SAN DIEGO -- Los Angeles Chargers first-round pick, wide receiver Mike Williams, made it part way through one practice during rookie minicamp last month before suffering back tightness that forced him to the sideline.
It’s been a month since the injury, yet the Clemson product still has not returned to the field. Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn is hopeful that Williams can get healthy enough to get some reps before the team’s offseason work concludes with a mandatory minicamp next week.
However, back injuries can be tricky, and the Chargers’ brass also wants to take a cautious approach, making sure Williams’ injury does not linger into the regular season.
Williams’ practice status is one of the things I will monitor on Tuesday, as the Chargers open it up to reporters. Here are a few other things I’ll be looking for:
Offensive line rotations: The starting five has remained the same up front during offseason work, with Russell Okung at left tackle, Matt Slauson at left guard, Spencer Pulley at center, Kenny Wiggins at right guard and Joe Barksdale at right tackle. Rookies Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney have been working with the second unit, but I’m interested to see if they get any time with the starters during practice.
Who leads the competition at slot defender? Craig Mager and Trevor Williams saw time at slot defender last season, but with Casey Hayward and Jason Verrett nursing injuries, both players were running as first-unit cornerbacks at practice two weeks ago, with rookie Desmond King getting reps inside at slot defender. Along with those three, Trovon Reed also should be in the competition for slot defender, which essentially is a starting position with the number of snaps the Chargers will play with five defensive backs during the season. So we’ll keep an eye on what player is getting a majority of the reps here.
How’s that kicking competition going? Two weeks ago, undrafted rookie Younghoe Koo took the majority of reps in practice, as incumbent Josh Lambo appeared to get a rest day. Lynn has said both the kicker and punting jobs are an open competition. So we’ll keep an eye on Koo and Lambo, along with punters Drew Kaser and newcomer Toby Baker.
Where’s the pass rush? The Chargers placed the franchise tag on Melvin Ingram and have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal. Ingram has not been to any of the voluntary offseason work. With Ingram out, players like Chris Landrum and Chris McCain have been getting work with the first unit. Georgia Tech product Jeremiah Attaochu also should return to the field this week after suffering a broken foot that cut short his 2016 campaign. The Chargers have one of the better pass-rush duos in the NFL in Joey Bosa and Ingram, but they have to developed depth behind those two.
