San Diego Chargers Roster 2013: Latest Cuts, Depth Charts and Analysis

The San Diego Chargers are still trying to remake their roster after hiring a new general manager and head coach this offseason. A big part of that process is combing through all the players that become available in the next week for upgrades. 

A new regime in San Diego likely means more roster turnover than an average year. The Chargers have several areas they could use an upgrade if one becomes available via cuts from other teams.

Here you will find the latest updates and changes the Chargers have made to their roster and depth chart leading up to Week 1 and analysis of what those moves could mean for the team in the regular season.

List of 53-Man Roster Cuts

The Chargers announced 11 cuts on Friday to get the roster down to 64 players and 11 more to get under the 53-man roster limit. 

The releases include:

• Cornelius Brown, CB
• Sean Cattouse, S
• Phillip Dillard, LB
• Greg Gatson, CB
• Jerrell Harris, LB
• William Middleton, CB
• Daniel Molls, LB
• Randy Richards, OT
• Steve Schilling, OG
• Max Starks, OT
• Luke Tasker, WR
• Ben Cotton, TE
• Thomas Keiser, LB
• Robert Meachem, WR
• Michael Hill, RB
• Nick Becton, OT
• Josh Johnson, CB
• Frank Beltre, LB
• Marcus Cromartie, CB
• David Roff, TE
• Logan Harrell, DE

Additional players released since Saturday:

• Brandon Moore, DE
• D.J. Smith, LB
• Richard Goodman, WR

No huge surprises, especially after Max Starks played himself out of a job on Thursday night. The Chargers secondary and offensive line remains thin, but they will can't address every problem in one season.

Thomas Keiser is a guy that really flashed during the preseason, but he made it onto the practice squad. The Chargers may have been taken a chance, but it paid off. 

Robert Meachem's contract didn't save his roster spot. The Chargers parted way with the receiver according to U-T San Diego (pay wall), costing them $6.9 million in dead money against the salary cap. Gutsy move by the new regime, but Meachem wasn't their mistake and it was clearly time to move on. 

Final Depth Chart

Here is what the depth chart looks like after cutting down to 53 players, but more changes are certain to come in the next few days.

QB: Philip Rivers, Charlie Whitehurst, Brad Sorensen

FB: Le'Ron McClain

RB: Ryan Mathews, Ronnie Brown, Danny Woodhead, Fozzy Whittaker

WR: Malcom Floyd, Vincent Brown, Seyi Ajirotutu

WR: Eddie Royal, Keenan Allen

TE: Antonio Gates, John Phillips, Ladarius Green

LT: King Dunlap

LG: Chad Rinehart, Johnnie Troutman

C: Nick Hardwick, Rich Ohrnberger

RG: Jeromey Clary

RT: D.J. Fluker, Mike Harris

RDE: Corey Liuget, Drake Nevis

LDE: Kendall Reyes, Jarius Wynn 

DT: Cam Thomas, Kwame Geathers

OLB: Dwight Freeney, Tourek Williams

OLB: Jarret Johnson, Larry English

ILB: Manti Te'o, Bront Bird, Terrell Manning

ILB: Donald Butler, Andrew Gachkar, Reggie Walker

RCB: Shareece Wright, Johnny Patrick

LCB: Derek Cox, Richard Marshall

SS: Marcus Gilchrist, Darrell Stuckey, Brandon Taylor

FS: Eric Weddle, Jahleel Addae

K: Nick Novak

P: Mike Scifres

H: Mike Scifres, Eric Weddle

LS: Mike Windt, John Phillips

KR: Richard Goodman, Eddie Royal, Fozzy Whittaker, Keenan Allen

PR: Eddie Royal, Keenan Allen

The Chargers kept rookie running back Fozzy Whittaker, safety Jahleel Addae, quarterback Brad Sorenson and defensive end Brandon Moore on the 53-man roster for the time being. John Phillips made it as the third tight end.

At cornerback, the Chargers are dangerously thin with only four and one out with a concussion. Marcus Gilchrist played cornerback last year, but the Chargers still need depth. Addae basically made the roster over any of the depth cornerbacks. 

