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SAN DIEGO -- The most effective edge rusher last season for the San Diego Chargers, outside linebacker Thomas Keiser, could be looking for work elsewhere when final roster cuts are made Saturday. And Keiser says he's OK with that.  "It's like a mixed feeling," he said. "Half of me is not happy that I've been at the bottom of the depth chart. When you're at the bottom of the depth chart, you can get a ton of reps, or none. And so it's really more a nuance of what's the competition I'm going against. Because when I go out there and I make plays against the third string, they're like, 'Well, he's supposed to make plays against the third string.'
"I need to go out there and make plays against first-team guys, because that's how I continue to develop as a player." Keiser seldom got those opportunities to show what he could do against starter-level competition during training camp and in the preseason. Being at the bottom of the depth chart was an odd position for Keiser, who finished third on the Chargers with 4.5 sacks in 2013. With Dwight Freeney, Larry English, Jarret Johnson and Melvin Ingram missing time last season, Keiser helped fill the void for the Chargers' ailing pass rush, playing a career-high 380 snaps. But during preseason play, Keiser, 25, was passed over on the depth chart by rookie second-round selection Jeremiah Attaochu, second-year pro Tourek Williams and ex-CFL standout Cordarro Law. Those three outside linebackers played an average of 22 plays a contest through the first three preseason games, while Keiser saw an average of 12 snaps a game. Also not helping matters for Keiser is that he pled guilty to misdemeanor battery and received probation, including an order to attend anger management classes, after attacking an employee at a local bar in downtown San Diego last December. "It's a very difficult and precarious situation to be in, trying to keep your job in the NFL when you're in that situation," Keiser said. "But you just kind of have to make due. Things are never ideal. So I had to fight though and make the most of my opportunities." Keiser accomplished that, finishing with two sacks, two forced fumbles and five total tackles during preseason. If things don't work out in San Diego, Keiser is confident he'll land with an NFL team somewhere else. "I've been sitting at the bottom of the depth chart since March," Keiser said. "So I was like, 'You know what, I have to work on my personal development as a player. I'm going to be playing football in the NFL somewhere this fall, regardless of how things work out here.'"
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