Despite having one of the more talented rosters on the defensive side of the ball in the league last season, the numbers didn’t reflect that in a specific category.
The Chargers ranked No. 6 in total defense, but they finished second-worst in takeaways with a -17 turnover differential.
A big reason why Los Angeles was unable to produce more turnovers was because of the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
L.A. finished 26th in quarterback pressures with 125. The number doesn’t come as a surprise as the unit blitzed only 75 times, which ranked last in the league.
“Yes, you’ve got to stop the run,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “Yes, you’ve got to eliminate explosive plays. But you have to find ways to affect the quarterback. We didn’t do a good enough job last year in doing that.”
When a team has arguably one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL, the expectations to generate more pressure is a lot higher. Defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram contributed for 18.5 out of the team’s 30 sacks, which ranked 28th overall.
Bradley’s scheme from previous seasons, a Cover 3 system that involves a lot of zone coverage, forced them to play conservative and not allowing many opportunities to attack downhill.
To ensure they’re getting more quarterback pressures moving forward, Bradley is going to start incorporating more two-deep safety looks and man coverage.
This offseason, the Chargers also brought in more personnel to aide in this department, signing cornerback Chris Harris Jr., defensive tackle Linval Joseph and drafting linebacker Kenneth Murray.
Having Derwin James for a full 16-game slate will also be beneficial. After finishing his rookie season with 11 quarterback pressures and 3.5 sacks, the do-it-all defender was limited to only five games in 2019 after sustaining a foot injury last offseason.
There are also high hopes that second-year defensive tackle Jerry Tillery takes a step forward after an underwhelming rookie season. Drafted for his ability to get after the quarterback, Tillery is working hard this offseason to get bigger and stronger.
The motto this upcoming season on the defensive of the ball will be more pressure, more takeaways.