With time dwindling down to make an impression when it comes to the final 53-man roster, several members of the Los Angeles Chargers roster are straddling the line between being on the team and looking for their next stop in the league.
The Chargers will kick off the season on Friday, September 5, in Brazil against the Kansas City Chiefs. There are still plenty of loose ends to tie up before that game, even if a good portion of the roster is pretty much decided at this point.
The last couple of preseason games are for the players battling for those last 5-10 spots on the team. For these four Chargers players, they could soon see their time with the team cut short without a positive swing in their favor.
Nyheim Hines-Miller, RB
It was a fun story for the Chargers to bring in Nyheim Hines-Miller, a once-dynamic running back with abilities as a return man. But he hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2022. In addition, the Chargers have some solid depth in front of him, and the emergence of undrafted free agent Raheim Sanders does not bode well in his favor.
Jalen Reagor, WR
Once the team re-signed veteran Keenan Allen, it pretty much spelled curtains for guys like Jalen Reagor and Brenden Rice.
Reagor, a former first-round pick, looked like he had a spot on this team when the summer began due to it being so shallow. But with fifth-round pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith having a huge summer and Allen being back on the roster, there's no room for Reagor.
Benjamin St-Juste, CB
Benjamin St-Juste is a former third-round pick about to enter his fifth year in the NFL, but his first in Los Angeles. Signed during free agency, he was added for depth to a group that lost Kristian Fulton and Asante Samuel Jr. from last year's team.
And while many 53-man roster projections will have him on the right side of making the team, that doesn't make much sense. He shows himself to be a pretty average player to this point in his career, and after the big performances put forth by guys like Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers this summer, it makes more sense for the team to invest in them.
READ: Chargers make curious preseason decision with QB Justin Herbert
Taylor Heinicke, QB
Could Taylor Heinicke really lose his job to Trey Lance? At this point, it's not only looking possible, but perhaps probable.
His only chances to stay on the team seem to be if the Chargers keep three quarterbacks or if he does something in the last two preseason games to show that he is more deserving than Lance. Heinicke is the better quarterback, but Jim Harbaugh seems to see something in Lance that he doesn't want to let go of.
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