Ever since entering the league in 2016, Chargers edge defender Joey Bosa has wreaked havoc in opposing backfields.
Even after becoming one of the highest-paid players at his position last year, Bosa backed it up on the field in the 2020 season.
According to Next Gen Stats, Bosa was the second-most disruptive player, only behind Steelers’ T.J. Watt.
Next Gen Stats’ metric of disruptions is the combined total of hurries, pressures or sacks, with only one counting per play.
Bosa had a disruption rate of 17.6%, 54 disruptions and 7.5 sacks.
Like his younger brother, Joey wins with power and efficiency. His average time to hurry (3.06 seconds) and average get-off (0.80) ranked in the middle of the pack among the players on this list. That means Bosa doesn’t waste steps or pass-rush moves, leading to his 54 disruptions and 7.5 sacks. Those numbers aren’t as gaudy as some of the others on this list, but again, Bosa played in just 12 games. He made the most of those dozen contests.
Despite missing four games due to various injuries, he was still a force to be reckoned with, ending his 2020 campaign with 39 tackles (29 solo), 7.5 sacks and one fumble recovery.
Bosa was a major factor of the passing game, as he logged 41 quarterback pressures and 27 hits. He also came up clutch on multiple occasions against the run, winning with physicality and an array of pass-rush moves
The outcome was him being named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.
Looking ahead, Bosa will be an integral piece of head coach Brandon Staley’s defense, where he will play on the edge of the line as an outside pass rusher, and a little bit closer to the ball as an interior defensive lineman because he has the length and strength to be able to anchor, too