The LA Chargers entered their final preseason game of the year against the Dallas Cowboys with several roster questions that needed to be answered. In a perfect world, the Chargers would leave the game against the Cowboys with more confidence than they had going into it.
However, that doesn’t have to be the case as wide receiver Simi Fehoko has been a big problem for the team. Fehoko continued his strong preseason by scoring the Chargers’ first passing touchdown of the preseason.
It was not a pass touchdown, as Fehoko caught a 78-yard pass.
Sticko mode
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— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) 24 August 2024
One touchdown isn’t enough to secure a spot on the roster, but this isn’t a single touchdown for Fehoko. The former fifth-round pick has received rave reviews from his head coach and looked like the best wide receiver on the field last week. If anything, Fehoko’s big touchdown is a powerful statement of a much larger message.
If the Chargers retain the top 53 players from the preseason and don’t overvalue draft status, Fehoko must be added to the active roster. Fehoko was the best receiver on the roster during the preseason and has earned his spot with the Bolts.
Fehoko won’t make as much of an impact in the regular season since he’s a little lower in the rankings, but he can still make a difference. Not only is Fehoko a reliable veteran backup, but he also provides value on special teams that other backup receivers don’t.
However, this creates a difficult situation for the Chargers. If the team keeps Fehoko, the roster will be six receivers and there will be no room for seventh-round picks Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson. Johnson’s release already seems inevitable, but given Rice’s potential, the Chargers could try to keep him.
Fehoko has played well enough to earn the sixth receiver spot over Rice and his potential, so if the Chargers want to keep Rice, the team will need to have seven receivers, which is not the most common way for teams to operate.
The Chargers could get creative, however. The team could use one less tight end or one less running back. Theoretically, Derius Davis could be the Chargers’ emergency RB4, allowing the team to use three running backs and seven wide receivers.
Either way, the Chargers will have to get creative to keep both Fehoko and Rice on the roster. Or the team will have to release Rice and pray that no other team claims him so he can return to the practice squad.
