Joshua Kelley, Chris Rumph Shine in Chargers' 29-22 Preseason Loss to Rams

The Chargers fell to the Rams 29-22 in the preseason opener.

Nicholas Cothrel | Aug 14, 2022

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INGLEWOOD – The league-wide trend across the NFL the past couple seasons calls for teams to sit the majority of their prominent players from preseason action. The Chargers were no different as they played mainly rookies, second-year players and guys sitting on the roster bubble.

However, there were a few exceptions. Among notable Chargers players who dressed out and played Saturday night, featured Asante Samuel Jr., Nasir Adderley, Jerry Tillery, Michael Davis and Jalen Guyton.

The Chargers got going early, finding the end zone on their first series of the game, capping off a nine-play, 77-yard drive with Chase Daniel hitting a wide open Joe Reed for a 41-yard touchdown grab.

But the Rams' second half efforts, scoring four touchdowns on their final five drives were enough to pull past the Chargers by the final score of 29-22.

The Chargers were tormented with penalties and missed tackles. They finished the night committing 120 yards worth of penalties. While the Chargers have some cleaning up to do in this area, they also had a few bright moments on the night.

Chris Rumph and Joshua Kelley were among the top standouts.

Kelley, who received the start, totaled 28 yards from scrimmage on the first offensive series. He also broke a tackle on third and long to fight for the first down and keep the chains moving.

Kelley's offseason included a new training and nutrition regimen to increase his strength and speed, and he flashed that when he fought through arm tackles for extra yards.

"I thought all the backs tonight competed hard. I thought they were on their tracks," Staley said. "They were trying to run with physicality. They were a factor in the passing game. But Josh has done what he's done, you know throughout camp which is just be really steady and strong."

Kelley finished the game with three carriers for 16 yards and three receptions for 28 yards (44 all-purpose yards). There's still a lot of time left until the Chargers break camp, but Kelley looks to be the current front runner for the second running back role from what he's shown on the practice field and in game action.

Like Kelley, Rumph is another player who arrived to training camp looking much differently, physically. He too has undergone a change to his body of building additional muscle mass to elevate his play strength.

Rumph wrecked havoc early on, overpowering his opposition and getting into the backfield. He recorded four tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.

"I thought he flashed tonight," Staley said of Rumph. "He's one of the guys I highlighted. I thought he played very well tonight. I felt him, we all did. He was active in the run game and in the pass game, which is what we really have been on him about and be a complete player. You could definitely feel his confidence and his game right now."

Durning 11-on-11s in practice, Rumph has had success in batting down passes at the line of scrimmage. Now, factoring in what he achieved against the Rams in the preseason opener, the second-year player looks to be making encouraging signs of putting it all together.

The Chargers will have two off days before hitting the practice field on Tuesday.

They'll then hold two joint practices with the Cowboys on Wednesday and Thursday at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex, before hosting Dallas for their second preseason game at SoFi Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m. PT.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.

Published Aug 14, 2022

NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel is the publisher for Charger Report, covering the Los Angeles Chargers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.