Los Angeles Chargers waive former Missouri running back Larry Rountree III

The Los Angeles Chargers opted to waive third-year running back Larry Rountree III on Monday, according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. Rountree, a sixth-round pick for the Chargers in the 2021 NFL Draft, played in 12 games as a rookie, then four games in 2022.

The move to release Rountree came after Los Angeles’ undrafted free agent pickup Elijah Dotson made a strong case to make the 53-man roster on Saturday. He had six carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Rountree had five carries for a gain of nine yards, plus, one reception for 10 yards in the 34-17 victory over the Chargers’ cross-town rivals.

In his two seasons in the league, the former Missouri Tiger has just 49 carries for 109 yards with one touchdown. His first career touchdown came in 2021 versus the Minnesota Vikings.

Rountree was originally playing for the Chargers on a four-year rookie deal worth $3.65 million. The waiver on Monday is not the first of his career. After they drafted him, the team released Rountree, only to pick him back up for the practice squad. They did the same after the 2022 season, only to sign him to another future/reserves deal.

Stetson Bennett makes Chargers debut

Two-time College Football Playoff national champion and former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett made the most of his opportunity during the Los Angeles Rams’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.

Bennett finished Saturday’s game completing 17-of-29 passes for 191 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in his NFL preseason debut. On the negative side, he was sacked three times for 36 yards in the Rams’ 34-17 loss to the Chargers.

Head coach Sean McVay took away more positives than negatives regarding Bennett’s play.

“I thought he did a nice job,” McVay told reporters, per ESPN. “There were some tough situations there, and you could see the athleticism where he escaped.”

Bennett’s best possession of the day came in his first drive. He orchestrated a 16-play, 75-yard drive that got the Rams into the end zone for the first time in the game.

“In that scoring drive, he was able to get into a rhythm,” McVay said. “I thought he did a nice job of being able to exhaust some of his progressions. … You could see that it was a step in the right direction.”

Bennett took a majority of the snaps over Brett Rypien, who threw just six passes in Saturday’s contest. he completed three for 11 yards.

On3’s Dustin Schutte contributed to this report.