The Los Angeles Chargers have wrapped up three weeks of public training camp practice ahead of their first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. To mark the end of this phase, here are training camp awards for several players based on reports, videos, comments from coaches, playing time, and overall health.
Best Defensive Player: Kristian Fulton, CB
Kristian Fulton was having a fine camp through the first week but erupted the second week with four interceptions and multiple passes broken up over just three days.
Fulton, by his own admission, joined the Chargers to get away from coaching that was not putting him in the position to succeed. To see him playing this well is a testament to his determination and the high-end coaching from defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and his staff.
Chargers DC Jesse Minter on CB Kristian Fulton, who had multiple PBU’s today:
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) July 31, 2024
“He’s practicing like what we thought he could be. … He’s got a boulder on his shoulder. He really wants to prove it to people.” pic.twitter.com/wgrTRAvtKl
Honorable mention: Joey Bosa, EDGE
Best Offensive Player: DJ Chark, WR
How impressive is it that, through three weeks of training camp, the two best players on offense and defense (MVP listed later) are both low-risk, high-reward acquisitions by general manager Joe Hortiz?
Chark has won down the field and in the red zone, taking advantage of his rare size-speed combination and looking like his former self. Potential for a career resurgence appears to be on the horizon.
Honorable mention: Rashawn Slater, OT
Best Rookie: Joe Alt, OT
Joe Alt has been the best rookie in camp and he has earned that title swapping sides of the offensive line and facing the most difficult matchups of any position group.
That so many feel he has played so well while facing Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Bud Dupree every day is a testament to just how technically refined and athletically gifted Alt is.
Honorable mention: Brenden Rice, WR
Biggest Second-Year Leap: AJ Finley, S
AJ Finley was always the third-safest safety in terms of making the roster. His situation was not unlike Raheem Layne's last year, where his special teams prowess and trust from coordinator Ryan Ficken earned him the spot regardless of impact on defense.
Now, Finley has both locked up the third safety spot and even pulled away from both JT Woods and Tony Jefferson.
Honorable mention: Daiyan Henley, LB
Highest Stock Surge: Jaret Patterson, RB
Running back is one of the most exciting position battles to watch every offseason because someone different can win a job when they were not expected to. Not a soul had Jaret Patterson not just making the roster, but playing ahead of both Isaiah Spiller and sixth-round draft pick Kimani Vidal. Yet, here he is, playing special teams and even working in with the first-team offense.
Honorable mention: Scott Matlock, IDL
MVP: Justin Herbert, QB
The offense has struggled without Justin Herbert. So much so, in fact, that head coach Jim Harbaugh openly called out the backup quarterbacks and brought in the UFL's Luis Perez to heighten competition. Easton Stick said it himself: He's not Justin Herbert. No one would ever expect him to be, as there are maybe five NFL starters with that kind of talent and football intelligence.
Herbert was playing outstanding football and connecting with DJ Chark, Ladd McConkey, and other pass catchers before his departure. May he return to face the Las Vegas Raiders and unleash a ferocious barrage of touchdowns with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
