Category: AFC West news

Over/Under for Chargers wins in 2020 set

How do the oddsmakers feel about the Los Angeles Chargers going into the 2020 season?

Following an outstanding 2018 season that resulted in a 12-4 record and a trip to the playoffs, the Chargers failed to replicate that in 2019, finishing with a 5-11 record and last place in the AFC West.

As Los Angeles moves into a brand new stadium this upcoming season, they hope to bounce back and start the new decade on a good note.

There are many that believe the Bolts will have a turnaround year in 2020, but what do the oddsmakers think?

BetMGM released their over/under for 2020 season wins for all 32 teams, and for the Chargers, it’s set at 7.5 wins.

7.5 seems fair because while Los Angeles does have a stacked roster on both sides of the ball, the quality of the quarterback play remains a mystery. After having Philip Rivers under center the past 14 seasons, Tyrod Taylor and rookie Justin Herbert take over.

I am taking the over, predicting the Bolts to finish with a 9-7 or 10-6 record. Taylor or Herbert may not necessarily perform at the level of Rivers’ better campaigns. However, no matter how the quarterback play plays out, the talent on the roster should be able elevate their success rate.

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Chargers pick up WR Mike Williams’ fifth-year option

The Los Angeles Chargers extended wide receiver Mike Williams’ contract through the 2021 season.

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The Chargers have picked up the fifth-year option in wide receiver Mike Williams’ contract, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Williams will be making $15.68 million this upcoming season, which is a significant difference to his 2019 cap hit of $6.37 million.

The former Clemson product will be a part of the team’s plans for at least the next two seasons – barring any injury. With the option picked up, Williams isn’t eligible to enter unrestricted free agency until after the conclusion of the fifth season, which would be until after the 2021 season.

After being banged up during his rookie season in 2017, Williams has been the model of consistency since then. In 2018, Williams surpassed the 10-touchdown mark. In 2019, eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. His 20.4 yards per reception ranked first in the league.

Should Williams have a monstrous season with either Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert throwing him the ball, he could be looking at a long-term deal for a decent chunk of change.

Williams was the No. 7 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Derwin James talks expectations for Chargers’ defense in 2020

The Los Angeles Chargers have the opportunity to boast a top defense in the 2020 season.

Chargers safety Derwin James is entering his third season as a professional.

After finishing his rookie season with Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades under his belt, the expectations were high for the former Florida State product going into the 2019 season.

Unfortunately, a foot injury sustained during training camp of last year wiped out nearly all of his sophomore campaign. Upon returning in Week 12, James reminded all how much of a difference-maker he is.

In five games, he finished the season with 34 tackles, three tackles for loss and passes defensed.

Now completely healthy, James is eager to turn heads once again this upcoming season.

The only difference between this year and last year is that Los Angeles will have more reinforcements on the defensive side of the ball to help become one of the top units in the NFL, including four-time Pro Bowler cornerback Chris Harris Jr, who was acquired in free agency.

“I know Chris,” James said. “I knew of Chris before we traded for him. I always thought that he was a great player and I feel like he still has a lot in the tank – and I feel like just adding him will allow the defense to be very multiple.”

In addition, the Chargers traded up for linebacker Kenneth Murray in last week’s NFL draft. Murray joins the company of rookie standout from last season, LB Drue Tranquill.

“He a dog,” James said about Murray. “Sideline to sideline he makes plays that jump out.” James expects Murray to make an “immediate impact.”

Although the pieces to becoming an elite defense are in place, the thing that matters the most is what they do on the field. James believes that forcing turnovers will be the most crucial this season, as they ranked second-worst in 2019 with a -17 turnover differential.

“Takeaways. I feel like we gotta get the ball. It’s all about the ball. Last year we were down in the takeaways margin, and I feel like getting more takeaways and the ball. Whether it’s sacks, interceptions or fumbles, we just need to get the ball more,” James said.

Chargers projected to receive compensatory 2021 NFL draft pick

The Los Angeles Chargers could have three Day 2 selections next year.

The NFL’s free agency compensation window closed on Monday, which means any free agent who signs after Monday no longer would net their former club a compensatory pick.

As it stands now, the Chargers are projected to receive a third-round compensatory selection in 2021 after losing quarterback Philip Rivers to free agency according to Over The Cap.

