Take a look at the entire Bolts roster leading into 2018 Preseason.
1 WR Justice Liggins
2 P Shane Tripucka
3 QB Geno Smith
4 K Roberto Aguayo
5 WR Nelson Spruce
6 K Caleb Sturgis
7 QB Cardale Jones
8 P Drew Kaser
9 QB Nic Shimonek
10 WR Artavis Scott
11 WR Geremy Davis
12 WR Travis Benjamin
13 WR Keenan Allen
15 WR Andre Patton
16 WR Tyrell Williams
17 QB Philip Rivers
20 CB Desmond King
24 CB Trevor Williams
25 S Rayshawn Jenkins
26 CB Casey Hayward
28 RB Melvin Gordon III
29 CB Craig Mager
30 RB Austin Ekeler
31 S Adrian Phillips
32 RB Justin Jackson
33 S Derwin James
34 FB Derek Watt
35 DB Micah Hannemann
35 RB Russell Hansbrough
36 CB Brandon Facyson
37 S Jahleel Addae
38 CB B.J. Clay
38 RB Detrez Newsome
39 DB Tony Brown
40 FB Anthony Manzo-Lewis
41 CB Marcus Edmond
41 WR Je'Ron Hamm
42 RB Terrell Watson
42 CB Channing Stribling
43 CB Michael Davis
44 LB Kyzir White
45 S A.J. Hendy
46 DE Chris Landrum
47 LS Mike Windt
48 LB Nick Dzubnar
50 ILB Hayes Pullard
51 OLB Kyle Emanuel
52 LB Denzel Perryman
53 C Mike Pouncey
54 DE Melvin Ingram III
57 OLB Jatavis Brown
58 LB Uchenna Nwosu
59 LB D'Juan Hines
61 C-G Scott Quessenberry
62 OL Chris Durant
64 C-G Cole Toner
65 OL Zack Golditch
66 G Dan Feeney
67 G Brett Boyko
68 T Trent Scott
69 T Sam Tevi
70 DL Steven Richardson
71 NT Damion Square
72 T Joe Barksdale
73 C-G Spencer Pulley
74 G Erick Wren
75 G Michael Schofield III
76 T Russell Okung
77 G Forrest Lamp
78 DT Marcus Hardison
80 TE Sean Culkin
81 WR Mike Williams
82 TE Cole Hunt
83 TE Braedon Bowman
84 WR Dylan Cantrell
87 TE Ben Johnson
88 TE Virgil Green
89 WR J.J. Jones
90 DE Whitney Richardson
91 DL Justin Jones
92 NT Brandon Mebane
93 DE Darius Philon
94 DT Corey Liuget
95 DL Bijhon Jackson
96 LB Kyle Coleman
97 DE Patrick Afriyie
98 DE Isaac Rochell
99 DE Joey Bosa
As we near the start of training camp on July 28, we'll preview each position for the Los Angeles Chargers. We begin with the quarterbacks.
Philip Rivers – What else is there to say at this point about Philip Rivers? One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, number 17 shows no sign of slowing down as he enters his 15th season. In fact, he's fresh off one of the best campaigns of his Hall of Fame worthy career, completing 360 of 575 attempts for 4,515 yards, 28 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. His 4,515 passing yards ranked second in the league while he also ranked third with 61 passes of at least 20 yards, fourth in completions and fifth in touchdowns. Rivers enters 2018 sixth all-time in NFL history with 342 career touchdown passes, seventh with 4,171 career completions and ninth with 50,348 regular season passing yards.
Cardale Jones – Every offseason, reporters ask if the Bolts are in the market for a young QB. When pressed about it this year, Head Coach Anthony Lynn and General Manager Tom Telesco explained they already have one in Cardale Jones. At the same time, they emphasized this is an important one for the third-year passer. The Chargers acquired him shortly before last year's training camp from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a seventh-round pick, and he spent the entire year developing behind Rivers. He was active for only one game a year ago, so training camp and preseason action will show how much his game has developed.
Geno Smith – The Bolts added a veteran to the QB room in early April, inking Geno Smith to a one-year deal. Head Coach Anthony Lynn boasts an intimate knowledge of the quarterback as he served on the New York Jets' coaching staff for the first two years of Smith's career. The 6-3, 221-pound passer entered the league as a second-round pick (39th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft. He appeared in 33 games over four seasons for the Jets with 30 starts, completing 501 of his 866 attempts for 5,962 yards and 28 touchdowns. After an ACL injury cost him all but two games in 2016, Smith spent last season as Eli Manning's backup for the New York Giants. He appeared in two games with one start, completing 21-of-36 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown.
Nick Shimonek – The battle for the Bolts' number two quarterback figures to come down to Jones and Smith. However, fans shouldn't discount Nic Shimonek. Signed as an undrafted free agent in May out of Texas Tech, the 6-3, 225-pound quarterback showed potential throughout the Chargers' offseason program. Shimonek was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football last season, completing 328 of 493 passes (66.5 percent) for 3,963 yards and 33 touchdowns.
We're Keeping Our Eye On…
Ricky Henne: When you come out to Jack Hammett Sports Complex for training camp, you better pay close attention to the battle to back up Philip Rivers. QB competitions are always fun, and this year's should be a doozy between Cardale Jones and Geno Smith. While Jones may be the sexier name due to his untapped potential, I can't wait to see Geno Smith. I was very impressed by his accuracy. I've seen a number of quarterbacks over the past seven years on the practice field, and after watching him this offseason, I'd put Smith's accuracy right up there with any of them. Of course, there's a big difference between throwing the ball in the offseason program and doing so in padded practices and preseason play when the live bullets fly. So for that reason, I'll be watching the former Jet and Giant on each and every snap.
Hayley Elwood: For the first time in a few years, the Chargers' backup quarterback position is a big question mark heading into the season. I think you can make a case to keep your eyes on either Cardale Jones or Geno Smith, but I'm going to take Jones because I'm interested to see how he's developed with a full regular season and offseason as a Charger now under his belt. Although he saw preseason action last year, he was signed just days before training camp and was essentially thrown into the fire. But now with being in the QB room for a year, I'm curious if he can nab the backup spot, or if it's Geno Smith's for the taking.
Chris Hayre: Geno Smith and Cardale Jones. Head Coach Anthony Lynn is familiar with both players from his prior stops at the Jets and Bills. While Jones has been in Los Angeles longer, Smith has the advantage in experience with 31 career NFL starts. This is perhaps the most important position battle in all of camp because of the responsibility that comes with winning the job. Recent history points to Nick Foles leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win and Case Keenum taking the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game – both in backup roles. Smith and Jones will need to show a consistent ability to move the offense during training camp practices and in preseason games. The competition is wide open.
The Chargers' 2018 training camp schedule is official, so mark your calendars to watch the Bolts prepare for the upcoming season! The team will hold 14 practices open to the public between July 28 and August 23. For more information, please visit **www.chargers.com/camp**.
