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Uchenna Nwosu

Chargers Notes: Gates, Jones, Smith, Nwosu

August 12th, 2018 at 7:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After Hunter Henry was lost for the season with a torn ACL, it was immediately speculated that the Chargers might look to bring back Antonio Gates. Gates’ NFL career appeared to be over after the Chargers indicated they were moving on, but Henry’s injury threw him a lifeline.

Gates isn’t interested in playing for any other team, and the two sides had talks right after Henry went down. Despite there still being no deal in place with the preseason already underway, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said “we’re still talking with him” after the Chargers’ game against the Cardinals, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN. Williams points out that the Chargers tight ends accounted for five drops in the preseason opener, and Lynn said “we need to make more plays at the tight end position.” It all sounds like eventually something will get done with Gates.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

  • In the race to be Philip Rivers‘ backup between Geno Smith and Cardale Jones, Smith “appeared to seize control of the competition” with his strong performance in the first week of the preseason, Williams writes. Smith threw for over 200 yards while Jones, who started the game, threw for only 50 on 12 attempts.
  • Williams writes that rookie linebacker Uchenna Nwosu could start right away for the team. Nwosu, the 48th overall pick in this year’s draft from USC, had a sack and two quarterback hits in his professional debut.
  • In case you missed it, we took a look at the Chargers’ situation at guard as Forrest Lamp continues to rehab from a knee injury.

Chargers Sign Five Draft Picks

May 13th, 2018 at 2:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

First-round safety Derwin James is now the only Chargers 2018 draft pick without a contract, as Los Angeles announced that the following selection have signed their rookie deals:

Third-round defensive tackle Justin Jones is also under contract, leaving James as the sole holdout. NFL rookie deals are now a breeze to negotiate thanks to the league’s most recent collective bargaining agreement, but James will likely sign his deal soon. First-rounders are often able to push for certain contractual issues, such as timing of bonus payments, but James is participating in the Chargers’ rookie minicamp even without a pact.

Most of the players signed by Los Angeles today will likely need to make their rookie mark on special teams duty, but Nwosu could have a chance at playing time in 2018. Although largely an edge rusher at USC, Nwosu probably won’t see much time as a pass-rusher given that the Chargers already employ Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. But the 6’2″, 240-pounder could find a role as a inside ‘backer, an area of weakness for the Bolts.