Surprising Chargers Safety Getting First-Term Snaps During Practice

Will his role expand this season?

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Chargers second-year safety A.J. Finley received first-team reps during Wednesday's training camp practice. The two starting safeties for the upcoming Chargers season are expected to be Derwin James and Alohi Gilman, but Finley was one defensive back who got reps with the starters early on in training camp.

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Since going undrafted out of Ole Miss in 2023, Finley has worked his way up to holding a consistent spot on the Chargers. During his rookie season, Finley made the Chargers' 53-man roster at the end of the summer, before he was waived and signed to the practice squad. A week later, Finley was brought up to the active roster again.

In his rookie season, Finley appeared in 12 games for the Chargers but appeared in just 3% of the team's snaps. He recorded three tackles and one forced fumble. Instead, Finley made his impact on special teams, where he played 62% of the snaps. With Finley already seeing first-team reps this early in camp, there appears to be a solid chance he will earn more snaps in his second season.

Along with Finley, there are several other young defensive backs hoping to see playing time this season. The Chargers signed multiple undrafted free-agent safeties this offseason, including Jalyn Phillips, Thomas Harper, and Akeem Dent.

After the rookies, the Chargers also have a new face in Tony Jefferson. Jefferson is a new Charger but played safety for nearly a decade before retiring after the 2022 season. He decided to un-retire this offseason and has signed with the Chargers.

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