There isn’t another player on the Chargers roster that has gotten as much heat as rookie defensive tackle Jerry Tillery has.
Tillery, the former Notre Dame product, had expectations like any other first rounder would. He did not live up to those, failing to make his presence known, which made many believe that he was a waste of a pick.
He was drafted to give the interior part of the defensive line a boost in the pass rushing department. Even though he hasn’t put the pieces together, he has still been doing positive things that might have gone unnoticed since he isn’t filling up the stat sheet.
In the Week 17 loss to the Oakland Raiders, Tillery took a step forward, which raised some eyebrows. The rookie defensive tackle had half a sack, showing the pass-rushing skills that he was coveted for coming out.
On the play, Tillery burst off the ball and dipped his inside shoulder to loop his way around the guard to bring down quarterback Derek Carr, along with defensive end Melvin Ingram.
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On the following drive, Tillery was close to acquiring another sack but he was unable to bring down Carr. Instead, Ingram was credited for the sack. Tillery beat the guard with a club-rip move and speed on this play.
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Coach Anthony Lynn said that it marked his best game of the season.
Tillery, who has two sacks now, will have a full offseason to develop his game. For someone who is as tall as he is playing the defensive tackle position, it’s essential that he plays with proper leverage at all times. That, and continuing to work on his hand usage and countering will be key.
Tillery didn’t have a full offseason heading into his rookie season since he spent the majority of it rehabbing his torn labrum. But with that under his belt, he could take a giant leap in his second season, similar to how Justin Jones did.
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