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Chargers defensive tackle Jerry Tillery didn’t have the rookie season that many fans were anticipating after being selected in first-round pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, with some already labeling him as a bust.
Tillery wasn’t going to fall into that category, so he made the point to add strength and get faster in the offseason after having nearly of his rookie offseason cut short due to rehabilitation of his shoulder that he had surgery on.
The former Notre Dame product shined during training camp, displaying the physical changes. He then carried that onto the field in the season opener against the Bengals.
It wasn’t long into the game when Tillery acquired his first sack of the season, beating right guard Xavier Su’a-Filo with physical hands and quickness to get to rookie quarterback Joe Burrow.
#Chargers DT Jerry Tillery's first sack of the season. Initiates with a stab/club move. His quickness is then too much for RG Xavier Su'a-Filo. pic.twitter.com/ppUqhxyXAL
— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) September 14, 2020
Later in the half, Tillery almost had another sack, quickly getting into the backfield where he annihilated Burrow after he handed the ball off to running back Joe Mixon.
Tillery is explosive off the ball with the first-step quickness to invade the gap and clobber Joe Burrow in the blink of an eye.
Also, your weekly reminder that LB Kyzir White remains underrated. pic.twitter.com/mk2j5Gy1SD
— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) September 14, 2020
Nonetheless, his pressure allowed linebacker Kyzir White to bottle up Mixon for a negative gain.
Throughout the game, Tillery lined up both as a three-technique and defensive end. One thing that stood out was that he worked inside on first and second downs, which wasn’t something that he did last season.
Instead, he would be on the field exclusively on obvious passing situations.
Tillery’s stat line only shows two tackles, but that doesn’t exemplify how dominant he was. He was in the backfield early and often, and he was making plays away from the line of scrimmage.
If Tillery keeps it up, he could be a key defensive factor this season.
“I seen Jerry grow up right before my eyes, man,” defensive end Melvin Ingram said. “It was a great thing, because Jerry has been working so hard in camp. And to see him be rewarded for his hard work, it was dope. And I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s only going to get better.”