EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Chargers are getting closer to finding out what they have.
The first preseason game is on the horizon, with the Chargers set to travel to Houston to face the Texans on Thursday. Saturday’s practice at The Bolt was another important checkpoint as the Chargers continue sorting through a roster that Jim Harbaugh believes has legitimate competition throughout it.
The biggest name to keep an eye on, as it has been throughout training camp, remains left tackle Rashawn Slater.
Slater did not practice Saturday, but there was no reason for alarm. Harbaugh called it a veteran rest day and said Slater remains “right on schedule” in his recovery from the ruptured patellar tendon that ended his 2025 season.
The Chargers are carefully managing his workload. Harbaugh explained that Slater has progressed from being cleared for two consecutive reps to three, with that number continuing to increase.
“Cleared, the amount of reps he can do consecutively is two, now it's three, now it's continuing to go up,” Harbaugh said.
That is probably the most important thing to understand about Slater right now. His absence from a practice does not necessarily signal a setback. The Chargers are measuring his return in increments, and the goal is to have him ready when the games actually matter.
Harbaugh also declined to get into specifics regarding the minor issue Slater dealt with during practice in San Diego a few days ago.
For now, the message from the Chargers is simple: Slater is progressing, and the team is going to be deliberate with him.
That approach will be especially important as the preseason begins.
Harbaugh has already laid out his plan for Thursday. Approximately 15 veterans and starters will warm up with the team but will not play against the Texans. The group is not necessarily a traditional starting 11, but rather a collection of veterans the coaching staff wants to keep out of preseason game action.
The plan changes in the following games.
Harbaugh said the starters and veterans are expected to play one series in the second preseason game and two series in the third. That makes the preseason less about watching the established stars and more about evaluating everyone fighting for a role.
And Harbaugh has a particularly colorful way of describing what he wants to see from those younger players.
“Some guys rise like cream to the top and some guys melt like butter in the toaster.”
That is the preseason in one sentence.
Players are going to get opportunities. Some will make the most of them, while others will show the coaching staff that they aren't ready for the moment.
One player who appears determined to make sure he belongs in the first category is wide receiver Tre’ Harris.
Harris said after practice that he added seven to eight pounds of muscle during the offseason and is now up to 215 pounds.
The added size isn't simply about looking stronger. Harris believes it has helped him become a more complete player, particularly in an offense that is asking more of him.
“Adding weight definitely helped,” Harris said.
Harris also acknowledged that he wasn't satisfied with how he performed during the back half of last season. That disappointment appears to have fueled his offseason.
Now, his opportunity is much bigger.
Harbaugh went as far as putting Harris alongside Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston as the team's top wide receivers.
“I have him right there with Ladd and Q as our top guys,” Harbaugh said.
That is significant praise from a head coach who isn't exactly short on offensive weapons.
Harris also described an offense in which he is being schemed open more frequently. The Chargers are finding different ways to involve him, and his role has expanded.
“Just finding my role,” Harris said. “This year I'm being schemed a little more for sure.”
There is another part of that role that Harris wants to embrace: blocking.
With Mike McDaniel's influence now being felt throughout the Chargers' offense, receivers are being asked to contribute in ways that go beyond simply running routes and catching passes.
Harris said he wants to be part of that blocking scheme. That matters. If Harris can become a receiver who consistently threatens defenses while also holding up in the run game, his path to significant playing time becomes much clearer.
The same principle applies to the tight end room.
Oronde Gadsden II showed flashes of being a difference-maker as a rookie, coming up with crucial catches and helping the Chargers win games. But there was another side of his rookie experience that he clearly wants to correct.
Gadsden said he was “getting thrown around” in the run game last season.
So he added weight intentionally this offseason.
The goal is straightforward: stay on the field more often and become a more reliable piece of the offense in every situation.
Gadsden has also spent time studying Jonnu Smith's tape from Miami, looking for ways to improve his game within an offense that places a premium on timing.
He said that emphasis is evident simply by watching McDaniel's offenses from the past.
That education could become valuable quickly.
The Chargers have plenty of options at tight end, and Harbaugh is excited about what the group can become.
“Four really highly capable players—Charlie, David, Oronde, Scott Matlock,” Harbaugh said.
That is a crowded room, but it is the kind of problem a coaching staff wants.
The Chargers don't need every young player to prove everything in the first preseason game. They need players to show enough that the coaching staff can begin separating the contenders from the rest of the field.
That's what makes Thursday important. Not because the final score against Houston will tell us much about the Chargers' 2026 season. It won't.
The real story will be who plays with urgency, who looks comfortable in the new offense, who holds up physically and who forces the coaching staff to reconsider where that player belongs on the depth chart.
Slater's progress will continue to be monitored carefully. Harris is trying to turn a strong training camp into a much bigger role. Gadsden is trying to prove that he can be more than a passing-game weapon.
And throughout the roster, young Chargers are about to get their first real opportunity to show whether they will rise to the occasion, or, in Harbaugh's words, melt like butter in the toaster.