The Chargers only kept eight offensive lineman, so you can bet that the team will be looking for potential replacements that were released by other teams. Ohrnberger can play guard or center and Harris will be the backup at left and right tackle for the time being. 

Previewing & Analyzing the Practice Squad

The Chargers announced the following players were added to the practice squad. The practice squad can be a maximum of eight players. 

• Nick Becton, OT
• Thomas Keiser, LB
• Marcus Cromartie, CB
• Jake Byrne, TE
• Toney Clemons, WR
• Will Pericak, DE
• Kenny Wiggins, OT
• Brandon Moore, DE

Good additions for the Chargers to the practice squad, but they still have five spots open. Look for the final five spots to be filled at some point in the next few days.

Nick Becton is a player worth developing and the Chargers still need as much help on the offensive line as they can get. If the Chargers have injuries on the offensive line and Becton develops, he could find his way onto the active roster by the end of the season.

Thomas Keiser flashed his ability as a pass-rusher during the preseason and the Chargers should be glad he cleared waivers. Keiser has some good moves, but the Chargers probably need to see more consistency from him.

The Chargers don't have much depth at cornerback and Marcus Cromartie earned at least a practice squad spot. Cromartie might have the best chance to get elevated to the 53-man roster of the first three additions to the practice squad. 

Recently Cut Free Agents Signed or Rumored to Be Pursuing

The Chargers have made the following moves:

• Traded a conditional seventh-round pick in 2015 for defensive lineman Sean Lissemore from the Dallas Cowboys and placed defensive end Damik Scafe on injured reserve. 
• Signed linebacker Reggie Walker
• Claimed defensive lineman Drake Nevis off waivers. 
• Claimed linebacker Terrell Manning off waivers.

Looks like the Chargers are addressing their depth issues early, which makes sense because there aren't usually starters available at this time of year. Clearly the Chargers are pretty concerned about Manti Te'o's foot injury because two of the plays brought in play inside linebacker. 

Drake Nevis was one of the better defensive lineman put on waivers, but he might be an odd fit for the 3-4 defense. The Chargers could use more four-man fronts with pass-rusher Dwight Freeney putting his hand in the dirt this season. 

Lissemore is nose tackle and will compete with rookie undrafted nose tackle Kwame Geathers for snaps. The Chargers like to rotate their nose tackles even more than normal to keep them fresh. 

Starters and Injury Notes

The long, hard days of training camp are done, and the team is returning to a normal schedule. Dreams were realized or crushed and starting jobs were earned or lost.

Starters

QB: Philip Rivers

RB: Ryan Mathews

FB: Le'Ron McClain

WR: Malcom Floyd*

WR: Vincent Brown

TE: Antonio Gates

LT: King Dunlap

LG: Chad Rinehart

C: Nick Hardwick

RG: Jeromey Clary

RT: D.J. Fluker

DE: Corey Liuget

DE: Kendall Reyes

DT: Cam Thomas

ROLB: Dwight Freeney

LOLB: Jarret Johnson

RILB: Manti Te'o*

LILB: Donald Butler

RCB: Shareece Wright

LCB: Derek Cox

FS: Eric Weddle

SS: Marcus Gilchrist

*Denotes injured

Injury Notes

Malcom Floyd, Knee, Day-to-Day: Floyd practiced Monday for the first time since a knee strain two weeks ago.

Manti Te'o, Foot, Out Indefinitely: Te'o is rehabbing, but the timetable for his return is still unknown. Te'o could be back Week 1 or out for several more weeks.

Eddie Royal, Lung, Day-to-Day: Royal bruised his lung almost two weeks ago and hasn't resumed football activities according to U-T San Diego (paywall).

Johnny Patrick, Concussion, Out: Patrick will have to pass concussion tests, but he's had two this preseason and it may take him time to get back if he can at all. 

List of 1st Round of Cuts

Teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to cut their rosters from 90 to 75, but the Chargers started the process on Monday. The Chargers released 10 players and placed three others on the reserve list. The Chargers placed three more on injured reserve Tuesday to get to 75 players.

