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3 Roster Bubble Chargers Who Could Earn A Roster Spot

With a strong final preseason game showing, these three roster bubble Chargers can make a case for the final 53-man roster.
Roster Bubble Chargers

With the preseason coming to a close, the Los Angeles Chargers find themselves a situation where cut-down day will be a very stressful one. This is a good problem to have, as having those tough decisions means you have a surplus of talent. The Chargers may not have the best “top-end” roster currently, but the back-end is developing quite well. A lot of these individuals who will be cut are ones that will likely be valuable backups on other rosters.

That said, these talented athletes have worked their tail off and are ready to make this team. With a strong final preseason game showing, these three roster bubble Chargers can make a case for the final 53-man roster.

Simi Fehoko – The Underdog

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” is very much a sports cliche. One of my favorites out there. I don’t think this quote fits better with any Charger than Simi Fehoko. This is not to say that Fehoko is not talented, it’s more of a reflection of his current situation.

After being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round in 2021, he was rostered for two seasons, recording three catches in his ten appearances. Once let go by the Cowboys, the Chargers picked him up and allowed him to appear in six games during the 2023 season. He caught one pass for nine yards and a touchdown. While he wasn’t the most impactful player, his presence on special teams was good enough that the team signed him to a futures contract. He recorded an 88.5 special teams grade. This ranked 18th amongst all 1146 players with the same or more snaps as Fehoko.

Now, in 2024, he has had a strong training camp, earning the trust of multiple different quarterbacks, with, most importantly, Justin Herbert taking a liking to him as a receiver and person. This is coupled with a few strong preseason games, Fehoko is really earning his spot. However, drafting three receivers in the 2024 draft will give him a very steep hill to climb. If the Chargers were to keep seven receivers in a run-heavy offense, it would come down to Fehoko and seventh-round selection Cornelius Johnson. The Michigan rookie is extremely talented in his own right, however, Fehoko has shown it in true NFL action. Johnson has not.

Jaret Patterson – College Legend Finding Footing in the NFL

The 5’8 Buffalo football legend found himself as an undrafted rookie free agent back in 2021. The Washington Commanders gave him a shot, and he made the roster giving himself the chance to prove himself to the NFL. Jaret Patterson‘s rookie season was quite impressive, as he had 266 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Not bad for an undrafted rookie. Fast forward to the very next year, he’s on the practice squad and eventually released in August of 2023.

The Chargers, like they did with Fehoko, saw an opportunity to swoop in and acquire talent. Patterson spent time on the Bolts practice squad in 2023, performing well enough to earn a futures contract for the 2024 season. Now under the new offensive regime led by Greg Roman, it seems Patterson has found himself a staff that believes in him. Early on in camp, there was hype around his play and the possibility of making the roster.

Now during the preseason, he has been the offense’ best runningback. There is an argument for rookie Kimani Vidal who was drafted in the sixth round, however, Patterson has more production through the air and has played one more game than Vidal. Anyways, Vidal will make this roster, barring a major surprise, but as for Patterson, he is still on the Chargers roster bubble. If the front office chooses that keeping four backs in this offense is viable, he should be the one to stay.

The competition that lies ahead for Patterson is former fourth-round selection Isaiah Spiller, who could never put it together in the NFL, and last year’s undrafted rookie surprise, Elijah Dotson, who hasn’t done much recently. Patterson’s 4.4 YPC and willingness to do all the little things gives him a major opportunity to make this roster.

Thomas Harper – Talent Always Shines Through

With the Chargers’ safety position falling very much in the “unknown” category after their starting duo of Alohi Gilman and Derwin James, the safety three and four spots are wide open for anyone who is ready to step up. Though Safety Three has special teams ace and former roster bubble player himself, AJ Finley, as its main contender, that still leaves the fourth spot open. One Chargers roster bubble player who has shown the most promise during the off-season and preseason is former Notre Dame safety Thomas Harper.

With an incredible 77.0 defensive grade throughout the two preseason games and splash plays showing up on tape, Harper is really closing in on the safety four spot. He also brings quite a bit of upside with his 7.92 RAS score and ability to play both safety and slot cornerback.  The versatility is something that Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter values. So, if he has the trust of his play on defense, what about his play on special teams? That is truly all that matters when you’re competing for the backend of an NFL roster.

On 16 special teams snaps, Harper’s 66.4 PFF grade combined with two tackles are more than enough to give Special Teams coordinator Ryan Ficken a case for him to become an asset for his group. One more strong showing for the former Notre Dame safety could mean a roster spot for the rookie.

Main Image: Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports

Nate Gosney

Nate Gosney

Nate Gosney is a 20 year old football nerd, who has been using his smarts to become an NFL Writer since 2022. Having played in high school all four years at various OL positions, but he eventually found his footing as a blocking Tight End. This journey gives Nate an unique perspective. Trench play & tough football is key to him. Furthermore, he was born and raised a Charger fan. This has led to perpetual heartbreak since 2004. Gosney is a Journalism Graduate from Chaffey College, and is now transferring to Cal State San Bernardino.

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