Chargers' first unofficial depth chart of 2025 has fans panicking

The LA Chargers released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2025 season and it left fans with more questions than answers. Despite it literally being unofficial, fans are starting to worry about some of the decisions at key positions.

A lot of the depth chart came as expected, including the unpopular decision of starting Zion Johnson at left guard and Bradley Bozeman at center. Fans aren't taking issue with those decisions, even if they appear to be bad ones. They are taking issue with several unpopular surprises.

Among those surprises is Najee Harris being listed as the RB1 despite not practicing at training camp, both Tre' Harris and KeAndre Lambert Smith being backup wide receivers (who are below Jalen Reagor on the depth chart), and Tucker Fisk being ahead of Oronde Gadsden II, among others.

Chargers fans should take a deep breath after release of unofficial depth chart

Yes, some of these depth chart decisions are surprising and would be a cause for concern if it was the regular season. It isn't the regular season, though, and it's important to remember the unofficial aspect of the depth chart.

Nothing is set in stone and more often than not, there are big changes that happen between now and the start of the season. Heck, Ladd McConkey was listed as a backup on the Chargers' first unofficial depth chart of 2024. McConkey obviously was not a backup.

A lot can and will change. More so than that, the Chargers aren't committing to the unofficial depth chart they are putting out at the beginning of August. It's all about optics at this stage and while the an unofficial depth chart gets fans talking, it is not nearly final.

In reality, Najee Harris won't be the outright RB1 on the Chargers but will serve a dual committee role with Omarion Hampton even after the eye injury. One of Tre' Harris or Lambert-Smith will be a traditional starter (unless Keenan Allen signs and has something to say about that) and Oronde Gadsden II will almost certainly get more snaps than Tucker Fisk.

Don't panic over a depth chart that is far from being complete and even if some aspects of this depth chart translate to the regular season, it's not the end of the world. Lambert-Smith, for example, could end up being the WR4 or WR5 on the Chargers in his rookie season and that's okay!

Yes, he has been great in training camp and shined in the Hall of Fame Game, but he is a fifth-round rookie with literally no NFL experience. It's more uncommon for someone of Lambert-Smith's stature to start as a rookie than it is for him to be a depth wideout.

Jim Harbaugh knows what he is doing. Any overly concerning takeaways from this unofficial depth chart will be taken care of and the moves that do stick will be for good reason. Everyone take a deep breath.