That's a wrap on Day 8 of Chargers 2026 Training Camp.
The Chargers held a 90-plus minute practice at The Bolt on Thursday, going in full pads for the first time in camp.
Chargers Defensive Coordinator Chris O'Leary noted it's time to "find out who's who" at this point in camp.
The Bolts have an off day on Friday before getting back to work Saturday in preparation for Thursday's preseason opener in Houston.
Here is the Chargers Training Camp Report from Thursday's practice:
1. Eboigbe, Burke shine in 1-on-1 drills
Things got a real Thursday as the Chargers put full pads on and held 1-on-1 drills in the trenches for the first time.
Defensively, Justin Eboigbe was among the standouts with a pair of pass-rush wins as he got past Branson Taylor and Travis Burke.
Eboigbe later flashed in full-team drills with constant disruption and a pass breakup, and turned heads in a kickoff coverage drill when he popped returner Jaret Patterson.
"He's in, at, or near the top," O'Leary said about Eboigbe's place in the defensive line room. "Another guy, I feel like I repeat myself sometimes just because we have a lot of great guys, but he's a dude that is going to be the best version of him every day.
"He's going to max out. No matter what that ceiling is for him, he's going to try and reach it," O'Leary added. "He's been incredibly impressive, he gives us pass rush ability inside. I'm excited to see him this year."
Jamaree Caldwell also had a good practice with a 1-in-1 win against Logan Taylor.
Elsewhere on defense, edge rushers Nadame Tucker and Kyle Kennard each had clean wins while Garmon Randolph had a pair of good reps.
"Very competitive group," O'Leary said of the edge rusher room. "Those young guys are trying to catch those veterans."
In team drills, Tuli Tuipulotu had a strong stop for no gain on an Omarion Hampton run while Bud Dupree and Del'Shawn Phillips teamed up for a tackle for loss.
Caldwell notched a tackle for loss in an 11-on-11 period and Kennard had a sack.
Of note, the Chargers held a full-team period at the end of practice with the reserves that included live tackling to the ground.
Offensively, center Tyler Biadasz won his lone rep, but the real standouts were Taylor and Burke.
Although Taylor lost that initial rep to Eboigbe, he responded well by holding firm against TeRah Edwards along the interior.
And while Randolph then bested Taylor, he reset and ended his session with a solid win against Tucker.
Burke lost his initial rep as Kennard got the better of him.
But the rookie fourth-round tackle then got red hot and ripped of four wining reps in a row, besting Akheem Mesidor, Kennard twice and then Randolph.
Burke started 11 games at right tackle for Memphis in 2025, earning First-Team All-AAC honors. He ranked top 10 in the FBS among tackles with at least 500 snaps in Pro Football Focus' offense grade (84.5) and run-block grade (84.2).
2. Mixing and matching along O-line
Burke and Branson Taylor were plenty busy after 1-on-1 drills as each lined up in multiple spots along the offensive line in full-team drills.
The Bolts began practice with an offensive line of Rashawn Slater, Taylor, Biadasz, Cole Strange and Joe Alt in front of Justin Herbert.
But that group was shuffled around for practice as Trey Pipkins III and Taylor each eventually took reps at left tackle. Kayode Awosika went in at left guard when Taylor moved outside to left tackle.
The line in front of Trey Lance, meanwhile, initially consisted of Pipkins, Awosika, Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning and Logan Taylor.
Slaughter later moved to left guard as Jcob Spomer came in at center, with Awoskia shifting to right guard.
The line in front of DJ Uiagalelei initially included Burke, Logan Taylor, Spomer, Penning and Branson Taylor.
Josh Kaltenberger later came in at center while Alex Harkey lined up at right guard. Slaughter also took reps at left guard and with Logan Taylor moving to right tackle.
3. Molden, Smith snag INTs
Chris O'Leary's unit was plenty opportunistic on Thursday as they recorded three takeaways.
Elijah Molden started the trend with an interception in a 7-on-7 drill against Lance as Donte Jackson dove and tipped the ball into the air and into Molden's hands.
A pair of rookies then made splash plays.
Rookie defensive lineman Nick Barrett jumped on a fumble from running back Keaton Mitchell before rookie safety Genesis Smith intercepted Herbert as the pass was tipped into the air.
"Ball skills, QB anticipation and ball skills [are] really impressive," O'Leary said of Smith. "Today, he showed up when the pads came on a little bit.
"The more exposure to that, kind of find out who he is when those situations arise, that will be kind of the final piece of where he fits in our defense," O'Leary added.
Kendall Williamson was in strong coverage on Charlie Kolar to allow Smith to secure the takeaway.
For more info on camp, check out the Chargers Training Camp Hub.
