Chargers Snap Count Analysis: Biggest Winners, Losers and Role Changes From Week 2

After Week 2, seeing the roles of each player on the team gives a strong encapsulation of what happened and what is to come.

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Coming off another loss filled with disappointment, the Los Angeles Chargers are finding themselves slowly being circled down the drain toward an eventual losing season. Week 2 showed that the team's Week 1 performance was not a fluke and is something to be expected.

That said, there were some changes that occurred in the roles of the team, giving the fanbase something new to follow. Who are some of the biggest winners and losers due to their roles and snap counts changing from Week 1 to Week 2?

Winner - #1 Oronde Gadsden II

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Oronde Gadsden II was going into the year with a likely sophomore slump, as he was placed third on the team's depth chart. He was expected to play behind veterans Charlie Kolar and David Njoku. Now, both of those players are going to be placed on injured reserve, allowing Gadsden II to play a bigger role on the offense. He played 30 snaps, which was 44% of the offensive snaps for the game. A 26% increase from Week 1.

Loser - #1 Brenen Thompson

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Brenen Thompson was the Chargers' fourth-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, bringing the team another receiver who can threaten opposing defenses in another way. With Thompson, it is his game-breaking NFL speed. He entered training camp as the WR4 and seemingly has stayed in that role through two weeks, even with Ladd McConkey being in a limited role in Week 2 due to injury.

His lack of an increase in snaps (18% in both weeks) should give some minor concern for Thompson's role to follow throughout the season.

Winner - #2 Nick Barrett

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Nick Barrett has gotten some run with the Chargers' defense, even as a fifth-round rookie defensive tackle from South Carolina. He is expected to get even more run now that Dalvin Tomlinson is expected to miss some time due to injury.

Barrett went from 11% of the snaps in Week 1 to 22% of the snaps in Week 2. This should only climb, considering he is also making an impact on those limited number of snaps played.

Loser - #2 Kimani Vidal

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Kimani Vidal has been completely underutilized since his arrival in Los Angeles. Vidal will consistently play well for the team, then be relegated to a limited role with little to no touches in the offense. This seems to be consistent for the 2026 season, with Vidal only playing 10% of the team's offensive snaps in Week 2. He played 7% in Week 3.

Winner - #3 RJ Mickens

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RJ Mickens was the Bolts' sixth-round draft choice from the 2025 NFL Draft, making an instant impact as a rookie and becoming the team's fourth Safety who can show flashes when called upon. Mickens went from being an inactive second-year player in Week 1 to a 43% snaps-played role player in Week 2. If Elijah Molden continues to miss more time with injury, expect Mickens to continue playing in the role he was placed in.

Biggest Role Changes From Week 1 to 2

As mentioned, some of the biggest role changes from the start of the 2026 NFL season to the second game were Mickens moving into a rotational role, Genesis Smith moving into a larger role (36% to 57%), Tony Jefferson from 52% to 76%, Daiyan Henley playing 5% fewer snaps (not injury-related, which makes playing fewer snaps intriguing), Barrett's double in snaps and Gadsden II's newfound starting role.

All of these are expected to continue into Week 3, with the team slowly shifting things around until they find themselves in a comfortable position with their personnel.

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