6 Chargers named to CBS Sports’ Preseason All-NFL team

The Chargers are coming off a dominating showing on this year’s NFL Top 100 and their overwhelming amount of talent is not done making waves throughout the media landscape.

Over at CBS Sports, NFL analyst Cody Benjamin put together a 53-man team of the best NFL players for 2022 ahead of the regular season and unsurprisingly, the Bolts were well represented.

The Chargers placed six total players on the team, making up over 10 percent of the player pool. The team was headlined by Justin Herbert as one of three quarterbacks named to the team, joining Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

“All hail the AFC,” says Benjamin. “Everyone’s buying into Herbert’s laser-armed pocket passing for the Chargers, especially now that he’s got a loaded supporting cast on both sides of the ball. Mahomes and Allen, meanwhile, are the league’s big-play mavens, and everyone figures their Chiefs and Bills will meet again.”

The Rest of Bolts included on the offensive side of the ball were offensive tackle Rashawn Slater and center Corey Linsley. Slater was one of four tackles to make the team while Linsley lead the two-man group at the pivot, joined only by the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey.

The final three Chargers to make the team were on the defensive side of the ball in edge rusher Joey Bosa, cornerback J.C. Jackson, and safety Derwin James.

First, Bosa was one of six players in the “defensive end/outside linebacker” category with T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby, and Cameron Jordan. Unfortunately, Bosa received the least amount of votes to this squad among the six pass rushers. However, with Khalil Mack now on the other side, we should expect a career year from the big bear and you can imagine what that should do for one of the most respected edge guys in the league, regardless of stat sheet production.

Jackson is also one of six players named to the cornerback group, receiving the second-most votes behind only Jalen Ramsey. Other corners named to the team were Trevon Diggs, Xavien Howard, Jaire Alexander, and promising second-year player Patrick Surtain II.

Lastly, James headlines the safety group with the most votes of the four defenders named with eight. Kevin Byard is right behind him with six, along with Jessie Bates (five), and Jevon Holland (two).