The Chargers get off to a hot start in the 2026 preseason. Los Angeles earned their first win of the preseason in dominant fashion, defeating the Texans, 27-7. It was a rather competitive contest in the first 45 minutes of the game; however, the Bolts opened the floodgates, scoring 14 points in the fourth and final quarter. It is the preseason, so we must take these performances with a grain of salt; nonetheless, these players showed some real promise. Here are seven players who stood out in a big way on Thursday night. RB Amar Johnson Johnson was arguably the best player of the contest. He did it all for the Chargers, recording six rush attempts for 17 yards along with two receptions for 68 yards. Johnson found the red zone twice, both on the ground, along with a two-point conversion. He still has a long way to go to get a roster spot, but his performance against the Texans is a great start. OL Jake Slaughter Slaughter started the contest at center against the Texans and made his mark when he moved to left guard. He looked comfortable in pass protection, identifying a stunt. The second-round pick was also smooth at the second level, showcasing his athleticism.
nice stunt pick up from slaughter at LG. zion could never pic.twitter.com/XzzUIwy8nw — #1 DEPRESSED CHARGERS FAN⚡️ (@angelboltup) August 14, 2026 Head coach Jim Harbaugh loved what he saw from the former Florida Gator. "His demeanor, his physicality, knowing what to do…when you know what to do, you're in control," Harbaugh said. QB DJ Uiagalelei Uiagalelei was among the players who needed to stand out in the contest, and he did. The 25-year-old won the first true battle against Lance, as far as the first game of preseason goes. Uiagalelei completed six passes on nine attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown. While he didn't have many deep completions, he was still accurate with his throws. Harbaugh was encouraged by both Uiagalelei's and Lance's performances in the win. WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith Lambert-Smith was another player who needed a big game, and he answered the call. The 24-year-old is heading into his second season in the league and showed up in a big way on Thursday. Lambert-Smith led the team with four receptions and had 58 receiving yards, showing reliability in his routes. Through one preseason game, Lambert-Smith proved that he is worthy of more snaps. CB Avery Smith Smith provided the Chargers with solid coverage. The undrafted rookie had a big third-down pass breakup after giving up a touchdown in the opening drive. Smith's response to adversity was impressive, and he finished with a strong overall performance. He also recorded a fourth-down stop. DT Jahmeer Carter The Chargers had a few standouts along the defensive line, but I was particularly impressed with Carter. He registered two tackles for loss and logged the sole sack of the evening. He and TeRah Edwards could be locks to make the practice squad, and potentially be able to sneak into the final 53-man roster. SAF Genesis Smith Smith is one of the candidates to be the third safety when Derwin James Jr. moves down to play the Nickel spot, and tonight he showed why he could get that role. Early in the drive, his aggressive playstyle caught up to him when he was flagged for a defensive pass interference penalty on Texans tight end Marlin Klein. But he made up for it on the next play by tracking the ball perfectly, executing a spectacular, leaping one-handed near-interception in the end zone. Though his momentum narrowly carried his feet out of bounds, the play put his spectacular coverage skills on full display.
Can't say much about the tackling department, but Genesis Smith's coverage skills are the reason he could see the field early as a rookie. "I know he was out of bounds, but he looked like Lynn Swann making that catch," Jim Harbaugh said about this play.pic.twitter.com/eR7yX9jVWD — Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) August 14, 2026 This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers: 7 players who stood out in preseason win over Texans