• Edwin Baker, RB
• Colin Baxter, C
• Greg Brown, CB
• Tony Burnett, S
• Deon Butler, WR
• Brandyn Dombrowski, OG
• Nathan Enderle, QB
• Richard Kent, P
• Jamarkus McFarland, DL
• Dallas Walker, TE

No surprises from the Chargers in their initial round of cuts. Dombrowski didn't play last year due to injury and was mostly a reserve for the three years prior. 

• Steve Williams, CB: Injured Reserve
• Byron Jerideau, DT: Injured Reserve
• Melvin Ingram, OLB: Physically Unable to Perform
• Mike Willie, WR: Injured Reserve
• Chris Gronkowski, FB: Injured Reserve
• Dan DePalma, WR: Injured Reserve

Williams was going to be the starting nickel corner before his injury. Jerideau is an interesting player to stash on the injured reserve list. DePalma and Willie are interesting players that are likely being stashed for next year. 

Depth Chart Post 75-Man Roster Cuts and Previewing 53-Man Roster Cuts

QB: Philip Rivers, Charlie Whitehurst, Brad Sorensen

FB: Le'Ron McClain

RB: Ryan Mathews, Ronnie Brown, Danny Woodhead, Fozzy Whittaker, Michael Hill

WR: Malcom Floyd, Vincent Brown, Robert Meachem

WR: Eddie Royal, Keenan Allen, Richard Goodman, Luke Tasker, Seyi Ajirotutu

TE: Antonio Gates, John Phillips, Ladarius Green, Ben Cotton, David Rolf

LT: King Dunlap, Max Starks, Nick Becton

LG: Chad Rinehart, Johnnie Troutman, Rich Ohrnberger

C: Nick Hardwick, David Molk

RG: Jeromey Clary, Steve Schilling

RT: D.J. Fluker, Mike Harris, Randy Richards

RDE: Corey Liuget, Damik Scafe, Logan Harrell

LDE: Kendall Reyes, Jarius Wynn, Brandon Moore

DT: Cam Thomas, Kwame Geathers

OLB: Dwight Freeney, Tourek Williams

OLB: Jarret Johnson, Larry English, Thomas Keiser, Frank Beltre, Jerrell Harris

ILB: Manti Te'o, Bront Bird, Phillip Dillard

ILB: Donald Butler, Andrew Gachkar, D.J. Smith, Daniel Molls

RCB: Shareece Wright, Johnny Patrick, Marcus Cromartie, Josh Johnson, Cornelius Brown

LCB: Derek Cox, Greg Gatson, William Middleton, Richard Marshall

SS: Marcus Gilchrist, Darrell Stuckey, Brandon Taylor

FS: Eric Weddle, Sean Cattouse, Jahleel Addae

K: Nick Novak

P: Mike Scifres

H: Mike Scifres, Eric Weddle

LS: Mike Windt, John Phillips

KR: Richard Goodman, Eddie Royal, Fozzy Whittaker, Keenan Allen, Dan DePalma

PR: Eddie Royal, Keenan Allen, Josh Johnson, Luke Tasker

The Chargers are still thin on the offensive line, but the group appears to be much improved compared to 2012. Depth at cornerback is an issue the team will have to address with another free agent. 

Projected Cuts

• Michael Hill*
• Max Starks
• Luke Tasker*
• Ben Cotton*
• David Rolf*
• David Molk
• Randy Richards*
• Logan Harrell*
• Jerrell Harris
• Frank Beltre*
• Phillip Dillard
• D.J. Smith
• Daniel Molls*
• Marcus Cromartie*
• Josh Johnson*
• Cornelius Brown
• Sean Cattouse*
• Jahleel Addae*
• Greg Gatson*
• Johnnie Troutman*

*Denotes eligibility for the practice squad.

Some veterans on this list, but no huge surprises. When a younger player performs about equally to a veteran, chances are they are going to get the roster spot. Max Starks played his way out of a roster spot in the third preseason game, opening up a spot for another young lineman or a free agent. Molk's ability to only play center costs him a spot. 

Damil Scafe's injury may have saved Jarius Wynn from the chopping block.