Los Angeles Chargers main position battles to watch in preseason finale vs. Cowboys

Travis Wakeman

Los Angeles Chargers main position battles to watch in preseason finale vs. Cowboys image

The Los Angeles Chargers will conclude their 2024 preseason on Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Though much of the final roster has likely been determined, some key spots are still up for grabs. 

The Chargers coaching staff will have some difficult decisions to make in finalizing this roster. Who will be the backup quarterback? How many running backs and wide receivers will keep? Those could be some of the answers the team is looking for on Saturday night. 

Look for these players to make their case for the 53-man roster against the Cowboys. 

Chargers have four close position battles to watch against Dallas

Simi Fehoko vs. Brenden Rice

A couple of weeks ago, this wouldn't have even been a conversation. Simi Fehoko looked like a player to help fill out the 90-man roster and Brenden Rice, the son of the legendary Jerry Rice, seemed like a sure thing to make the team. 

 

But with the recent performance of Fehoko on offense combined with what is known about his special teams ability, he might steal the spot from Rice. 

It seems that the top five wide receivers are pretty much decided. Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark and Derius Davis look like they are on the roster. If the team keeps a sixth, it will be between Rice and Fehoko. 

Isaiah Spiller vs. Jaret Patterson

This might not be that much of a competition anymore as Isaiah Spiller just hasn't done enough to stay on the team and Jaret Patterson has had a strong summer. It's unlikely that the team would let go of Kimani Vidal in favor of both of these guys, so one of them will go. 

Unless Spiller has an incredible game against Dallas, the fourth RB spot likely belongs to Patterson. 

JT Woods vs. Thomas Harper

On paper, this shouldn't be close. The Chargers used a third-round pick on JT Woods just two years ago. Thomas Harper is an undrafted free agent. But Woods has just eight career tackles and Harper has been the better player in camp and preseason this summer. 

Will Woods be able to do anything to change the way this is seemingly going ahead of cutdown day?

Easton Stick vs. Outside QB options

There is a great chance that whoever backs up Justin Herbert in 2024 is not currently on the roster. But if they are, it's going to be Easton Stick. 

Stick is going to play the entire game against the Cowboys, allowing him to control his destiny. But if he doesn't have a convincing performance, the Chargers will almost certainly look for another option via trade or waivers following final cuts made by other teams. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.