PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : CHARGERS : Henning: Shelton Is Apparent Starter

Time to appears to be running out on No. 1 draft pick Stanley Richard’s chances to win the starting free safety job.

The longer Richard holds out, the more impressed Coach Dan Henning seems to get with Anthony Shelton.

Henning called Shelton’s performance in Saturday’s scrimmage in Flagstaff, Ariz., against the Cardinals “very encouraging.”

“He was the outstanding player in the scrimmage,” Henning said Sunday. “He gave us some safety play that we’ve been expecting out of that position--not only in the scrimmage but in the other two days up there. He came in and broke up some balls, came up and made tackles and consistently made the right calls for our defense.”

Unfortunately for Shelton, he suffered a bruised thigh in the scrimmage and probably won’t play against Houston in the Chargers’ exhibition opener Saturday night.

But Henning said Shelton should only miss a week, and he expects Shelton to be the starter at free safety on Sept. 1 at Pittsburgh, the Chargers’ regular-season opener.

“We could line up tomorrow with Anthony Shelton at free safety and play good football,” Henning said. “If it (Richard’s holdout) goes longer than this week, it appears Shelton will be the starter. He played the way we like our free safety to play.”

The Chargers acquired Shelton from the San Francisco 49ers on waivers before last season. He played 14 games, mostly on special teams and in nickel packages, but the Chargers decided to protect him instead of veteran safety Vencie Glenn.

“We thought Anthony Shelton would be a player,” Henning said. “It appears that may be the case.”

General Manager Bobby Beathard said there is nothing new on Richard’s negotiations. Beathrd said he has not spoken with Richard’s agent, Chris Knepp, since Friday.

Richard was in San Diego, but Beathard now believes he has gone back home to Texas.

In addition to Shelton, four other players suffered minor injuries in Flagstaff. Henning said guard Mike Zandofsky (elbow and ankle) and tackle Mike Withycombe (swollen knee) will not practice for a few days. Guard Leo Goeas (knee) and H-back Terry Orr (groin) should not miss any practice time.

Henning also praised rookie offensive guard Eric Moten for his play in Saturday’s scrimmage. “He was thrown in there after some injuries,” Henning said. “You never know how a guy’s going to react in that situation, but he did a pretty good job.”

The Chargers were off Sunday, but they will practice in the morning and afternoon today.