https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/lists/chargers-saints-takeaways-nfl-preseason-easton-stick-jameis-winston/

Alex Katson
August 20, 2023 9:10 pm PT

In the shadow of a hurricane and aftermath of an earthquake, the
Chargers looked shaken and stirred in their second preseason action of
the season. After putting up 34 points with a high-flying offense last
week, LA managed just 17 against the Saints, falling 22-17.

Here are my takeaways:

Too far ahead of ourselves?

After last week’s performance, Chargers fans gushed about the team. The
new offense looked stellar, Easton Stick played the best game of his
life, the defense looked much improved – overall, optimism abounded.

Turns out, the Rams might just be bad.

The other LA team gave up 34 points again this week to the Raiders,
while the Chargers sputtered in their second game against the Saints.
Stick struggled mightily despite playing nearly the entire game and
reverted to the version of himself the Chargers have seen for most of
his career. LA went 3 of 13 on third down and turned the ball over twice
– once on a Stick fumble and once on a bad interception.

The Saints only played about half of their starters, but also had former
first round picks like Payton Turner and Bryan Bresee on the field.
That’s a rather significant upgrade from the defense the Rams put on the
field last week. While it’s not cause for massive concern, it does dump
cold water on last week’s flowers.

JT Woods' emergence

Woods continued his strong preseason on Saturday and did so without
committing a penalty. Last year’s third round pick looks significantly
improved as a tackler, corralling tight end Lucas Krull by the ankles
numerous times in the first half. Woods also had a handful of pass
breakups, including a beautiful one against Krull over the middle in the
red zone. It was obvious how much those plays boosted the safety’s
confidence – by the second quarter, Woods was celebrating every big play
as his usual self.

It’s an important development for the Chargers, who are still waiting
for Alohi Gilman to return from practice following a knee contusion. It
also comes at a good time for Woods, as Raheem Layne had a less
impressive game on Saturday, including allowing a circus catch to Krull
over the top. Layne looks to be an ace on special teams, but will
probably be LA’s fourth safety after pushing for the third spot earlier
in the process.

And that’s a good thing for LA – it means Woods is slowly growing into
the player the Chargers thought he could.

Stone Smartt making progress

A lot has been made of the Chargers refusing to add an outside name to
the tight end room. First, they passed on what many labeled a historic
tight end class in the draft. Free agents like Geoff Swaim and Dalton
Schultz went elsewhere while LA stood pat with Gerald Everett, Donald
Parham, Tre’ McKitty, and Stone Smartt.

On Saturday, Parham had a touchdown pass clang off both hands,
underscoring what’s been a milquetoast preseason for the former XFLer.
McKitty hasn’t made much of an impact this preseason, either.

So, the fact that Smartt had four catches for 32 yards on five targets
on Saturday was encouraging. It’s not an impressive statline, certainly,
but 18 of those yards came on an athletic catch up the seam in the
Chargers’ two-minute drill drive to close the first half. Smartt also
had a key block to cap that drive, freeing Stick for a six yard run on
read option.

The second-year pro from Old Dominion is still green at tight end, which
is to be expected. He started playing the position less than 36 months
ago after primarily playing quarterback as a Monarch, and to harbor
apprehension about him stepping into a TE2 role that quickly is
warranted. But, on Saturday, he looked like potentially the best option
the Chargers have.

Special teams excellence

The job that Ryan Ficken has done with this unit is phenomenal. Derius
Davis had another strong performance as a returner, nearly breaking a
kickoff return for a touchdown. He did muff a punt that came hurtling
down to earth more quickly than he expected, but overall looks like the
best returner the Chargers have had in multiple years.

The punt unit looks like one of the best in the league. JK Scott is
suddenly kicking it 50 yards with elite hangtime after averaging 39.4
yards a kick in his NFL career. Ficken has undrafted players like Tiawan
Mullen and Raheem Layne looking like premier punt gunners – the Saints
averaged just 4.3 yards per return following a 17 yard effort on the
first punt of the game.

Then, there’s the kicking competition. Dustin Hopkins returned from
injury on Saturday and made his field goal and extra point opportunity.
Cameron Dicker also nailed his lone extra point attempt. It’s been
impossible to differentiate the two men when Hopkins has been healthy –
which hasn’t been often this offseason, to be fair – which should give
LA a stable kicking situation for the first time in almost a decade.

Oh, and Scott Matlock blocked a field goal that didn’t count because of
an offsides penalty.

Run defense stays hot

The Chargers allowed just 61 yards on the ground on Saturday, and yes,
it’s preseason. Alvin Kamara didn’t take any carries, nor did Jamaal
Williams. But third round rookie Kendre Miller is no slouch, either, and
he took 10 carries for just 23 yards on the day.

The stops came from all over the defense, too. Daiyan Henley shot a few
gaps to make some plays in the backfield. Tiawan Mullen came in from the
slot to cut a run short. Andrew Farmer had a nice backside pursuit at
the line of scrimmage. Scott Matlock, Chris Hinton, and budding
preseason legend CJ Okoye did plenty of damage on the interior.

Chris Rumph also looked much improved against the run – granted, he was
going up against a backup at right tackle. Still, Rumph was in the area
for plenty of plays, and even if he didn’t wrap up for the tackle, he
directed Saints rushers back into his defense to cause short gains.

Whatever Derrick Ansley has been doing this preseason, it’s working.
Now, the only goal is to ensure it carries over to the regular season.