Category: Latest Chargers news

Why Chargers LB Kenneth Murray could benefit from change in role

Chargers HC Brandon Staley said LB Kenneth Murray’s role is “evolving.”

Expected to make a leap in Brandon Staley’s defense, which was viewed to cater to his strengths, Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray’s play did not reflect that before being sent to the injured reserve.

Even though he was given more downhill responsibilities, Murray struggled with them. While opportunities were there, he often missed tackles, over-pursued ball carriers, and struggled to shed blocks and work off contact.

Set to return to the field as he will be designated to return from the IR this week after missing the last four games, Murray could be put in a position where he will have more success.

At Wednesday’s media availability, head coach Brandon Staley was asked about giving Murray snaps as an edge defender, and he replied that his role is “evolving.”

While Staley did not elaborate on his response, this could indicate that the second-year player might transition to the position moving forward.

The change might be sudden, but it could pay dividends for a group that has not had the most production as of late.

During his three years at Oklahoma, Murray handled the Mike linebacker role. Even though he primarily patrolled the middle of the field, Murray had his occasional reps along the line of scrimmage, where he showed promise.

Murray possesses the explosiveness, play speed, timing, and body control to thrive as a true pass rusher.

Given how well Kyzir White and Drue Tranquill have played as the starters, broadening Murray’s tasks would allow their playing time not to be cut into, either.

With Murray back at practice, the Chargers have 21 days to activate him off the IR.

It remains to be seen if he will play this weekend against the Eagles, but when Murray does get back on the field, look for him to have more duties at getting after the quarterback.

4 key things to know about Chargers’ Week 9 opponent: Eagles

Highlighting important things to know about the Chargers’ opponent ahead of Week 9.

The Chargers are set to take on the Eagles on Nov. 7 at 2:05 pm PT in hopes of getting back on track after losing their last two games.

Here are four important things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the Week 9 bout:

How’s the run game?

Without starter Miles Sanders, who will be out this week with an ankle injury, Philadelphia will roll with a committee that consists of Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell and Jordan Howard. Up to this point in the season, Philadelphia is averaging the sixth-most rushing yards per game (131.6), third-most yards per carry (5.0) and rushing touchdowns (12). Furthermore, Jalen Hurts has 432 yards and five scores on 73 carries.

Fearsome front

The Eagles are one of the better teams at applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks and a lot of the credit goes to the guys up front. Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat, Fletcher Cox and Derek Barnett each have 25, 22, 18 and 17 pressures, respectively. The defensive line has largely attributed to the success of the team’s pass defense, which is allowing just 220.6 yards per game (8th).

Respect the rookie

Philadelphia does not have one of the most proficient passing offenses, averaging just 216.4 yard per game, but arguably the team’s best wide receiver is first-round pick DeVonta Smith. Smith has 33 receptions for 421 yards and one touchdown over eight games. He has dealt with some concentration drops as of late, but his ability to be a threat at all levels of the field is not to be taken for granted.

Helping out with Herbert

Shane Steichen, who helped guide Justin Herbert to his Rookie of the Year season in 2020, is now calling the plays for the Eagles. While the offensive systems differ under Joe Lombardi, Steichen is still helping defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon prepare for what Herbert likes and does not like.

“Stuff like, ‘Hey, this is what Herbert does really well and this is what we were trying to improve with him. This is the looks that he likes. This is how he wants to play.’ Stuff like that,” Gannon said. “Just with any quarterback, what is he comfortable doing, and what can we try to do to make him uncomfortable? That would be the biggest thing for the quarterback.”

Point spread, over/under for Chargers vs. Eagles in Week 9

The Los Angeles Chargers open as slight favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) are currently 2.5-point favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) heading into Week 9 of the regular season. The over/under is set at 49.5, per Tipico Sportsbook.

The Chargers most recently fell to the Patriots by the score of 27-24.

After trading touchdowns early on, the same ongoing mistakes continued to bite the Bolts. Those were lack of early-down execution, the run defense, punt coverage unit, dropped passes, and penalties.

Furthermore, quarterback Justin Herbert was not at his best for the second straight week, as he was held a completion percentage of nearly 50 and was picked off twice.

The Eagles, on the other hand, had a field day against the Lions. Their victory was highlighted by a dominant run game, which included 235 yards and four touchdowns. In addition, Philadelphia’s defense forced a turnover on top of sacking Jared Goff six times and hitting him on 11 occasions.

The last time these two teams met was back in 2017, in which the Eagles came out on top, 26-24.

Sunday’s contest between Los Angeles and Philadelphia will begin at 2:05 p.m. PT and be televised on CBS.

