The Athletic has live coverage of Thursday’s NFL preseason action. EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers held their 12th practice of training camp Tuesday at The Bolt, and now the team’s attention turns to the preseason opener against the Houston Texans on Thursday night. “I can’t wait to see them compete,” coach Jim Harbaugh said Tuesday before practice. “It’s that feeling in a game that’s exciting for everyone throughout the organization.” The Chargers still have a lot to figure out with their roster as they are now more than halfway through camp. There is a starting job up for grabs along the offensive line. The backup quarterback position behind Justin Herbert feels shaky. Young players in multiple defensive position groups have shown up at camp practices, creating some potentially tough decisions for 53-man. Here are the five areas of the roster I’ll be monitoring when the Chargers play real football for the first time this season on Thursday night. A clearer picture in LG The Chargers have defined starters in four places on the offensive line. Rashawn Slater hasn’t practiced in four days after suffering a minor flare-up last week in his surgically repaired left knee. He described the problem as “nothing to worry about” and said the lost time is more related to being “smart” and “thoughtful” while recovering from a torn patellar tendon. Slater is the starter at left tackle. Joe Alt at right tackle. Cole Strange at right guard. Tyler Biadasz in the center. The open position is left guard. Harbaugh said several players will have “opportunities” in the first preseason game, including veteran Kayode Awosika and rookie Jake Slaughter. Second-year offensive lineman Branson Taylor has also been in the mix at left guard with the starting group during camp. Trey Pipkins III initially rotated at left guard, although he has been playing tackle while Slater has been out. Trevor Penning seems to have been left out of this competition. On Tuesday, he worked at both guard spots, primarily with the third-team offense. When asked about the left guard competition Tuesday, Harbaugh specifically mentioned Slaughter, whom the Chargers drafted in the second round in April. “Jake Slaughter had a great weekend,” Harbaugh said. “If we were up to date right now, yeah, we really liked the tape from the weekend. And his confidence, it’s like he’s getting it. So that’s super encouraging.” Slaughter has looked capable when moving laterally in the run game. On Tuesday, he also relinquished pressure to outplay running back Bud Dupree in pass protection. He lost badly on a running game replay against interior defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell. Slaughter, Awosika and Taylor all had opportunities with the first-team offense on Tuesday. Awosika gave up consecutive sacks in his first two 11-on-11 reps with the starters, but looked better in one-on-one drills. He had one of the best reps of the period, locking up interior defensive lineman TeRah Edwards. If Slaughter plays well on Thursday night, he could become the leader in this battle. Mike McDaniel’s new offense and more takeaways from Chargers training camp. Robert Mays Is a backup QB competition really shaping up? Trey Lance was Herbert’s backup last season, and entered camp in that role. But DJ Uiagalelei, who spent 2025 on the Chargers’ practice squad, has shined at points during camp. He has shown more as a shooter than Lance, whose best attribute is his running ability. Lance’s skills come to life in a live game environment because of the plays he can create with his legs. Thursday night should be an interesting test. Harbaugh said each quarterback will play one half. “They’ve both really performed well, and the next piece is the games and how they play,” Harbaugh said. “That’s something we’ll all see. I imagine, from what I’ve seen in practice, it’ll be pretty even. They’re both good.” If Uiagalelei beats Lance, we’ll have some real competition on our hands. Uiagalelei still puts the ball in danger too often. He threw two more interceptions in Tuesday’s practice, one to safety Devin Grant and another to cornerback Donte Jackson. However, Harbaugh is clearly leaving the door open. Fighting for roster spots in the back of the CB room. Four cornerbacks feel like locks for the 53-man roster. Jackson, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still have rotated with the first team. He is still dealing with an injury and did not practice Tuesday. Deane Leonard is the Chargers’ top scorer and should be on the list due to his special teams abilities. Beyond those four, the competition is fierce. Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers made the 53-man roster last year as undrafted rookies. This year, undrafted rookies Avery Smith and Rodney Shelley have shown play ability during the first 12 practices of camp. The Chargers could keep five corners. They could keep six. They could even keep seven, like they did last season. Although Rogers was placed on injured reserve almost immediately after cutback day, he missed the entire season. It’s shaping up to be four players fighting for one or two spots. Last year, Reed and Rogers were two of the Chargers’ best preseason players. They earned their place on the roster. Can Smith and/or Shelley make a similar effort? The depth of this room is yet to be decided. Deane Leonard, left, who plays an important role on the special teams unit led by Chris Gould, center, should have a guaranteed roster spot. But Nikko Reed, right, is firmly in the battle. (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images) Can anyone defend his role as the fifth edge rusher? Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Akheem Mesidor and Bud Dupree are the top four edge rushers on the depth chart. The big question to answer during the preseason and the rest of training camp: Will the Chargers keep a fifth? The two contenders are Kyle Kennard and Nadame Tucker. Kennard was a fourth-round pick in 2025. Tucker is an undrafted rookie. Kennard has looked decidedly improved in his second season. He wasn’t a factor as a rookie, only playing in five games. Through 12 camp practices this year, some of the impact Kennard showed in college is starting to show up in the pros. On Tuesday, for example, he won two one-on-one reps with two different moves. The first was to swim inland. The second was an inward blow. Meanwhile, Tucker has already shown NFL power in team and one-on-one drills. He beat Taylor with an onslaught one-on-one on Tuesday. He also overwhelmed Pipkins with a power run, knocking the tackle several yards into the backfield. The Chargers could end up keeping four edge rushers, but Kennard and Tucker are firmly putting themselves in the mix. They have to show up on Thursday night to continue presenting their cases.
