Linebacker might be addressed sooner than many think
Last offseason, the Chargers made the point to prioritize the linebacker position by re-signing Denzel Perryman, signing Thomas Davis and drafting Drue Tranquill and Emeke Egbule. Fast forward to now, they sit in a position where they have to continue to retool the positional group.
Los Angeles elected to release Davis after a year of his services. Perryman only has one more year remaining on his contract. And it’s uncertain whether or not the team can bank on Kyzir White after drawing durability concerns from a lingering knee injury sustained in his rookie campaign, which is why he hardly saw the field this past season.
On Wednesday, Lynn said that Perryman is pencilled in as the starting Mike linebacker. But rookie sensation Drue Tranquill will compete there and at the weak side linebacker position. “If we get a guy in the draft. Drue could also go over and play MIKE. So we’ll see,” Lynn said, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
Words like that likely indicate that the position sits atop of the team’s needs still. I listed five potential mid-round options, but it wouldn’t be surprising for the Chargers look to address it earlier than that, possibly as early as the second-round.