Chargers surprisingly waive preseason standout amid flurry of roster moves

The LA Chargers made several moves on the roster ahead of the team Monday night football matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. As far as add-ons go, it is Chargers activated cornerback Deane Leonard from IR and signed practice squad defensive back Eli Apple to the active roster.

In addition to Leonard and Apple, the Chargers also lifted veteran safety Tony Jefferson and linebacker Caleb Murphy from the practice squad. Jefferson is the more notable of the two as a former player and scout for the Ravens.

The chargers had to make room for these additions. One roster spot was cleared when the team placed Hayden Hurst on IR with a hip injury. To open up the other roster spot, the Chargers waived preseason AJ Finley.

Chargers fans know Finley after the strong preseason and training camp he put together earlier this year. Finley solidly won the third safety job on the depth chart with a strong showing his coaching staff raved about.

Finley was so impressive in camp that he received first-team snaps with the defense. The second-year undrafted free agent went from being a special teams player to being someone who could really make an impact on the defensive side of the ball.

However, the first team representatives in training camp did not translate to the regular season. Finley played just 43 defensive snaps in the first 11 weeks of the season after the Chargers traded for Elijah Molden to usurp him on the depth chart. Still, Finley was a consistent presence on special teams, logging 61% of the team’s snaps on that side of the ball.

Unfortunately, Finley’s special teams impact wasn’t enough to keep him on the roster, as the Chargers apparently believe Apple can have a bigger impact. This is surprising given that Apple was a midseason addition who was fine in his three games with the Bolts but nothing special.

Typically, teams value youth in these rosters, which should have played in Finley’s favor. But no matter how good he looked in the summer, the Chargers didn’t think he did enough to keep his roster spot 10 games into the 2024 season.

Finley can now be claimed by any of the other 31 teams. If claimed off waivers, Finley would go straight to the 53-man roster, not a practice squad.

If Finley clears waivers, he can re-sign with the Chargers’ practice squad.