Chargers Waive Preseason Standout WR Michael Bandy

The Chargers must cutdown their roster to 53 players by Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. PT. As a result, Chargers' front office personnel and coaches will be tasked will finalizing difficult roster decisions in the coming hours.

Among the toughest determinations, the Chargers have waived preseason standout wide receiver Michael Bandy, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The decision to waive Bandy, the team's leader throughout the preseason in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, is no knock on him the player, but rather it's a result of the depth the Chargers have at the position.

The wide receiver group features two 1,000-yard receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Second-year pass-catcher Josh Palmer looks poised for a bigger sophomore campaign, and the speed dynamic that Jalen Guyton and DeAndre Carter have to offer, very quickly gets them to five wide receivers.

In a dream scenario the Chargers hope to get Bandy back on their practice squad. Though, that seems far-fetched with how productive he was in the preseason, as other teams across the league were definitely taking note of his efforts.

Bandy also contributes on special teams as a player that's capable of returning kicks and punts, making him an even more attractive option for opposing teams to claim.

While this couldn't have come easy for the team to come to grips on, perhaps they weighed the options and the value of keeping a player at a more pressing position carried more weight.

Bandy now heads to waivers where teams have 24 hours to place a claim on him in the event that they want to sign him to their 53-man roster. The claiming order is determined by last season’s record, meaning the team with the worst record in 2021 will hold the highest waiver priority.

More from Charger Report

• Chargers 2022 Roster Cut Tracker: The Road to 53 Players
• 3 Chargers Players Who Improved Their Stock the Most This Preseason
• Chargers Face Tough Decisions Ahead of Final Cutdown Day
• Chargers' 2022 Draft Class Report Card: How Each Rookie Performed in Training Camp and the Preseason
• Chargers' 53-Man Roster Projection: Who Makes the Team?

Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.