The Bolts were back at it Saturday, as Chargers 2026 Training Camp resumed with a 90-minute practice in full pads.
The Chargers will practice at 10 a.m. at The Bolt for the next three days ahead of Thursday's preseason opener in Houston.
Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, by the way, outlined the plan for Chargers starters in the preseason on Saturday morning.
Here is the Chargers Training Camp Report from Saturday's practice:
1. Mack & Tuipulotu dominate
The Chargers were in full pads Saturday on a medium tempo day.
But edge rushers Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu looked in midseason form.
That was clearly evident when the Chargers opened their second full-team period of practice that saw the offensive and defensive starters go against each other.
The first play? A tackle for loss from Mack on Omarion Hampton.
Tuipulotu then got in on the fun with his own tackle for loss on Keaton Mitchell on Play 2.
And then came a would-be sack from Tuipulotu on Justin Herbert.
"He's incredible. Incredible the way he trains, prepares, practices," Harbaugh said of Tuipulotu.
The fourth-year edge rusher is eligible for a contract extension but has been practicing in full-team drills with pads as of late.
Later in a team drill, the pair of pass rushers met in the backfield to split a sack against the top offense.
Mack and Tuipulotu set the tone on defense as others made a handful of plays, too.
Linebacker Del'Shawn Phillips had a tackle for loss while defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell recorded a strong run stop.
Undrafted rookie free agent Nadame Tucker also flashed with a pressure on DJ Uiagalelei, and later sacked Trey Lance to negate a deep touchdown pass to Keaton Mitchell.
2. Rashawn Slater gets rest day
Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater got a rest day on Saturday, something Harbaugh noted would happen before practice began.
"Just a ramp up," Harbaugh said. "He's right on schedule, going by the book and what the doctors and trainers have laid out.
"Cleared ... continuing to go up," Harbaugh added.
Slater suffered a torn patellar tendon last year in training camp.
As a result, Trey Pipkins took the majority of the reps at left tackle on Saturday, with Branson Taylor filling in at that spot toward the end of practice.
The Bolts also continued to rotate options at left guard, as Jake Slaughter began the day there in front of Herbert before Kayode Awosika and Taylor rotated in.
"It's been a really incredible offseason that he's made," Harbaugh said of Taylor before Saturday's practice. "In the training environment, saw it there first.
"Then on the field in OTAs and minicamp and it's carried into training camp," Harbaugh added.
Harbaugh then kept going about the second-year lineman.
"That was kind of the talk of the offseason ... 'have you seen this?,'" Harbaugh said. "Yeah, I've seen it. And now everyone has seen it.
"So far, so really good for Branson," Harbaugh added.
The unit in front of Lance consisted of, from left to right, Travis Burke, Taylor, both Slaughter and Jacob Spomer at center, Awosika at right guard and Logan Taylor at right tackle.
Branson Taylor and Burke shared left tackle reps in front of Uiagalelei while Spomer and Josh Kaltenberger did the same at center. Alex Harkey (left guard), Trevor Penning (right guard) and Logan Taylor (right tackle) made up the rest of that group.
The Chargers also held 1-on-1 drills in the trenches Saturday, with Slaughter faring well there.
While the rookie lost his initial rep to Caldwell, he responded to win his final three reps of the day.
Other standouts on offense included Spomer, who won all three of his reps, as well as two wins from Awosika.
Defensively, Teair Tart had a clean win against Cole Strange while Kyle Kennard bested Pipkins.
Young defensive lineman Terry Webb also earned two wins while Justin Eboigbe, Jahmeer Carter and TeRah Edwards also had a winning rep at one point.
Alt and Tuipulotu had a great rep to start the drill off, with the right tackle getting the upper hand on this day.
3. Derius Davis goes deep
While Mitchell's aforementioned touchdown would have been one of the clear offensive highlights Saturday, the play likely would have been a sack from Tucker.
But Derius Davis did score a legit touchdown as he hauled in a 50-plus yard bomb from Uiagalelei against a pair of defenders.
Uiagalelei and Davis later connected for another explosive play that went for 20-plus yards.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith also drew cheers from the crowd as he hauled in a sideline catch from Herbert for an explosive gain.
In the run game, tight end Charlie Kolar was noticeable as he helped spring Omarion Hampton and Mitchell for big gains on the ground.
Fullback Alec Ingold also had a key block on Hampton's run.
Wide receiver Tre' Harris, meanwhile, had a solid block that led to a nice run from Kimani Vidal.
For more info on camp, check out the Chargers Training Camp Hub.
