EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Zion Johnson’s transition to center entered an important new phase in the Los Angeles Chargers’ training camp practice Saturday evening.
Johnson played center with the starting offense in padded team drills, his first time doing so this camp. Johnson had played center with the starting offense in three previous unpadded practices. But contact and physicality increase significantly when the pads come, particularly for trench players. Johnson’s padded reps Saturday provided the first tangible benchmark as the 2022 first-round pick attempts a positional switch from guard to center. The evaluation can now begin in earnest.
Johnson was at center for all 16 of the starting offense’s team-drill snaps. He had positive moments. He had negative moments. Here is how the practice went.
In the first series of 11-on-11, the starting offense faced the starting defense. On the opening play, quarterback Justin Herbert pitched to running back Omarion Hampton on a rush to the right. Johnson climbed to the second level, but he was beat by linebacker Daiyan Henley, who made a play on the ball carrier.
On the next snap, Johnson was one-on-one in pass protection against interior defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia. Johnson was initially in good position after the snap, but he lost his balance as Ogbonnia cut quickly to his left and won with a swim move. Johnson fell forward onto one knee as Ogbonnia burst into the backfield. Herbert got rid of the ball to Hampton on a check down to the right flat. This would have been close in game action. At bare minimum, Herbert would have taken a shot to the midsection after releasing the ball. Ogbonnia did appear to slow his rush. It could have very well been a sack or a forced incompletion as a result of a hit.
The third snap was a handoff to Hampton up the middle. Johnson pulled from center to the right side and engaged linebacker Troy Dye in a pretty vicious collision. The Chargers pulled Johnson quite often when he was the starting left guard last season. He has explosive and fluid movement skills for his size, and this is an intriguing potential usage for Johnson as a center, as well.
The next series was in the red zone. The starting offense went up against the starting defense again. The offense faced a first down from the 15-yard line. Herbert took the snap, and the protection was outstanding across the line, including Johnson. Herbert had time and threw in rhythm to receiver Derius Davis on a go route. Davis hauled in the pass with a sliding catch in the back of the end zone.
The second snap was a quick throw to running back Hassan Haskins in the flat. Herbert got rid of the ball before the pass rush had a chance to affect the play. On the third snap, Johnson pulled again, this time to his left. He looked a little indecisive as he got into space, and that delayed his cut upfield.
The third period was nine-on-seven, a run-focused drill. The starting offense faced the starting defense again. The defense won this series, which included four snaps. Edge rusher Khalil Mack got penetration on two of the runs. Dye had a tackle for loss. Johnson came off the ball well in the period, though. He forced some interior push on the first snap. Mack derailed this run with a surge into the backfield, away from Johnson. On the third snap, Johnson and defensive lineman Teair Tart matched up in a fiery battle on the interior. Johnson held his ground and prevented any penetration.
The Chargers then split into two halves of the field. On one side, the offense faced the defense in seven-on-seven. On the other side, the offensive line faced the defensive line in pass rush one-on-ones. Johnson was snapping to the quarterbacks in seven-on-seven and did not participate in the one-on-ones.
For the final three series of 11-on-11, the starting offense faced the reserve defense. On the first snap of the first series, Johnson flinched at the line of scrimmage and was flagged for a false start. On the second snap, Johnson was dominant in pass protection against defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe. Johnson had some help on the play from left guard Bradley Bozeman, who started at center for the Chargers last season. Herbert drifted to his right and delivered a perfect throw to receiver Tre’ Harris on an out route. Herbert fit the ball just past a diving pass-breakup attempt from defensive back Myles Purchase.
On the third snap, Herbert connected with receiver Ladd McConkey in a dig route over the middle. Edge rusher Tre’Mon Morris-Brash aligned across from right tackle Joe Alt to start the play. He then broke to the inside on a stunt. Right guard Mekhi Becton stayed connected on defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell, who was rushing to the inside of Morris-Brash. Johnson was looking to his left. As Morris-Brash twisted to the inside, Alt tried to move with him, but he had lost leverage. Morris-Brash came free up the middle while Johnson kept his eyes to the left. In a game, Herbert would have taken a hit on this play.
On the next snap, a third-and-6, Johnson and running back Jaret Patterson combined to pick up a blitz. Patterson did well to recognize linebacker Kana’i Mauga rushing and stood him up. Herbert was kept clean and delivered to tight end Will Dissly on a shallow stop route over the middle.
The final two snaps, both against the reserve defense, came in a red zone period. The offense started both reps from the 25-yard line. Johnson locked down defensive lineman Christopher Hinton on both plays. These were two of his best pass-protection reps of the practice. On the first play, Herbert connected with receiver Quentin Johnston for a touchdown. On the second play, Herbert attempted a pass to McConkey on a slot fade. Rookie cornerback Nikko Reed undercut the throw and picked it off for his second interception of camp.
“I thought he looked good,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said of Johnson’s practice. “He did some really good things. I got to look at the tape a little closer. Out there, though, I thought he did well.”
News and notes
• Davis had three touchdowns in Saturday’s practice. On top of the 11-on-11 red zone touchdown, he added two more scores in seven-on-seven. On the first, Davis beat Ja’Sir Taylor on a post route from 19 yards out. Herbert connected with him. On the second, Davis beat rookie cornerback Eric Rogers on an out route from four yards out. Taylor Heinicke threw this touchdown.
“He’s showing up in a big way,” Harbaugh said Friday, foreshadowing Davis’ breakout practice. “We know what he can do on teams, but I’m talking about as a receiver. He’s a legitimate weapon on offense. Very pleased with the way he’s playing.”
In his first two seasons combined, Derius Davis caught 28 passes and had 26 rushing attempts. (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
• Chargers who did not practice Saturday: tackle Rashawn Slater, cornerback Tarheeb Still, linebacker Denzel Perryman, cornerback Deane Leonard, running back Raheim Sanders, receiver Luke Grimm, tight end McCallan Castles, receiver Brenden Rice and edge rusher Garmon Randolph.
• With Perryman not practicing, Dye was the second inside linebacker next to Henley with the starting defense. Junior Colson continued to work with the second team.
• Cornerback Donte Jackson left the field early in practice. With Jackson and Still out, it was Cam Hart and Reed at the outside corner spots and Taylor at nickel with the starting defense, when Derwin James Jr. was at safety.
• Mack had two sacks in 11-on-11, including one on a third-and-7 against the second-team offense.
• Another standout defensive player from Saturday’s practice: linebacker Emany Johnson, who had two tackles for loss in the nine-on-seven run period. Johnson also tracked down Heinicke on a play-action quarterback keeper in 11-on-11. The offense faced a fourth-and-1. Heinicke faked the handoff before sprinting to the sideline. Johnson ran with Heinicke and cut him off. Harbaugh ruled Heinicke down before the first-down marker.
• Rookie receiver Dalevon Campbell closed out team drills with a touchdown grab. Harbaugh set the ball up at the two-yard line. The third-team offense faced a fourth-and-goal. Quarterback Trey Lance threw a fade to Campbell, who leapt over cornerback Trikweze Bridges and came down with the contested catch. Campbell is proving to have proficiency in 50-50 situations.
• Patterson had an explosive touchdown run in nine-on-seven. Right tackle Ryan Nelson cleared the way with a pancake block on the edge. The refs threw a flag for holding, but it clearly was not a hold.
(Photo of Zion Johnson and Justin Herbert: Harry How / Getty Images)
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