The Chargers’ first preseason game went a little differently than expected in many ways, but the powder blues of LA came out victorious in their annual exhibition against the Rams.
Here are the studs and duds from the first preseason game.
Stud: WR Derius Davis
Welcome to the NFL, Derius Davis. The key moment of his night was when he went 81 yards for a punt return in the blink of an eye.
DERIUS DAVIS IS ELECTRIC. 81-yard punt return TD! ⚡️
📺: #LACvsLAR on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/qr00mMPUGB— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2023
The quickness of Davis’ two cuts turning into a house call was a sight to see. College football’s fastest player once again was able to hit over 21 MPH on the run in tracking.
Davis left many of those questioning his fourth-round draft selection in the dust, along with the Rams’ special teams. He also had two catches for 21 yards.
Dud: S JT Woods
It wasn’t an all-around bad performance from Woods. He tackled well for the most part with OK coverage. But unfortunately for him, his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek allowed the Rams to score a touchdown on a drive that otherwise would’ve been stopped near the goal line.
Rams WR Puka Nacua cashed in on a touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett a few plays later. Woods will want that back as he watches the tape later this week.
Stud: RB Elijah Dotson
I can’t say I had six carries, 92 yards, and two touchdowns on my preseason bingo card for Dotson entering the game tonight. Dotson turned on the jets with two 35+ yard scampers for scores.
#Chargers UDFA RB Elijah Dotson with a HUGE breakout game in his NFL preseason debut.
6 carries, 92 yards, 2 TDs pic.twitter.com/3xjkejFt0L
— Tyler Schoon (@tylerjschoon) August 13, 2023
As a 4.55 40-time player, Dotson should’ve never been considered slow. But that speed as he turned the corner both times jumped off the screen more significantly than many thought it could. Making the active roster is probably a stretch for Dotson, but a practice squad spot should at least be in play after tonight.
Dud: CB Ja'Sir Taylor
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Taylor tonight. Asante Samuel Jr. did not play in any capacity, which should tip people off where the coaching staff is leaning in that competition.
On a Rams’ first-half drive that ended in a touchdown, Taylor had an illegal contact penalty, a dropped interception that should’ve been a Pick 6, and was near Nacua during his touchdown. It’s hard to imagine a much worse sequence of events that could’ve happened for him tonight.
Stud(s): Tuli Tuipulotu, Chris Rumph and the entire EDGE room
Chris Rumph had a sack and several pressures. Rookie Tuli Tuipulotu had a number of visible pressures as he was wreaking havoc on defense. But the depth of the EDGE room in pass rush struck me. Andrew Farmer had a big sack, while Brevin Allen had a good QB hit. Head coach Brandon Staley went out of his way to praise the depth of the edge defender room in their performance on Saturday.
Dud: OT Foster Sarell
This should’ve been a quality start for Sarell, especially after all of the offseason hype and promise of improvement after his work with Duke Manyweather. If I’m being honest, it felt a lot like the same player we saw previously.
Sarell got beat badly on a Max Duggan sack by Daniel Hardy. Earlier in the game, he allowed what would’ve been a sack on Easton Stick that got called back due to a face mask penalty. The slow reactions and jumps off the line didn’t look much different from last season.
Stud: QB Easton Stick
Stick has come a long way as a preseason player in his five years with the Chargers. He looked poised tonight as he entered this game as the undisputed QB2 for the first time in his tenure with the team. Stick finished 14-21 with 109 passing yards and a touchdown.
More important than the actual numbers was his leadership. Despite Quentin Johnston dropping some passes earlier, he returned to him on the touchdown to settle the rookie down. He led a terrific two-minute drill at the end of the first half, and several sustained offensive drives.
This was Stick’s best preseason performance as a Charger I’ve ever seen.