Rivers signed a one-year deal worth $25 million with the Colts earlier this offseason.

There was the possibility of Los Angeles gaining another compensatory pick for running back Melvin Gordon (fifth-round), but he waited until yesterday to sign, which means they didn’t gain anything out of it.

The league gives out 32 compensatory picks from the third through seventh rounds of the draft each year based on a selected pool of free agents lost. Among that, the largest 32 contracts signed by free agents based on average per-year value will net a team compensation.

A formula takes salary, playing time and postseason accolades into consideration to value players and determine whether teams should be compensated for those players leaving in free agency. But the compensated-for players are also determined by a formula dictated by individual teams’ gains and losses of unrestricted free agents each year.

The picks won’t be determined until after the 2021 season, but here’s to hoping that L.A. is able to acquire an eighth draft pick next year, and an additional Day 2 selection for that matter.

3 remaining free agents who make sense for Chargers to sign

The Los Angeles Chargers could fill the offensive line, defensive line or secondary with one of these three options.

The Chargers added some key players in the 2020 NFL draft, followed by 19 undrafted free agents. Even though they don’t have many glaring holes on the roster, Los Angeles could look to add more talent for the upcoming season to increase their chances of making a deep run.

Unrestricted free agents no longer count toward the compensatory pick formula. This means that general manager Tom Telesco and company aren’t risking losing a potential draft pick, making it more enticing to look to the free agency pool.

With that, here are three veterans Los Angeles could bring in:

OT Jason Peters

The Chargers did a nice job adding two veterans earlier this offseason with guard Trai Turner and tackle Bryan Bulaga. While the right side of the offensive line is shored up, the left side could benefit from another proven player.

Peters, 38, would be the perfect solution. The nine-time Pro Bowler allowed just three sacks and 25 total pressures in 602 pass-blocking snaps for the Eagles. Peters said that he’d be willing to join a team to mentor a young tackle before he’s ready to take over.

With the team seeing Trey Pipkins as the long-term answer, Peters would be the ideal candidate to help enhance his game before he takes the reins. The price to acquire him shouldn’t be all that much, either.

CB Darqueze Dennard

The Chargers have a talented cornerback room which features Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr. However, they could benefit from the service of another established corner opposite of Hayward to boast one of the league’s top secondaries.

Dennard, 28, was limited to only 290 coverage snaps in 2019, but he still put up a career-high and 15th best coverage grade on those snaps. Dennard allowed only four catches of 10-plus yards, as well, per Pro Football Focus.

Even though the majority of those snaps came from the slot, he has shown that he has the versatility to play on the outside. With six years of NFL experience, Dennard would be ideal for Gus Bradley’s defense.

DT Damion Square

Should the Chargers run it back with Square for another stint? I believe so. After choosing not to draft a nose tackle, the depth at the position behind Linval Joseph is nearly nonexistent. Square has proven his worth with the Bolts to garner another contract.

Square has been a valuable rotation piece along the defensive line, playing at least 300 defensive snaps for four consecutive seasons. In 2019, Square recorded 27 tackles (15 solo), a tackle for loss and two passes defended. Whether it’s against the run or pass, Square makes his presence known.

Chargers’ draft plans involved selecting quarterback no matter what

The Los Angeles Chargers were going to select a quarterback no matter who fell to them.

The Chargers came away with quarterback Justin Herbert with the No. 6 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Right before Los Angeles made their pick, the Dolphins took QB Tua Tagovailoa, who many fans had wanted throughout the pre-draft process.

What if Miami took Herbert? Would L.A. have taken Tagovailoa, even with the durability concerns? General manager Tom Telesco would have selected Tua, or Joe Burrow had he fallen that far.

“We felt great about all three quarterbacks that went in the top six,” Telesco said. “All three are going to be really good players in this league. It’s a comforting factor to know — hopefully, we don’t pick six very often. If we do, I won’t be making very many picks here.

If we’re gonna pick this high and there’s a potential down-the-road franchise quarterback there that you like, you have to take him. And we were lucky to have some quarterbacks there in this draft who were really good players.”

Telesco reiterated what I had been saying prior to the draft. The best way to building a championship roster if having a quarterback on a rookie deal with a fifth-year option.

Whenever you’re picking that high and you don’t have your quarterback of the future on the roster, you can’t pass up on that opportunity to get him if he is there.

