COSTA MESA — Week 0 rolled on Wednesday afternoon under a scorching Southern California sun, with the Chargers putting the final touches on training camp while also beginning their preparations for their Sept. 10 season opener against the Miami Dolphins at SoFi Stadium.
“We’re just trying to get these guys ready, mentally and physically, for our preparation next week,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said. “We want to make sure that from a conditioning standpoint they get the work that they need. Just making sure that those two things happen, mentally and physically.”
Mentally, an extra week of practice was taxing safety Derwin James Jr.’s patience, which he freely admitted.
“Every day, we’re just trying to come out here, iron everything out and get one percent better every day,” James said. “Oh, I definitely want to be playing, but like I said, we have more time. More time to get better. It gives us more time to sharpen things ourselves, personally, and be ready to come play next week.”
Physically, an extra week of practice was OK with quarterback Justin Herbert, renowned as a big fan of practice and preparation.
“I think every day of camp is vital,” Herbert said. “The past couple of weeks, we’ve been working really hard out there on the field. We’ve been getting better. We’ve been making mistakes, but we’ve been learning from them. I thought camp has been super helpful, so far. These next couple of days will be as well.”
GAINING GROUND
The selection of running back Elijah Dotson to the roster seemed like a foregone conclusion after he scored on touchdown runs of 37 and 40 yards during the Chargers’ exhibition victory over the Rams on Aug. 12. Reality caught up with him in the next two games in the way Rams defenders couldn’t, though.
So, what was the deciding factor in keeping him as one of Austin Ekeler’s backups to start the season?
“Instincts and burst,” Staley said of Dotson’s ability to find a hole created by the offensive line and then sprint through it for a sizable gain. “I think that he can see the game. When he sees it, there’s a burst through the hole. You feel the physicality. We think he can break tackles to create explosive runs.”
The Chargers believe their depth beyond Ekeler this coming season will result in an improved ground game. After all, they ranked 30th in the 32-team NFL last season with 1,524 yards and they were one of only four teams to average less than 4 yards per carry (3.8 yards) in 2022.
ROSTER MOVES
The Chargers claimed linebacker Tanner Muse off waivers and waived fullback Zander Horvath. Muse was picked in the third round of the 2020 draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. He played 23 games in the NFL, all with the Seattle Seahawks. He switched to linebacker after four seasons as a safety at Clemson.
Rookie linebacker Daiyan Henley sat out practice because of a hamstring injury, Staley said. Staley said Henley was injured during the Chargers’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Friday in their exhibition finale, but didn’t provide a timeline for the third-round pick’s return to the field.
PRACTICE SQUAD
The Chargers signed 12 players to their practice squad: Linebacker Brevin Allen, offensive lineman Zack Bailey, wide receiver Terrell Bynum, defensive lineman Jerrod Clark, defensive lineman Christian Covington, wide receiver Keelan Doss, quarterback Max Duggan, linebacker Andrew Farmer, cornerback Matt Hankins, tight end Hunter Kampmoyer, defensive lineman CJ Okoye, offensive lineman Austen Pleasants.
Staley said ideally the Chargers would add Horvath to the practice squad, too.
“That’s the hope for sure,” he said.
The Chargers can carry as many as 17 players on their practice squad, granted one more spot than the usual NFL limit of 16 because of the presence of Okoye, a member of the league’s international outreach program. Okoye, a native of Nigeria, played his first organized football game on Aug. 12.