The Chargers are back in SoFi Stadium this week to face the Rams for their third of four preseason games this year. The Bolts are 2-0 and the Rams are 1-0 so there may be a little bit more when it comes to bragging rights on the line for this one.
Below are X players for the Chargers that I’ll be watching closely for one reason or another when they take the field against their crosstown rival.
RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders
Sanders got his first taste of NFL action against the Saints and he did not disappoint.
The former Arkansas and South Carolina standout led the Chargers with 10 carries which he turned into 42 rushing yards and a touchdown. Both Sanders and Hassan Haskins earned the majority of the snaps at running back through the second half of the game and it made you think that maybe Sanders all of a sudden gained some ground on 2024 sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal.
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith
After a standout performance against the Lions in the Hall of Fame Game, Lambert-Smith had a quiet outing against the Saints that was punctuated by a dropped pass on the opening drive that would have gone for a first down. The team’s fifth-round pick finished the second preseason game with zero receptions on two targets, marking a stark contrast from his HoF Game stat liner that featured multiple receptions and a touchdown.
I think KLS gets back on track against the Rams and I’m predicting he even catches his first in-game pass from Justin Herbert on the team’s first drive of the game.
EDGE Kyle Kennard
The Chargers managed to land Kennard in the fourth round of this year’s draft despite him being the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American from this past college football season. The reason? Kennard was and seemingly still is unrefined compared to other top pass rushers coming out in the draft. Through two preseason games, he’s been a bit of an afterthought compared to Caleb Murphy (a former DII UDFA) and other undrafted players up front.
On Saturday, I think he makes his first splash play against a Rams offensive line that may be one of the weaker units on that team. After two ho-hum outings, Kennard needs to start stacking plays or else he’ll get left behind for other players who are managing to meet the moment on a more consistent basis.
LB Marlowe Wax
Wax was disruptive against the Saints and finished with nine total tackles (second on the team) and a sack. The linebacker room isn’t locked down entirely even with four established guys at the top and players like Wax ad Emany Johnson have been playing well enough to warrant some added attention this preseason. If Wax can continue to be a magnet to the football, on top of exhibiting some pass rush skills, I don’t see how he isn’t on the roster bubble all the way up until final cuts.
