, so the concern level remains muted, especially as the team hasn’t publicly veered from its projection that Herbert will be healthy enough to play Week 1. But if you’re a Chargers fan, you have to want to see more from the offense against the Rams.”
Chargers WR Corps
It was impossible to make any assessment of the Chargers’ wide receivers because of how bad their quarterbacks played. So the team’s biggest question is still unanswered. How do they replace Mike Williams and Keenan Allen with a fairly rag-tag group of receivers?
Harbaugh announced that Ladd McConkey and Josh Palmer would make their preseason debuts.
Endholm again;
“There are so many interesting battles at wide receiver. Brenden Rice had no catches on three targets against the Seahawks, but I’ll predict he has more chances to make noise this weekend. The stakes are high for him, Simi Fehoko and the other wideouts, as they are quickly running out of time to impress.”
Foster Sarrell, LT
PFF’s Mason Cameron is looking forward to watching the backup left tackle take on the Rams Nick Hampton, who racked up five pressures on 21 total snaps.
“After Los Angeles’ troubling Week 1 blocking performance, all eyes will be on the revamped offensive line and its depth, particularly at tackle. Foster Sarell is one option this team explored in its opener, showcasing his versatility by deploying him at left tackle, right tackle and right guard. He allowed just a pair of pressures.
The team’s other option, currently listed at No. 2 on the depth chart, is former first-rounder Alex Leatherwood, who had an outing to forget in his preseason debut. Leatherwood allowed six pressures on 20 pass sets, totaling a 7.7 PFF pass-blocking grade.”
Tre’mon Morris-Brash, Edge
Tre’mon Morris-Brash had a nice day last week with two pressures and a STOP on 33 snaps. But The Athletics Daniel Popper singled him out for impressive performances at training camp.
In the NFL, though, injuries can mean opportunities, especially this time of year. And that is the case for rookie edge rusher Tre’Mon Morris-Brash. A spot has potentially opened on the 53-man roster. Morris-Brash is the next man up in the edge rusher room after a very strong camp. He is seizing his chance.
Morris-Brash’s playmaking continued in Wednesday’s practice. During a third-down 11-on-11 period, Morris-Brash was working with the first-team defense in three-edge-rusher packages alongside Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack. Morris-Brash had pressures on back-to-back snaps.”