The Los Angeles Chargers clash with the Seattle Seahawks in their second Preseason game. Here’s who to keep an eye on this Saturday…
The Los Angeles Chargers played their first preseason game last week, losing 24-17 to the Arizona Cardinals. The rookies looked outstanding, some former undrafted free agents looked much more polished, but penalties and turnovers ravished what should have been a solid win by a team with better depth.
With so many new and returning faces to keep an eye on, it’s hard to keep track of what positions and players are worth studying the most.
Here are a few of the important Chargers to focus on as they head into Week 2 of the preseason to face the Seattle Seahawks.
Uchenna Nwosu
Nwosu may be this year’s Desmond King: a preseason darling who played lights out in limited action and is beloved by the fans. The team is very high on him, and for good reason; his combination of explosiveness and hustle lets him flourish as a multi-tool player. The linked play is a perfect example of what he’s capable of.
I could have taken any number of his pressures or sacks, but this play in particular should have fans most excited. Look at the way he uses his hands to fight off the guard, then out-hustles the lineman to sort through bodies and make a clean tackle on the running back. Absolute perfection.
Look at the angle No. 70 on the defense takes to tackle the back; he has no chance despite being ahead of Nwosu. No. 58 clean plays it the best he can, and limits the damage. To add a little bit more to how impressive this is, he beats King (No. 20) to the ball, who is one of the more instinctual defensive players on the team.
I’ve instantly become a huge fan of Nwosu, and if he continues to play like this, he’s going to play better and more often than Chris McCain did last season.
Left tackle (after Russell Okung)
This will be an interesting one to watch, as it may be a position with less depth behind it than previously believed. Okung is by far the best tackle on this roster, with a 2017 Pro-Bowl nod to prove it. Sam Tevi, the team’s sixth-round selection last season, is the immediate backup.
Unfortunately, three things happened last Saturday and two work against Tevi’s favor. The good news is that he was given 62 snaps, which tied with two others for the most on offense. The bad news is that, not only did he look awful in his preseason debut, he got hurt while doing it.
Reportedly, the injury is nothing serious, but the former problem remains the biggest concern. What will the team do if Tevi struggles again against reserve players? The Chargers have multiple players on the line who can play at least two positions, but the majority are not familiar with left tackle.
If Okung goes down, but Tevi has had an awful preseason (still more games to see), does Michael Schofield or even Joe Barksdale switch to left tackle happen? It’s an interesting storyline to follow.