The Chargers Should Refrain From Cutting These Two Rookies

Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Chargers center Jacob Spomer (60) in action during the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Chargers Should Refrain From Cutting These Two Rookies

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated Aug 30, 2026 8:00 AM ET

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Sunday, Aug. 30 is the NFL’s deadline for teams to make final cuts and finalize their 53-man rosters ahead of Week 1 of the regular season. The Los Angeles Chargers will have some difficult decisions to make, especially given how a few of their young prospects performed during the preseason.

Obviously, not making the 53-man roster doesn’t necessarily mean that a player has been cut, as he can simply be given a spot on the practice squad. There have been many viable players across the league who started out as practice squad players, and a couple of Chargers undrafted rookies could be presented with that exact opportunity moving forward.

Jacob Spomer — center

The Chargers seemed to have fortified the middle of their offensive line, which has been suspect for some time, when they signed center Tyler Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million contract during the offseason. He had made the Pro Bowl in 2022, but alas, he suffered a season-ending torn ACL during a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers last week.

As a result, rookie Jake Slaughter, who was initially expected to compete for the starting left guard spot, became the favorite to start at center. Behind him, Spomer, an undrafted rookie out of Fresno State University, performed well during the preseason.

He appeared in all three preseason games and received an 86.4 pass-blocking grade and a 70.3 run-blocking grade for those contests from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In fact, PFF gave him the second-highest pass-blocking grade among all NFL centers for the preseason.

One would think that as a result, Spomer has earned himself a roster spot. But one can never be sure.

Greg Desrosiers Jr. — running back

Aug 27, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. (31) runs the ball against Los Angeles Rams safety Alex Cook (39) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

While Desrosiers Jr. played in all three preseason games, he didn’t do a whole lot in the first two, as he totaled 48 yards on 14 carries. But he busted out on Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams.

He led both teams with 118 rushing yards on just nine carries while scoring a touchdown. While the Chargers lost, 20-18, he had made a bit of a statement.

Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal are expected to be L.A.’s top three running backs in that order. Fullback Alec Ingold also seems to have a good shot at making the final roster, as does Jaret Patterson, which would give Desrosiers Jr. an uphill battle to get a roster spot.

“At the end of the day, they’re going to have a big decision to make and my job was to make it hard for them,” Desrosiers said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN.

If he doesn’t, however, perhaps he’s deserving of a practice squad spot. While he didn’t put up big numbers in college, he has decent size at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, and he could have some potential as a depth player down the road.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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