The Los Angeles Chargers today signed defensive lineman Joe Gaziano to the active roster from the practice squad and activated tight end Stone Smartt from Reserve/Non-Football Injury. The team also elevated kicker Cameron Dicker and tackle Foster Sarell from the practice squad for Sunday's game. In addition, Los Angeles waived wide receiver Keelan Doss and downgraded tight end Gerald Everett to questionable.
Gaziano appeared in 16 games and made one start over the last two seasons for the Bolts. He has 14 career tackles (eight solo), a tackle for loss and three quarterback hits. Gaziano played collegiately at Northwestern, ending his Wildcats career with 30 career sacks — good for the most in program history. He added 153 tackles (100 solo) and 48.5 tackles for loss in 47 career games at Northwestern, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior and third-team recognition following his junior season.
Smartt signed with the Chargers in April as an undrafted free agent from Old Dominion University. He started seven-of-10 games at quarterback for the Monarchs in 2019 before converting to wide receiver for the 2021 season, when he totaled 17 receptions for 167 yards (9.8 avg.). Smartt transferred to Old Dominion from Riverside (Calif.) City College, where he earned first-team JUCO All-America honors in 2018 after throwing for 2,754 yards and 31 touchdowns, while leading all California JUCO quarterbacks in passing efficiency (182.2).
In a pair of appearances with the Bolts, Dicker has totaled 18 points scored by making all five field goal attempts and all three PATS. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his Chargers debut in Week 9, where he made both PATs and a pair of field goals, including a game-winning 37-yarder as time expired. Dicker also won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in his NFL debut for Philadelphia earlier this year. He appeared in 49 games and made a program-record 60 field goals over four seasons (2018-21) at the University of Texas. Dicker was a first-team All-Big 12 selection at punter and honorable mention at kicker in 2021 after averaging 46.8 gross yards per punt and making 13-of-15 field goal attempts (86.7 pct.).
Sarell saw his first NFL action in a pair of prime-time games for the Bolts this season, including his first career start last week on Sunday Night Football. He spent most of the 2021 season with the Bolts after originally signing as an undrafted free agent with Baltimore. Sarell played four seasons (2017-20) at Stanford, starting 17-of-34 career games along the offensive front, seeing most of his action at right tackle. He earned honorable mention All-Pacific-12 recognition in 2019.
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