Only three games into the season and everything seems to be falling apart. In the 38-10 embarrassment against Jacksonville, Chargers lost Rashawn Slater and Jalen Guyton for the season. Joey Bosa has been placed on IR due to a severe groin injury. Additionally, the future of the coaching staff will become more in question if the losses keep coming. The Chargers must rely on their depth to produce results. I am going to highlight three players that will need to provide huge contributions for the Chargers to remain competitive. They will need to step up big to keep the team afloat.
Chris Rumph II
Chris Rumph II was a player I highlighted in my preseason evaluation of the Chargers. He will be starting in place of Joey Bosa. This will be his first career start. Rumph is a passionate player that has a lot of energy. Furthermore, he has had time to learn from both Bosa and Khalil Mack. “Yeah, I mean those are two Hall of Famers,” Rumph said via Nicholas Corthel. “Anytime I’m in the meeting room, we’re in a team meeting, I’m always picking their mind.”
Rumph is coming in to week four with a next man up approach. “First of all, we all want Joey back,” Rumph said of Bosa. “This is nothing anybody wants. But I look at it as an opportunity to establish myself, to show these coaches that they can count on me when things like this happen….It’s next man up. The standard doesn’t drop at all,” Rumph said. “The same thing you expect out of Joey, I expect out of myself “. In only his second season, he is very excited for this opportunity.
Jamaree Salyer
Jamaree Salyer was the Chargers sixth round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. He played college at University of Georgia and won a National championship during his time there. Despite Salyer mainly taking reps in practice at guard, he will revert back to his college position at Left Tackle. In Salyer’s final two years in college at LT, he allowed just one sack and posted a pass-blocking grade of 86.8, according to Pro Football Focus via Nicholas Cothrel. Salyer dominated against Lions 2nd overall pick Aidan Hutchinson in the 2022 college playoff matchup against Michigan. In that game, he allowed just one pressure and zero sacks.
Salyer is happy and well prepared for his first NFL start. “I’ve been kind of waiting to go so when they gave me the opportunity, I was excited,” Salyer said via Nicholas Cothrel. “I never knew what position it was going to be just because I can play all five positions, but I was always ready to go.” Salyer will look to make his presence felt with the absence of Rashawn Slater.
DeAndre Carter
DeAndre Carter has developed chemistry with Justin Herbert very quickly. In the first 3 games, he is tied with Gerald Everett for the most receiving yards on the team. Carter has been described as “quarterback friendly” by others per Chargers.com. OC Joe Lombardi has not been surprised at what Carter has provided in a short time. “I think we felt really good about him,” Lombardi said via Omar Navarro. “We obviously saw his film in Washington, saw that he was a good player and our opinion rose when we saw him in training camp and in the offseason.” “I think injuries forced him into more reps than we anticipated but we’re not surprised about what he’s doing,” With Keenan Allen likely to be out another game, Carters number will be called on a lot moving forward.