No matter who the quarterback is, they are nearly always going to boom or bust at the next level, so rather than waiting for the “perfect” signal-caller, you have to seize the moment when you get it.

Chargers LB Kenneth Murray has third-best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year

High expectations are already being set for Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray is pegged as having the third-best odds to win the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year award at +1000, per BetMGM.

Redskins defensive end Chase Young has the highest odds at +250, followed by Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons at +600. Behind Murray is Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen at 1100 and Lions cornerback Jeffrey Okudah at +1400.

Los Angeles had their eyes on Murray and they didn’t want to take the chance of seeing if they would be there in the second-round when they were on the clock again, so they traded up 14 spots with the Patriots to draft him with the No. 23 overall selection.

Not only was Murray’s tape impressive at Oklahoma. He aced the pre-draft process, exemplifying his high character, which is why L.A. traded up for him. His outstanding play speed, competitive energy and tackling prowess is exactly what the positional group needs.

Murray joins Drue Tranquill, the former fourth-round selection from last year, who had an phenomenal rookie season. With Murray and Tranquill on the field at the same time, it’ll be difficult for running backs to have any kind of success.

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OT Jason Peters remains compelling option for Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers could benefit from left tackle Jason Peters’ presence.

The Chargers entered the draft with many expecting that they were going to select a left tackle.

Seven rounds went by and they came away empty-handed.

The decision to not pick a single offensive lineman left fans scratching their heads, wondering why Los Angeles elected to not address a positional group that has questions surrounding it.

After the draft, general manager Tom Telesco said that they like their in-house options as the reason why they didn’t select one. But he didn’t comment on whether or not the team will look to the free agency pool.

One intriguing option that has been connected to the Bolts for awhile is Jason Peters. Peters, who was released by the Eagles in February, remains a free agent.

Recently, Peters has talked to teams in recent weeks and threw the idea of being a starter while mentoring a young guy like he did with Philadelphia and Andre Dillard last season, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.

If that’s the case, that could entice the Chargers, who have former third-round pick Trey Pipkins slated to start. Even though Pipkins has some experience in the starting role, he could benefit from another year to develop and learn from one of the best left tackles before taking over.

Over the past three seasons, Peters has been the model of production. Since 2017, he has an 82.6 grade per Pro Football Focus, which is 12th among offensive tackles, where he has played 2,163 regular season snaps along the way.

Even at 38 years of age, Peters only allowed 21 pressures on 562 pass-blocking attempts last season. He had the fourth-highest grade in pass blocking and 17th-highest grade in the run blocking department, per PFF.

Durability concerns loom as he has dealt with numerous injuries in recent seasons. However, he has still started 29 of a possible 32 games the past two years, managing to still play at a fairly high level over that span.

The Chargers, who are one of the teams who have the most salary cap space available ($22 million), could benefit immensely from a borderline elite left tackle at the cost of very little without much long-term guaranteed money.

With the roster that Los Angeles has in place, adding Peters to a line that will now feature guard Trai Turner and tackle Bryan Bulaga, could put them in contention to make a deep run this upcoming season.

Anthony Lynn talks Chargers’ quarterback situation

Tyrod Taylor is slated to start for the Los Angeles Chargers, but don’t count out Justin Herbert.

The Chargers selected quarterback Justin Herbert with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Even though Los Angeles used their first pick on the signal-caller, that doesn’t mean he’s going to start from the get go.

Coach Anthony Lynn recently spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, outlining what to expect from the positional group.

“We’re going into this thing: Day 1, Tyrod Taylor’s going to be starting it off,” Lynn said. “He’s earned that right. His teammates respect the hell out of him, he’s a leader on this football team.

Our young quarterback’s gonna learn a lot from Tyrod Taylor. Tyrod Taylor’s one of the most respected players on our team, and he doesn’t say a whole lot either.”

Prior to the draft, Lynn said that Taylor was in the driver’s seat to start Week 1 of the upcoming season. But despite Lynn’s comments, Herbert will still have the chance to win the starting job.

“[But] it’s a competition, bro,” Lynn said. There’s a competition at every position, not just this one. I can’t just say Tyrod’s gonna be the starting quarterback for the whole year if this young man goes in there and wins the job.”

