The Los Angeles Chargers will wrap up their preseason Thursday night against the Rams. The Chargers have already wrapped up their final practice of fall camp and the four quarters at Sofi Stadium is the last shot for any of the players on or potentially on the roster bubble to make an impression on the coaching staff and front office before roster cutdown day on Sunday.

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and the front office did a good job building out the roster and adding depth. Entering OTAs, there were not many open roles on the roster and only one truly open starting job. That starting job has not yet been settled at the close of training camp in the battle for the starting left guard spot.

The competition on the roster, with the addition of many young players. has left some veterans possibly on the outside looking in. Let's dive in to the players that may have their roster spots in danger heading into the third and final preseason game.

Trevor Penning

The Chargers brought back offensive lineman Trevor Penning this offseason after they had traded for him in the midst of all of the injuries hitting the offensive line last season. Penning was expected to compete for the starting left guard job but it appears that he is out of the running at this point despite public comments from the coaching staff.

Penning may be faced with a tough scenario to stay on the 53-man roster. The Chargers drafted four offensive linemen in this most recent class in addition to free agent additions and the existing rostered players. The math will be tougher for Penning to make the roster but he may slide in especially with his contract essentially guaranteed.

Kyle Kennard

Edge rusher Kyle Kennard is an interesting position. He was expected to take a sophomore leap following a rookie campaign where he rarely saw the field but he has been relatively quiet this offseason. Kennard was a fourth-round pick of the Chargers in the 2025 draft.

Kennard missed the second preseason game and is in line to miss the third as well with an undisclosed injury. The Chargers draft strategy so far appears to use the fourth round for players who have talent but need time to develop. 2024 fourth-round pick Justin Eboigbe is the first example of this process.

Kennard was widely viewed as a prospect who was more of a jack-of-all-trades but master of none who needed to find his calling card. The commitment to the organizational process may help Kennard on roster cutdown day but with his injury, manipulating injured reserve may need to be used to keep him.

Junior Colson

Junior Colson is finally healthy and showing development but the injuries that derailed his first two seasons in the NFL may have set him back too far. The Chargers have one of the deepest linebacker rooms in the NFL. The five linebackers who all contributed in 2025 returned to Los Angeles in 2026 where Colson is entering his third NFL season.

The contract dynamics of the room leave the top of the linebacker unit all playing out their contracts in 2026 and this may be a reason to keep Colson on the roster. There is a near-zero chance that Colson would survive passing through waivers if he were released, therefore stashing him on the practice squad is unrealistic.

Will the Chargers keep six linebackers? Could Colson even force one of the vets off the roster with a big preseason finale? Or did he simply lose too much time the past two seasons to hold onto a roster spot.

Tony Jefferson

I refuse to believe that the Chargers would cut Tony Jefferson again and ask him to shuttle back and forth between the active roster and the practice squad. But, with a very deep safety room and the fact they have made the "Tony Jefferson move" before, there is a non-zero chance they ask him to do it again.

Kendall Williamson

Just as is the case for Tony Jefferson, Kendall Williamson is in a deep safety room and Williamson is mainly a special teams player during normal business operations. The Chargers have not had good luck with health in their safety room the past few seasons which would be the second argument for Williamson on top of his special teams performance.

The Chargers have lost players to the waiver wire they weren't expecting to be claimed. The roster math with be tough and it's the only reason Williamson's roster spot isn't under lock and key.

Nikko Reed

Second-year player Nikko Reed took training camp by storm as an undrafted free agent in 2025. The defensive back room is a bit more of a question mark on the back end this time around and Reed has not been as flashy and impactful this go-around. The Chargers brought in multiple challengers for roles in the cornerback room making the race tight.

After making the 53-man roster out of camp last year and sticking all season, the roster math may be the only reason his roster spot could be in danger.

Scott Matlock

Scott Matlock may be the ultimate Swiss army knife to go along with his status as a weapons-grade ginger. His role on the team has become more of an unknown with the arrival of Mike McDaniel's new offense. Matlock filled the Patrick Ricard fullback role in Greg Roman's offense after converting from the defensive line but that role has shifted to be more of a tight end role.

Matlock's roster spot became endangered the second the Chargers signed David Njoku to round out the room. He was seen in a walking boot on the sidelines of the second preseason game and has not practiced since. He may end up back on the practice squad or on injured reserve but after multiple seasons on the field, his spot on the 53 is likely gone.