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2019

Mike Williams is healthy and confident

COSTA MESA Isaac Rochell Jerseys 2019 , Calif. (AP) � for the first time in two seasons, which is paying huge dividends for the Los Angeles Chargers.Williams leads the team in receiving touchdowns with nine going into Saturday�s game against Baltimore. He is coming off his biggest game in the NFL with seven receptions for 76 yards and three touchdowns (including one rushing) in Thursday�s 29-28 come-from-behind victory at Kansas City.�My main goal since the beginning of the season has been to be available for every game and make plays for my team. My confidence is building off of that,� Williams said.Williams became Philip Rivers� go-to receiver against the Chiefs after Keenan Allen suffered a hip injury during the first half. That may be the case again against the Ravens as Allen�s status remains questionable.Williams showed at Clemson that he could be a big-play receiver. He caught 11 touchdowns in 2016 when the Tigers won their first national championship in 35 years.He was the seventh overall pick by the Chargers in 2017 but struggled due to back and knee injuries. Williams appeared in 10 games but had just 11 catches for 95 yards.Williams has been healthy throughout this season, however. He got off to a fast start with three touchdowns in the first three games and 15 receptions for 249 yards in the first five. He had only five receptions in the next five games, but two were for touchdowns.The past four games have represented Williams� best stretch. He has 17 catches for 198 yards and four touchdowns. He became the first Chargers receiver since Tim Dwight in 2002 to have a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game and he caught the game-winning, two-point conversion as Los Angles broke a nine-game losing streak to Kansas City.�Obviously, he�s had a heck of a year for us. He hasn�t had the 60, 70 catches this season, but he�s had a ton of big ones,� Rivers said. �It�s been great to kind of see him come on.�Rivers isn�t wrong when he says Williams has had plenty of big catches. According to Sportradar, 31 of Williams� 37 receptions have gone for first downs. The 83.8 percentage is second in the league to Tampa Bay�s Chris Godwin, who is at 84 percent (42 of 50 catches).Coach Anthony Lynn said Williams� biggest improvement has been route running. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Williams used his size to his advantage in college but needed to do more to be consistently successful in the NFL.Williams is the team�s leading receiver on post routes (nine receptions) and corner routes (six catches). Three of his touchdowns in the red zone have been on corner routes White Darius Philon Jerseys , where he has been able to use his size to his advantage.Rivers agreed but also was quick to say that Williams did come in with a solid understanding of football, but that his growth is similar to all young players transitioning from college to the NFL.�He�s going to continue to improve in that regard, recognizing how they�re playing him in certain coverages, how to run certain routes and continue to progress,� Rivers said. �But when you have that kind of size, that kind of speed, and that type of range and ball skills, you can work on the other stuff, no question.�Williams and the Chargers will face a stiff test against a Ravens defense that is ranked as the top unit in the NFL and is third against the pass. Los Angeles has clinched its first postseason berth in five years while Baltimore has a one-game lead for the final spot in the AFC.The Chargers are tied with Kansas City for the AFC West lead but need to win out and have the Chiefs drop one of their remaining games to wrap up the division and home field throughout the playoffs.�I�ve played in a lot of big games in college and tough atmospheres. I feel like I am prepared for what is coming up,� Williams said.Potential cut day curveballs we could see from the Chargers Cut day in the National Football League is finally upon us. Over 1,000 players will find themselves temporarily out of work come 4pm EST this afternoon, with some their NFL dreams coming to an end for good. Meanwhile, we all wait with baited breath as the Chargers meander their way through 37 personnel decisions.Based on my 53-man projection earlier in the week Darius Philon Jerseys 2019 , as well as comments from Los Angeles Chargers manager Tom Telesco during Thursday�s preseason finale, it sounds like as many as three spots up for grabs over the next four hours.After watching the team�s fourth preseason game, I think we can reasonably guess which positions remain up in the air as the offseason comes to a close. I�ve come up with a list of potential curveballs the team could throw at us this afternoon.Note: This list