Recently released WR DeSean Jackson could add explosive element to Chargers’ offense

The Chargers would benefit from adding a player like WR DeSean Jackson.

The Chargers’ offense has come to a screeching halt the past two games. In particular, it has been the passing game that has been problematic.

Early-down play-calling and the right side of the offensive line are to blame. However, we have not seen Justin Herbert do much of this season that is proven to have success: taking shots down the field.

Herbert’s air yards per attempt is 7.6, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. Furthermore, he is only averaging 7.9 yards per play-action attempt, according to Pro Football Reference.

While Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are one of the league’s better duos, Los Angeles would largely benefit from a proven speedster to unlock Herbert’s cannon of an arm more often to establish efficiency again.

One solution could be veteran DeSean Jackson, who the Rams recently waived.

Jackson, 34, was not let go of because of an injury or lack of production, but the team did not have many opportunities for him to contribute.

He left the Rams with eight receptions for 221 yards and one touchdown and showed that he has plenty of juice to be a downfield threat.

Furthermore, despite the injury concerns, Jackson is the healthiest in the past three seasons.

Since it’s now after the NFL trade deadline, Jackson is subject to waivers. If the Chargers were to claim him, they would take on his current $4.5 million contract. If Jackson clears waivers, he becomes a free agent.

Currently, Los Angeles is 20th on the waiver wire.

The bottom line is while he would not fix the pass protection problems or the drops that have been detrimental, Jackson is capable of bringing a downfield specialist that would allow Herbert to do what he does best.

What they’re saying following Chargers’ loss to Patriots

Are the Chargers being viewed as contenders or pretenders?

The Bolts now sit at 4-3 after losing 24-27 to New England on Sunday. Head coach Brandon Staley and his squad had two weeks to prepare for the matchup with the Patriots, yet despite the extra time, quarterback Justin Herbert and his offense were silenced.

Has the Chargers’ reputation gone from playoff contenders to playoff pretenders? The narrative was quite different just a few weeks ago following the Bolts’ blowout loss to the Ravens. One bad game isn’t a season-ending sort of event; however, two bad games and a pattern starts to transpire.

Let’s see what experts are saying about the Chargers after their most recent loss to the Patriots.

NBC Sports NFL Analyst Chris Simms

“Listen, I’m not ready to say LA is going to go to the playoffs yet. I’m not ready to say that. They’re going to be on the fringe. When you can’t stop the run to the capacity they can’t, they’re going to have issues against like 90% of the NFL.”

Around the NFL’s Dan Hanzus

“We’ve seen the ceiling of the Chargers’ offense this season, and it’s quite high. What surprises us is how low the floor is. The Bolts’ attack was held in neutral for the second consecutive week on Sunday, a 27-24 loss to the Patriots that raises questions about where Los Angeles truly fits into the AFC pecking order. Justin Herbert threw for just 143 yards before a garbage-time scoring drive in the final minutes, and issues with pass protection and early-down efficiency were glaring. The Chargers’ defense had its way with Patriots rookie Mac Jones and repeatedly gave the offense the opportunity to take control of the game, but Herbert and Co. couldn’t do it.”

Former NFL player Damien Woody on Sidd News

“Mike Williams wasn’t a factor in this game. Keenan Allen was held pretty much in check. Other guys weren’t able to step up. Like Tim said, they made Justin Herbert uncomfortable in the pocket. New England comes out with the victory.”

Stephen A. Smith

“If you talk to me about the Chargers meeting the Patriots in a head-to-head matchup because of Bill Bellichick’s greatness, I got you. I’m saying they’re not facing one another again until the postseason and I think the Chargers will end up getting there before the Patriots.”

Chargers come away empty-handed at NFL trade deadline

General manager Tom Telesco stuck to his guns.

As the clock struck 1 pm PT, the NFL trade deadline officially passed.

Despite needing defensive and offensive line help and a speedy wide receiver, the Chargers decided to roll with what they have.

Seeing Los Angeles not making should not surprise, however.

General manager Tom Telesco has not been notorious for making in-season trades since taking over as general manager in 2013.

Telesco has only made two.

The first came when he traded WR Dontrelle Inman to the Bears for a seventh-round pick, and the other came last season when CB Desmond King was shipped to the Titans for a sixth-round pick.

Telesco’s non-aggressive approach to trades, especially during the season, comes down to him valuing his cap space and draft picks and building the team within the players he brings in.

That is one of the things that attracted Brandon Staley when deciding to take the head coach position.

Despite coming away empty-handed, it’s still possible that the Chargers could dip into the free agency pool to address some of their needs.

AFC West standings, playoff picture after Week 8

Heading into Week 9, Chargers Wire looks at how the AFC West standings and the playoff picture are shaping up.

