Chargers Prep for the Preseason

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The Los Angeles Chargers held their 12th training camp practice Tuesday morning before heading to Houston for their first preseason game Thursday night.

Now in the third season of the Jim Harbaugh era, the Chargers are ready to see how weeks of training camp work translate to live game action.

“It’s game day eve eve. Two more sleeps and then we play,” Harbaugh said. “It’d be a lot to be determined there.”

Tuesday’s practice gave the team plenty to evaluate.

Veteran cornerback Donte Jackson delivered one of the biggest performances of the morning, coming away with two interceptions, one off Justin Herbert and another off DJ Uiagalelei. The pair of takeaways drew plenty of excitement from the fans in attendance as Jackson continued to make his presence felt in the secondary.

Jackson is coming off a productive first season with the Chargers in which he recorded a team-high 12 passes defensed while tying for the team lead with four interceptions.

Rookie Akheem Mesidor is also turning heads early at The Bolt.

The 22nd overall pick in the first round has already earned praise from offensive tackle Joe Alt and Harbaugh. Mesidor arrived in Los Angeles after a standout 2025 season at Miami, helping the Hurricanes reach the National Championship Game while leading the ACC with 12.5 sacks.

“I’m impressed with everything about him,” Harbaugh said. “The process, the play, the versatility, the speed.”

While social media has been buzzing about Herbert’s recent engagement, the quarterback has remained locked in on football and unfazed by the outside noise.

Herbert connected on several sharp passes Tuesday, finding Ladd McConkey, David Njoku and Omarion Hampton, among others. He enters the new season after throwing for 3,727 yards — ninth-most in the NFL — with 26 touchdown passes and a 66.4 percent completion rate last season.

Behind Herbert, the competition for the backup quarterback job was also on display. Trey Lance and Uiagalelei both continued to get work as the Chargers evaluated the depth of their quarterback room.

Those evaluations extend across the roster as Los Angeles moves closer to its final cuts.

On Monday, the Chargers signed outside linebacker Andre Carter and waived wide receiver Mante Morrow, another move as the team continues shaping its roster ahead of the regular season.

For outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, however, the focus remains on football.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Tuipulotu made it clear he wants to continue representing the Chargers regardless of what happens with negotiations. When it comes to the business side of a potential new deal, he is leaving that to everyone else.

“I’ll let my agents and the guys upstairs handle that. Let the business handle business,” Tuipulotu said. “I’m a football player. That’s all I do. That’s all I know.”

Rashawn Slater is also working his way toward a return to the field after a year away from game action.

There is no set return date, with Slater taking his recovery day-by-day under the direction of the medical staff. He described his progress as “strong” and “stable,” while pointing to one encouraging sign in particular.

“It feels better. I can get in my stance with no pain,” Slater said. “I don’t know if I’ve been able to say that since like 2022. It feels really good.”

With training camp winding down, one of the remaining questions comes along the offensive line.

After nearly two weeks of competition, the battle at left guard remains open, with Kayode Awosika, Jake Slaughter, Joe Alt and Trevor Penning among the options. But Slaughter’s work over the weekend caught Harbaugh’s attention as the Chargers move closer to making a decision.

“I really, really, really like the tape from the weekend,” Harbaugh said. “I think his confidence … it’s like he’s getting it. So that’s super encouraging.”

Tuesday wasn’t without some training camp intensity, either.

A practice filled with completed passes, takeaways and physical play briefly boiled over when guard Cole Strange and linebacker Daiyan Henley got into an altercation during a team period in the latter portion of practice. The two grabbed at each other’s helmets, with a swing thrown before the situation was broken up.

That intensity carried over to the coaching staff, where offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was active on the field directing players and showing some frustration when plays weren’t executed to the standard he wanted.

Soon, however, those corrections will no longer happen behind the closed doors of training camp. Thursday will give the Chargers their first opportunity to put their work on display against another team.

“Everything that people have done up until this point we’ve kept under our roof,” McDaniel said. “We’re the only ones that know the secrets of how these guys have been playing and this is their time to showcase everything they’ve been working on.”

After 12 days of training camp practices, that showcase is almost here.

The Chargers will travel to Houston to face the Texans in their preseason opener Thursday night.

Cover Art/ Lead Image: Los Angeles Chargers Quentin Johnston (1) makes a play against several defenders during a training camp practice. Photo credit: William Johnson for News4usonline courtesy of the Compton Bulletin