The Chargers may have announced their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday with the rest of the league, but that doesn’t mean the moves and transaction comes to an end. In the coming days, I fully expect the Bolts to continue polishing their team as much as possible before they head to Brazil to face the Chiefs.
The league has until 9:00 a.m. PT Wednesday morning to put in waiver claims. Here are three players I think the Chargers should attempt to add from the wire.
RB Audric Estime
Estime rushed for 310
yards and two scores as a rookie with the Broncos in 2024. However, after the team signed veteran J.K. Dobbins and drafted R.J. Harvey in the second round earlier this year, the room got packed fast. Estime ended up being the odd man out even after being the team’s fifth-round pick last year.
The Chagers moved on from both Raheim Sanders and Kimani Vidal, leaving them with just three backs on the active roster. It’s still a possibility that they hope Sanders and/or Vidal return on the practice squad, but there is a real chance they do not. It’s also possible Estime does not make it all the way to the Chargers at 22 on the waiver wire. Either way, Estime’s physical style of running fits what Harbaugh wants in his backfield and he’d be a welcomed addition to the room should a miracle occur with the wire this week.
CB JuJu Brents
A former second round pick who has struggled with injuries, Brents is a 6’3 corner with excellent length. But like most promising players, injuries can take a toll when they hit hard and fast at the start of a career.
Brents played in nine games as a rookie with eight starts. He totaled 43 tackles with six pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Unfortunately he was held to just one start in two games this past season, notching only seven tackles in that span.
The Chargers have a lot of corners on their current roster and this very well is a long shot, but players with Brent’ size and athletic potential don’t just grow on trees at the position. If there is even a chance he slides all the way to 22 in the waiver order, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chargers take a stab.
iOL Cole Strange
The former first-round pick of the Patriots only lasted three seasons with the team before being cut prior to Mike Vrabel’s first season at the helm of the franchise. He’s a former FCS product from Chattanooga who showed enough during the pre-draft process to warrant being selected higher than most who played at the mid-major level.
After starting 17 games as a rookie at left guard, Strange was limited to 10 games in his sophomore campaign due to injury. In 2024, injuries again showed their face and Strange only managed to play in three games with two starts.
Now it’s easy to see why the team that drafted him would want to cut bait and move on, believing Strange likely needs a change of scenery. The Chargers are not a bad spot as they’re in the market for better interior depth and it’s possible Strange truly does just need to reset and find a new home.
Strange was best as a pass protector with the Patriots, earning a 79.0 pass block grade as a rookie and a 67.8 grade this past season. However, his run block grades have never quite lived up to the draft position. Strange posted a 40.4, 66.2, and 48.3 in each of his first two seasons, respectively.
