Chargers depth signals roster strength in Harbaugh’s 2025 plan. Waivers show breadth: three players claimed elsewhere sharpen the focus on depth rather than star power. Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris anchor the backfield despite losses. Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers bolster cornerback coverage, while Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith reload the receiver corps. Sanders’ departure tests the learning curve but depth remains a selling point for fantasy rosters.

Chargers cut-day gambles backfired as waiver-wire claims trimmed depth. Raheim Sanders landed with Cleveland, Trikwe Bridges with Dallas, and Dalevon Campbell with Carolina, leaving San Diego vulnerable at running back and receiver. The plan to keep just three backs and rely on UDFA depth created a new wave of changes that the team will chase on the practice squad and in the coming weeks.

The result underscores the challenge of building a season-long depth chart during the 53-man process and signals a potential rethink of how aggressively to test the waiver wire for difference-makers in late August.