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Everything to Know About Chargers' First Full-Padded Practice, Standouts, OL and More
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- Everything to Know About Chargers' First Full-Padded Practice, Standouts, OL and More
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On Aug. 6, 2026, the Los Angeles Chargers hosted their first full padded training camp practice ahead of the 2026 NFL season. During this camp practice, the Bolts' had a pretty quick one and a half hour long practice, with most of the day focusing on positional and individual workouts and drills.
However, during the small amount of 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 seen from the team, plenty of notable storylines occurred, arguably the most important of which is that the left guard battle is getting clearer, yet more confusing.
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Chargers Left Guard Camp Battle Adds New Front Runner Alongside Kayode Awosika
The first team offensive line for the Chargers first day of full padded practice was, from left to right:
Rashawn Slater
(rotating with Trey Pipkins
)
Branson Taylor
(!)
Tyler Biadasz
Cole Strange
Joe Alt
This marks Taylor's third start at the position, tying Kayode Awosika 's "lead" in starts at the spot since the start of training camp, as Tyler Schoon mentions below.
Taylor was the Bolts' sixth-round selection in last year's draft and was someone that many believed to be a barely draftable offensive lineman or a priority free agent. Known for his tackle play, Taylor was coming off a major injury and was expected to slide into guard once with the Chargers.
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Year 1 for Taylor had him as a reserve option, with the coaching staff essentially bouncing him back and forth from guard to tackle, unsure of what his "home" position truly is. At one point, former offensive coordinator Greg Roman described him as a "true tackle..." he is now starting at guard.
It is still a long way away before the Bolts will name a true starter at the left guard position, but seeing Taylor, someone who struggled mightily both in the preseason and regular season on the offensive line, start is noteworthy.
Standouts from Day 8 of Chargers Training Camp
As mentioned before, the practice session felt quite short, likely due to the lack of real team drills had by the Bolts. Even with a limited sample size, some of the names that deserve a shoutout are:
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Dalevon Campbell - an uber-talented second-year former minicamp tryout player. He impressed the staff today with multiple catches and reliability in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith - may be the "off-season" champion of the Chargers team, as he had another good practice today with a 5 (ish) yard touchdown catch that ended the Bolts' practice session, as well as a few other chain-moving receptions.
Genesis Smith- the Bolts' fourth-round selection of the most recent draft had an interception on QB Justin Herbert due to a dropped pass. Beyond this play, Smith looked good in coverage, diagnosing the offense well.
Players Who Saw Their "Stock" Go Down After Day 8 of Chargers Training Camp
Derius Davis - while Davis looked comfortable returning, he had a massive drop (granted, a really difficult catch) during 7-on-7s.
Brenen Thompson - as one of the more hyped individuals to come from training camp thus far, I would argue Thompson had his worst day. During punt return drills, Thompson dropped two punts from my count. He also did not see much work in either 11-on-11s or 7-on-7s.
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Kayode Awosika - there is no real reason to have Awosika in this category other than the fact that he once again did not beat out Branson Taylor to start today during practice. Something to monitor for his roster role and spot.
Other Small Notes
- Trey Pipkins rotated with Rashawn Slater at left tackle for the entire day
- Jacob Spomer is the obvious third center behind Jake Slaughter and Tyler Biadasz
- Tuli Tuipulotu practiced today, was the first individual on the field
- Tre Harris looked solid
- Cameron Dicker had a few deep (50+) kicks, hit with good accuracy
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as Everything to Know About Chargers' First Full-Padded Practice, Standouts, OL and More .
