Welcome to the preseason.
The Chargers open their exhibition slate Saturday with a 4:05 p.m. (PT) home game against the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.
And while we won't know who's in or out until Saturday, the preseason opener serves as a chance for a handful of youngsters to make a strong impression.
"There's always surprises," Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter said Wednesday. "Not that you don't expect a guy to jump out, but there will be an undrafted rookie that makes a bunch of plays that all of sudden we'll be talking about a week from now.
"So, I'm excited to see who pops off, who can go out there and do it," Minter added.
The Bolts are +3 heading into the game meaning they are three-point underdogs. The over/under for Saturday's game is 34.5 points.
Here are five Chargers to watch in the preseason opener:
Tre'Mon Morris-Brash
The Bolts have a stacked edge rusher room with the likes of Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree. Fourth-year outside linebacker Chris Rumph II has also flashed in camp.
Even so, it's been hard to ignore the play of Morris-Brash, who has stood out almost every day of camp.
The undrafted rookie out of Central Florida was anywhere and everywhere in practice — getting to the quarterback on a pass rush, stuffing running backs at the line of scrimmage or out in coverage on a tight end.
Morris-Brash was the first player Minter mentioned when asked when he was looking forward to seeing against Seattle.
"He plays with a motor and an energy that's at a really, really high level, especially for a rookie," Minter said.
As mentioned above, the Chargers have a loaded group of edge rushers that rival perhaps any group across the league.
But keep an eye on Morris-Brash, who could play his way onto the practice squad — or even the 53-man roster — with some splash plays in the preseason.
AJ Finley
Entering camp, one of the top position battles appeared to be between Finely and JT Woods for the third safety spot.
Minter said Wednesday that the competition is close to being settled as Finley has been one of the defense's most consistent performers in recent weeks.
"Right now he's elevated into the third safety role," Minter said.
The next step for Finley? Translating that practice production into a game.
"It's live action," Minter said. "You don't want to say it takes care of itself, but ultimately, when it's live action, you're tackling people, you're making plays for real, I think it'll take care of itself."
As it stands now, Finley appears to be the No. 3 safety on the Bolts, a key role on the defense due to Derwin James, Jr's flexibility to play anywhere. When James moves to the slot, it's Finely who now lines up deep next to Alohi Gilman.
Keep an eye on No. 24 against the Seahawks.
Joe Alt
The Chargers first-round pick is expected to play Saturday evening.
He'll line up at right tackle, cementing a position switch that began in the spring after the Bolts selected Alt — who primarily played left tackle at Notre Dame — with the fifth overall pick.
Alt has had his share of ups and downs in camp, which is to be expected when going against a stellar quartet of edge rushers the Chargers can roll out.
His next test comes against a different opponent as Alt keeps an eye on the Sept. 8 opener against the Raiders.
"I'm always looking for competition," Alt said this week. "That's where you can improve and that's where you could go back and assess yourself at the top level, in game.
"You can really see, 'Am I staying true to my technique? Am I staying true to what I've been taught?'" Alt added. "And if I'm not, how can I better replicate them in practice as much as I can so it's like a game and I could continue to just get those things improved every day."
Brenden Rice
If the third safety spot was the position battle to watch on offense, then wide receiver gets that mantle on the offensive side of the ball.
As it stands now, veterans Joshua Palmer and DJ Chark were the most consistent wideouts in summer practices. Ladd McConkey also stood out but has missed practice time of late.
It remains to be seen how many wide receivers the Chargers keep on the 53-man roster (either five or six seem like the appropriate number), so there could be a spot for a youngster such as Brenden Rice to emerge.
Rice, a recent seventh-round pick, routinely flashed on deep passes in camp and also showed a penchant for moving the sticks on third downs.
"Especially as a rookie in training camp, I want to pile as much adversity on him as possible early because he'll come out the back end of it better, stronger, more prepared," Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said of Rice earlier this week. "He's doing a lot of really good things. Love his attitude, he can run all day.
"He's really working hard and really has a presence about himself out there," Roman added. "He's got a lot of work to do and that's what we're working on right now. We're trying to get combed through a lot of different things, but he's doing a really good job."
Zach Heins
The Bolts top two tight ends are set with offseason additions Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst.
But the remaining couple of roster spots in this group feel up for grabs between a handful of players, one of whom is Heins, an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State.
Heins offers plenty of size at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds. But since the Bolts ask their tight ends to be involved in every facet of the offense, look for how he performs as both a blocker in the run game and as a receiving option in the passing attack.
