Chargers Depth Chart Boasts 2 Concerning Surprises

Jim Harbaugh IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chargers Depth Chart Boasts 2 Concerning Surprises

Originally posted on Los Angeles Chargers on SI
By Chris Roling | Last updated Sep 9, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Chargers did due diligence by throwing out an unofficial depth chart before Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

There are some surprises there. One of those is Oronde Gadsden’s apparent demotion behind Charlie Kolar and David Njoku.

But there’s a new offense around Justin Herbert and it’s a mild surprise, especially compared to the other two shockers on the depth chart.

Keep in mind the Chargers are very adamant about the "unofficial" part of these depth charts. And to be fair, they don’t show intended rotations and formation changes on a per-opponent basis.

Even so, these two points raise some serious questions.

Chargers depth chart concerns

Del'Shawn Phillips next to Daiyan Henley

Daiyan Henley is the unquestioned starter and leader for the Chargers at linebacker, especially with veteran Denzel Perryman sitting on injured reserve.

Or that was the thought, anyway.

The other thought, simply enough, was that Del'Shawn Phillips is one of the best special teams players on the entire roster, but would never sniff a shot at being No. 1 on the base defense depth chart.

Alas, here we are.

Phillips gets a nod as a starter at one of the two spots next to Henley. That shoves Troy Dye and Marlowe Wax to the back of the line on a roster with just four ‘backers right now.

Odd, that, considering Wax has been such a breakout success story. One would think that Wax will end up far outpacing Phillips in snaps in the base defense, but it’s suddenly something of note to watch.

Chargers’ left guard flop

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s a borderline disaster.

The Chargers started the offseason by drafting a center to play guard. Then, that center, Jake Slaughter, had to move back to center after the Tyler Biadasz injury.

Since, the Chargers haven’t bothered to attempt an upgrade at an obviously underwhelming area.

Now, the depth chart at left guard says this: Kayode Awosika (LG) OR Trey Pipkins III (LG).

Jim Harbaugh later said Awosika is the starter, but that doesn't really make it any less concerning.

Honestly? It’s a little pathetic. This is a win-now team all-in around Mike McDaniel and Herbert entering Week 1 still debating between a journeyman free agent or a backup swing tackle as a starting guard. It’s not like there’s some super-tactical advantage over the opponent by not revealing who actually has the starting job.

For most serious contenders, they wouldn’t let a starting job like this remain a question mark this close to kickoff on Sunday. None with a storyline as serious as Herbert-McDaniel would ever let it come to this….especially not while sitting on a trove of draft picks and roughly $40 million in free cap space.

Zooming out, this is the shoddy situation the Chargers will put at left guard next to a rookie center and a mid-tier free agent at right guard with Cole Strange. The interior could very quickly be a problem again, threatening to ruin the season yet again.

And the Chargers, fittingly, are more than happy to let this issue be poetically reflected on the depth chart, too.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Chargers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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