It shouldn’t be surprising to see Taylor start right off the bat. Even though Herbert is talented, there are still things that need to be worked on, including improving his field vision and progressions, along with getting used to taking more snaps under center since he never did in college.

Should we expect Taylor to play the whole season? Not necessarily. If the 30-year old experiences some ups and downs with his play during the season, I expect the coaching staff to make the change at the position.

The only way that Herbert will get better is getting live reps and adapt to the speed of the NFL like any rookie quarterback, even if he experiences some bumps along the way.

However, if Taylor flourishes and carries the Chargers into the playoffs, we should expect to see Herbert completely take the reins in the 2021 season.

Handing out awards for Chargers’ 2020 NFL draft class

Best fit? Best bang for the buck? Best draft call? Chargers Wire hands out some awards for the Los Angeles Chargers’ draft class.

The Chargers took six players in the 2020 NFL Draft, addressing primarily the offensive side of the ball.

There are many who believe draft grades are foolish because if the player that received a “D” turns out to be a Pro Bowler, then it doesn’t necessarily correlate to the letter grade.

So rather than going through all of that, why not hand out some awards in a different fashion?

Best Bang for the buck

K.J. Hill, WR

The fact that Hill was still on the board in the seventh-round is still mind-blowing. You would think that teams would get the idea that Ohio State is churning out solid wide receivers, with the most recent being Redskins’ Terry McLaurin.

Following the footsteps of McLaurin is Hill. Even though he was in a crowded wideout group, Hill still produced, displaying the technical finesse and route-running skills that had been coached up by Buckeyes wide receiver coach Brian Hartline. He was a standout at the Senior Bowl, too.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hill win the WR3 role this upcoming season – even over fifth-round pick Joe Reed. Hill’s combination of route-running and ball skills will make out to be quarterback Justin Herbert’s best friend for the long haul.

The eyebrow-raiser

Kenneth Murray, LB

Go watch any of Murray’s games on YouTube and witness what a hunter in the middle of the field looks like. Arguably one of the most explosive linebackers from this year’s draft class, everything that Murray does looks like he was shot out of a cannon and you can feel the impact when he tackles a position player.

Whether it’s shutting down the screen game, stopping running backs behind the line of scrimmage or chasing after the quarterback, Murray’s name of the game is instincts, range and closing speed. Combine that with Drue Tranquill’s skillset, and you’re looking at one of the better linebacker tandems in the league moving forward.

Best fit

Justin Herbert, QB

Whether you liked the pick or not when it was announced, it made sense for a variety of reasons, with one of the main ones being that the Chargers needed a future at the most important position on the field. But Herbert fits like a glove with what they were looking for.

Back in January, I wrote a piece talking about why Herbert would be the perfect replacement for Philip Rivers, which can be found here. The bottom line is that his skillset is the most ideal for Los Angeles’ revamped offense and he possesses the talent and intangibles to lead the team moving forward.

Is he perfect? Absolutely not. There are things that he needs to improve upon getting to camp, primarily all mental. But with time and being able to sit behind Tyrod Taylor for a bit, he could really unlock his true potential as an NFL quarterback.

Best draft call

Alohi Gilman, S

I dare you to watch this video and not shed a tear or two. Gilman, the sixth-round pick from Notre Dame shared an emotional moment with his father after receiving the phone call from general manager Tom Telesco. “My pops gave me everything! Wouldn’t be here without him,” Gilman said in a quote tweet later on.

Should’ve been a Charger

Ben Bartch, OT

The Chargers failed to address the offensive line, which had many fans scratching their heads. Since they didn’t have a Day 2 selection, I thought they were going to select a tackle at the start of Day 3. What better way to address the position by taking the guy I’ve been vouching for since January, right?

Surprisingly, Bartch was still on the board when pick No. 112 rolled around. Instead, Telesco went with running back Joshua Kelley, which I thought was still a great pick. But Bartch would’ve been another small-school stud who would have offered competition at left tackle with the ability to play some guard.

Telesco said there was an offensive lineman that was available at one of their draft picks but they went in a different direction, which leads me to believe that he was their guy because the Chargers were one of four teams that met with him at the combine and he is the perfect model of a lineman that James Campen could develop into a stud at the next level.

Ultimately, Bartch went four picks later to the Jaguars.