The Chargers dropped to 4-3 after suffering defeat to the Patriots last Sunday, 27-24.

Even though there is plenty of football left to be played, how does Los Angeles stack up with the other teams in the AFC West?

Here’s a look at the division standings entering Week 9:

1. Raiders (5-2)

2. Chargers (4-3)

3. Chiefs (4-4)

4. Broncos (4-4)

And, a look at the playoff picture:

1. Titans (6-2)

2. Raiders (5-2)

3. Ravens (5-2)

4. Bills (5-2)

5. Bengals (5-3)

6. Steelers (4-3)

7. Chargers (4-3)

AFC playoff matchups if the season ended today: 

  • No. 2 Raiders vs. No. 7 Chargers
  • No. 3 Ravens vs. No. 6 Steelers
  • No. 4 Bills vs. No. 5 Bengals 

Four teams in the conference are 4-4; Patriots, Chiefs, Browns and Broncos.

After losing the last two games, the Chargers will look to get back on track this weekend when they take on the Eagles.

Chargers WR Josh Palmer’s first NFL touchdown among few positives in loss to Patriots

Chargers WR Josh Palmer made the most of his limited action.

The Patriots defense stifled Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on Sunday.

Heading into the final drive, Herbert completed just 12 of 26 passes for 143 yards while being down 10 points.

After taking its foot off the gas, New England allowed Herbert to scamper up the field on Los Angeles’ final offensive drive.

With 40 seconds left in the game, Herbert found rookie wide receiver Josh Palmer in the end zone. Over two defenders, Palmer showed the body control, toughness, and hands to high-point and come down with the ball.

The touchdown grab was the first of Palmer’s professional career.

“Hell of a catch. Hell of a catch,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “That’s the type [of] stuff we need. Especially late like that, we need a play, somebody’s gonna make one, Josh came up and made a play.

It’s big time … A ball like that, a catch like that, that’s a momentum shift. You make a catch like that; you automatically think we’re gonna get the onside kick. It was good stuff.”

Selected by the Bolts in the third round out of Tennessee, Palmer has flashed in spurts when he has been on the field. On 11 targets, he has caught seven of them for 82 yards (11.7 yards per reception).

In need of an offensive spark after stalling the past two games, Palmer could possibly see his target volume increase moving forward.

DT Justin Jones’ return gives Chargers boost in loss to Patriots

Despite Justin Jones’ return, the Chargers need to add help along the defensive line.

Even though there weren’t a myriad of highlights in the Chargers’ loss to the Patriots, the return of defensive tackle Justin Jones aided a horrid unit against the run.

Coming into Week 8, Los Angeles ranked dead-last in that category. But New England managed to average just 3.9 yards per carry with Jones back on the field.

Furthermore, the Chargers’ defense didn’t allow a single passing touchdown and allowed just a single one-yard touchdown on the ground through the first quarter.

“I felt like our run defense actually took an incredible step forward today,” head coach Brandon Staley said.

“A huge step forward, I thought we tackled extremely well, I thought we were really physical. I thought getting Justin Jones back was important. I felt like the way we played on defense today gave us a real chance to win.”

Despite struggling to get after QB Mac Jones, only pressuring him nine times, Jones led the pack with three and two hurries. In addition, he had a quarterback hit.

Safety Derwin James also commented on Jones being a key defensive player.

“Justin Jones is a big part of this team,” James said. “Having him back, I felt his energy on the first play of the game. I think it was he made a stop. It was a combination of both and everybody coming in and doing their job.”

Regardless of Jones’ return, it is still evident that the Chargers could largely benefit from another interior defender to help the group that is still susceptible to the run.

Chargers announce new headquarters, training facility

The Los Angeles Chargers have announced plans to build new team headquarters and a training facility in El Segundo.

The Chargers announced plans for a new headquarters and a training facility in El Segundo, CA, on Monday.

The headquarters and facility, which will take up 14 acres, will be located south of El Segundo Boulevard and just east of Pacific Coast Highway on Nash Street – less than three miles from Los Angeles International Airport and seven miles from SoFi Stadium.

The headquarters will include a roof-top hospitality club, total eSports gaming, and content studios and a 3,100 square foot media center.

“When our staff and I first started here, we talked a lot about possibility,” head coach Brandon Staley said. “You could just see it coming. The possibility of this team. The possibility of LA.

“The goal is for the Chargers to become the standard of excellence in the NFL. This new facility demonstrates our organization’s commitment to that standard.”

It is estimated to be completed by the spring of 2024.

The Bolts arrived in Los Angeles in 2017, and Hoag Performance Center has served as the team’s facility since then.

The designs can be found below: