Training camp for the Los Angeles Chargers is about to get started. Rookies will report on Tuesday while the rest of the roster reports one week later.
The rookies will get a one-week head start at the team facility with the new coaching staff and this will be an important rookie class, Jim Harbaugh's first as the team's new head coach.
So as we look at the complete roster, these are the biggest questions regarding this rookie class as we get set to start training camp.
Biggest questions for Los Angeles Chargers rookies
Will Junior Colson be ready to be a Week 1 starter?
The Chargers lost both of their starting inside linebackers from last season. Will Harbaugh be willing to turn that responsibility over to a rookie?
Chargers rookie linebacker Junior Colson, who played for head coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, has all the makings of a pro bowl player as he reunites with several members of his Wolverine family in LA. https://t.co/paFi2rItwM
— KCAL News (@kcalnews) June 25, 2024
The answer to that is likely yes since Junior Colson was on his national championship-winning Michigan team, but Denzel Perryman, Troy Dye, and perhaps Nick Niemann will have to be ready to provide veteran depth as there will be a learning curve.
Do Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart add enough depth to the cornerback position?
The Chargers were light at cornerback entering the offseason and signed veteran Kristian Fulton, a former second-round pick. But the team also added two players in the fifth round, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.
At least one of those players stands to see significant playing time as a rookie.
Does Kimani Vidal give the team enough at running back as the RB3?
The Chargers are going to rely heavily on the two former Baltimore Ravens they signed in free agency — Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins — but rookie Kimani Vidal should take on an important role as well.
The all-time leading rusher at Troy University, Vidal slipped to the sixth round of the draft. He's on the smaller side at 5-foot-8 but he carried the ball nearly 800 times in college and can chip in as a receiver out of the backfield, perhaps taking over the old Austin Ekeler role.
Edwards and Dobbins have both experienced injury issues in their careers so if the team has to rely on Vidal too much this season, that might not be ideal.
Is Joe Alt the real deal?
The Chargers seemed to have no hesitation in using the No. 5 overall pick on offensive tackle Joe Alt, but first-round picks bust out as often as they hit if not more.
If the Chargers got what they think they got, Alt and Rashawn Slater could turn into the best tackle combination in the NFL.
