The Bolts held their longest practice of Chargers 2026 Training Camp to date on Sunday, a fully-padded session that lasted nearly two hours.
"A really physical day today," said Chargers Defensive Coordinator Chris O'Leary.
The Chargers will practice at 10 a.m. at The Bolt on Monday and Tuesday ahead of Thursday's preseason opener in Houston.
Here is the Chargers Training Camp Report from Sunday's practice:
1. Mesidor, Tucker among standouts
A day after Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu dominated practice, it was the young edge rushers' turn to shine on Sunday.
Perhaps the most impressive rep was the first one in 1-on-1 drills in the trenches, and it came from Akheem Mesidor.
The 2026 first-round pick used a lethal spin move to get past right tackle Joe Alt, producing one of the cleanest wins we've seen so far in camp.
It was one of multiple wins on the day for Mesidor, who later used a similar move against Logan Taylor before beating Travis Burke with speed off the edge.
Mesidor also teamed up to split a sack with Justin Eboigbe in a full-team drill, with Eboigbe getting one of his own later in practice.
"He's going to have a role for us this year and has been really impressive," O"Leary said of Mesidor on Thursday. "Everything he showed us early, he's still showing us."
A pair of other youngsters — Kyle Kennard and Nadame Tucker — each also put together a strong practice on Sunday.
Kennard flashed in 1-on-1 drills with a nifty inside move, and later showed his his bend to get into the pocket.
Kennard also had a run stop in a full-team drill against the top offense.
"Consistently getting better," O'Leary said of Kennard, a 2025 fourth-round pick. "He has his flash plays, but just the effort has improved.
"A guy that's straining between the whistles, he's developed some pass rush moves and a nice tool box in the run game as well," O'Leary added.
Undrafted rookie free agent Nadame Tucker also fared well Sunday by winning his final two 1-on-1 reps, the latter of which would have drawn a holding penalty.
Tucker also had a run stop and a sack against the reserve offense.
O'Leary said in minicamp that Tucker, whom he coached at Western Michigan, would likely turn heads when the pads came on.
So far those words have rang true.
"He's very physical, he's flashing, he's getting around the quarterback," O'Leary said. "We've backed him up a little bit from getting around the quarterback and staying out of the cylinder.
"He's done a really good job, he needs to use his hands a little bit more, it's kind of what we're on about right now," O'Leary added. "But as far as a guy that plays physical and really strikes people, he brings that each day."
Elsewhere on defense, Eboigbe won both of his early 1-on-1 reps while Jamaree Caldwell won his lone rep with a power rush.
2. Defense stout in red zone
The Chargers ended practice with a situational red-zone drill, giving each quarterback a chance to execute with only seconds left on the clock.
O'Leary's unit won each rep, capping off what was a dominant overall day, especially inside the 20-yard line.
The Bolts began team drill with a 7-on-7 session just outside of the red zone, with the ball around the 30-yard line.
The defense limited Herbert to a pair of short completions before the quarterback was incomplete on his next two tries against the top defense.
Rookie safety Genesis Smith then flashed with a pass breakup against David Njoku that even drew praise from Mike McDaniel.
The Chargers Offensive Coordinator was fired up on the next play, too, when Trey Lance stood tall in the pocket and delivered a dart to Dalveon Campbell for 6 yards on third-and-5.
Uiagalelei was up next for a pair of reps, but the Bolts defense forced a pair of incompletions.
The Bolts later returned to the high red zone in full-team but Herbert's group couldn't get much going outside of a pair of first-down passes to Tre' Harris.
Eboigbe and Mesidor teamed up to share that sack here, while Uiagalelei's group were called for delay of game before rookie safety Devin Grant had a pass breakup.
After practice, O'Leary was asked what kind of mentality he wants to see from his defense in the red zone.
"The redzone is, it's kind of like you do or you don't. You either get a stop or a touchdown," O'Leary said. "You've really got to execute things, speed up, you have to talk a little bit more down there.
"Any time we can get in those situations in practice is great, because to me big games and championships are won in situational football," O'Leary added. "A lot of times, down in the red zone, you're a little tired, maybe you gave up a big play. Can we get our cleats in the ground and defend every blade of grass? Those are awesome for us."
On this day, O'Leary's group rose to the challenge.
3. Branson Taylor rotates at left guard
The Chargers continued their left guard rotation, with three players — Branson Taylor, Jake Slaughter and Kayode Awosika — getting reps there with the top unit.
Taylor began the day at left guard and spent the majority of practice there before bouncing around at left tackle and right guard with the reserves.
Slaughter, meanwhile, took reps at center with Lance before switching to left guard reps in front of Herbert.
The second-round pick also got the upper hand on two of his three reps in 1-on-1 drills.
Awosika, meanwhile, solely took reps at left guard in front of Herbert and Lance.
For more info on camp, check out the Chargers Training Camp Hub.