doesn�t include free agent or waiver wire additions, it strictly discusses moves the team could make with players already on its roster.QuarterbackWhile I fully expect Geno Smith to win the backup quarterback job, I find my confidence in the notion that the team will part ways with Cardale Jones wavering. I just can�t shake the feeling that Anthony Lynn�s personal relationship with the former Buckeye will influence the decision.I mostly trust the team�s new processes in evaluating talent, I just feel like Lynn has worked overtime to find excuses for Cardale throughout camp, and I�m concerned that trend will continue. That combined with the fact that there isn�t really anyone at the back of the roster forcing their hand with Jones has me concerned the team will carry three quarterbacks despite having one of the most durable starters in the league. Running backThe Chargers three-man depth chart is pretty well set with Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler and Detrez Newsome all having locked down roster spots; and the team is unlikely to carry four running backs. Or is it?Seventh round pick Justin Jackson had a pretty uneventful preseason debut in San Francisco鈥ight up until he showcased his vision, elusiveness and burst in setting up the game-winning field goal with a side-winding 16-yard run on the second to last play of the game.While I don�t think Jackson did enough to earn the third spot on the running back depth chart after missing the majority of camp and the preseason, I do think the team faces a tough decision with potentially cutting Jackson. My hunch is he�d probably clear waivers considering he only saw seven preseason snaps, but the team might not be as confident about that as I am. If they aren�t it wouldn�t shock me to see them carry four backs in the interest of protecting their rights to Jackson. And, when it comes right down to it, I�d rather keep four backs if it means parting ways with Cardale Jones. Wide ReceiverHeading into Thursday�s game White Austin Ekeler Jerseys , I was convinced Geremy Davis and Artavis Scott had earned the fifth and sixth wide receiver spots on this team. While neither did anything from a performance stand point to cost themselves those spots, Artavis Scott injured his ankle in San Francisco and the team hasn�t released specifics as to the severity of the injury.It�s hard to make an educated guess as to what will happen here without specifics on Scott�s injury, but there are a couple potential scenarios here. The first involves Scott being healthy and ready for week one, in which case he makes the roster. The second involves a long-term injury, in which case the team could carry him on the 53 and move him to the injured reserve over the next couple of days.Then, there is the matter of Dylan Cantrell. Can the sneak him through waivers? Are they even inclined to try? My hope here is that Cantrell makes the team as the �seventh� wide receiver as a precursor to being placed on the injured reserve which, at least in my mind, makes far more sense than carrying three quarterbacks, and would give them some flexibility to make an addition elsewhere. LinebackerGoing into the fourth preseason game, the assumption was Nick Dzubnar and Jatavis Brown were probably safe bets to make the team. While neither had played particularly well in the preseason, the team had already waived James Onwualu and undrafted free agent D�Juan Hines hadn�t really done anything to leapfrog the two more tenured players on the depth chart.Then Hines showed out in San Francisco. The linebacker finished the game as the Chargers second-highest-graded linebacker according toProFootballFocus.com, earning a grade of 72.1 while recording six tackles, two run stops Austin Ekeler Jerseys 2019 , a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. He also earned the highest run-stop percentage of any Chargers linebacker (13.5) and finished the game with a perfect tackle efficiency rating.Was it too little, too late; or did Hines do enough to earn a spot on the 53? Personally, I really like the rookie as a versatile depth piece in Gus Bradley�s defense; where his length, instincts and range can add a lot of value. I also think his sure-handed tackling makes him valuable on special teams. My guess is both Brown and Dzubnar are probably safe, but I suspect Nick�s spot on this team is a little more tenuous as the team decides whether or not Hines will clear waivers.There you have it; quarterback, running back, wide receiver and linebacker are the four positions at which I think the team could throw a curveball or two at us as they trim their roster to 53. And keep in mind, that doesn�t include the two or three waiver wire additions I think they�ll probably make over the next 24-48 hours. Buckle up folks, it�s going to be an exciting day.