The Chargers roster added plenty of talent and depth to their roster over the past week by drafting nine players and agreeing to terms with nearly two dozen undrafted free agents.
The Bolts currently have 86 players on the roster although 87 are listed below. C.J. Okoye does not count against the 90-man roster as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.
Here's a look, in alphabetical order, at who is on the Chargers roster following the 2024 NFL Draft. Of note: rookies are labeled with an * next to their name.
Quarterbacks (4)
Casey Bauman *, Max Duggan, Justin Herbert, Easton Stick
Player to Watch: Justin Herbert
To no one's surprise, Herbert leads the charge in this group.
The Bolts franchise quarterback is now in his fifth season in the NFL, but why is he the player to watch?
Herbert is entering a new season with a new staff led by Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh — one that is focused on protecting the quarterback and giving him a complementary run game.
We've seen Herbert put up prolific numbers in his first four seasons, it's likely he can get to another level with an improved offensive line and ground game.
Running backs (6)
J.K. Dobbins, Elijah Dotson, Gus Edwards, Jaret Patterson, Isaiah Spiller, Kimani Vidal *
Player to Watch: Kimani Vidal
The Bolts added to their running back room a couple weeks ago with Dobbins and later during the draft with Vidal.
The Chargers sixth-round pick was one of the most productive backs in the entire class, finishing as Troy's all-time (4,010), single-season (1,661) and single-game (248) rushing leader.
Vidal joins a veteran running back room that features Edwards — whom Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz called a "bell cow" earlier this offseason — but he will be an intriguing name to watch as a rookie.
Tight ends (7)
Luke Benson *, Will Dissly, Zach Heins *, Hayden Hurst, Ben Mason, Donald Parham, Jr., Stone Smartt
Player to Watch: Will Dissly
Tight ends are instrumental to Harbaugh and Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman's goal to become more physical upfront — and that's one of the reasons Dissly was brought in during free agency.
He ranked second in Pro Football Focus' run-blocking grade (77.2) and pass-blocking grade (83.5) in 2023.
Dissly can still be a threat in the passing game however, as he has 127 career receptions for 1,421 yards and 13 touchdowns. He will be a big part of a revamped Bolts tight end room.
Wide receivers (10)
Derius Davis, Simi Fehoko, Jaelen Gill *, Cornelius Johnson *, Jaylen Johnson *, Leon Johnson *, Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey *, Joshua Palmer, Brenden Rice *
Player to Watch: Ladd McConkey
The Chargers had four wide receivers on the roster heading into the draft — but made sure to add plenty of depth to that room.
Including undrafted free agents, the Bolts added six wide receivers to the team starting with McConkey in the second round.
McConkey was pivotal for the Georgia during both of its National Championship runs, scoring 18 total touchdowns in 39 appearances over three seasons.
The Bolts traded up to No. 34 to take the former Georgia standout, who will get a chance to immediately contribute to the offense and serve as another weapon for Herbert and the offense.
Keep an eye out for the pair of seventh rounders in Rice and Johnson as well though, as they will have the opportunity to make a big impression and possibly work their way into the rotation.
Offensive line (16)
Joe Alt *, Karsen Barnhart *, Bradley Bozeman, Brenden Jaimes, Zion Johnson, Brent Laing, Corey Linsley, Jordan McFadden, Tyler McLellan *, Willis Patrick *, Trey Pipkins III, Jamaree Salyer, Foster Sarell, Rashawn Slater, Tyler Smith *, Bucky Williams *
Player to Watch: Joe Alt
At 6-foot-8 and 321 pounds, Alt is the exact player the team has talked about up front.
The 2023 unanimous All-American was widely viewed as the consensus top offensive line prospect and will battle for the right tackle spot right away.
A switch to the opposite side of the line after playing collegiately at left tackle will take some adjustment, but Alt said previously that he had been working on that in the leadup to the draft.
Defensive line (9)
Jerrod Clark, Justin Eboigbe *, Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Christopher Hinton, Micheal Mason *, Scott Matlock, Otito Ogbonnia, CJ Okoye
Player to Watch: Justin Eboigbe
Eboigbe was the lone Chargers draft pick along the defensive line after being selected in the fourth round.
The 2023 First-Team All-SEC selection is listed at 6-foot-4 and 297 pounds and will immediately provide some depth to a new look unit.
He had a career-best year in 2023, tallying 63 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks in 14 games.
There are some snaps up for grabs after going through overturn from last year's defensive lineman, and Eboigbe will be in the middle of it.
Edge rushers (9)
Brevin Allen, Joey Bosa, Andrew Farmer II, Savion Jackson *, Khalil Mack, Tremon Morris-Bash *, Chris Rumph II, Ty Shelby, Tuli Tuipulotu
Player(s) to Watch: The Big 3 (Mack, Bosa and Tuipulotu)
It's nearly impossible to narrow down this position group to one player.
Mack, Bosa and Tuipulotu will be some of the most important members of the defense as a whole.
The trio performed well all season and when playing together in packages during the first half of the season. If they're able to do so again, it could change things for the defensive side of the ball.
Linebackers (6)
Junior Colson *, Troy Dye, Daiyan Henley, Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste *, Nick Niemann, Denzel Perryman
Player to Watch: Junior Colson
Both 2023 starters at linebacker are no longer on the team, meaning the spots are currently up for grabs.
The Chargers used their third-round selection on Colson, who appeared in 43 games during his Michigan career, including 36 starts and racked up a total of 245 tackles.
As the starter on Michigan's National Championship team under Harbaugh, Colson is very familiar with Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter's defense.
Harbaugh said last Friday that the starting linebacker spots were "to be determined", so it will be a position battle to watch.
Cornerbacks (10)
Kristian Fulton, Matt Hankins, Cam Hart *, Robert Kennedy *, Deane Leonard, Asante Samuel, Jr., Tarheeb Still *, Ja'Sir Taylor, Zamari Walton *, Chris Wilcox
Player to Watch: Cam Hart
The Chargers double dipped with cornerback depth during Day 3 of the draft.
The second of those two selections was Hart, who is coming off an impressive final season at Notre Dame.
He tallied 21 tackles (15 solo) to go along with 3.0 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Even more impressive, Hart did not allow a touchdown reception in 308 coverage snaps in 2023, according to PFF.
He now gets a chance to immediately carve out a role on special teams and compete for defensive snaps.
Safeties (7)
Akeem Dent *, AJ Finley, Alohi Gilman, Thomas Harper *, Derwin James, Jr., Jalyn Phillips *, JT Woods
Player to Watch: Derwin James, Jr.
The All-Pro safety figures to be an important part of Minter's defense heading into the new season.
The Defensive Coordinator talked earlier in the offseason about trying to "unleash" and maximize James in his defense, as he will be all over the field.
James has shown how much of a difference maker he can be on the field and can do just about anything on defense, making his role in 2024 something to watch for.
Specialists (3)
Cameron Dicker, Josh Harris, JK Scott
Player to Watch: Cameron Dicker
All three could be listed here, as they have been driving forces behind the turnaround of the Chargers special teams unit over the last two years.
But we're going to go with Dicker, who excelled since Day 1 with the Bolts.
The Bolts kicker followed up an impressive rookie year with an even better one last season, knocking in 31 of 33 field goals and hitting all 35 extra point attempts.
We'll see what Dicker has in store in Year 3 with the Chargers.
