Tag: 2020 Chargers season

Chargers EDGE Melvin Ingram done for remainder of 2020 season

Chargers edge defender Melvin Ingram is slated to be a free agent after the season.

The Chargers will be without edge defender Melvin Ingram for the remainder of the 2020 season.

Ingram was put on the injured reserve once earlier this season with a knee injury and returned in Week 7. He re-injured his knee in Week 11’s victory over the Jets, which led him to be placed on the injured reserve for the second time this season.

A player can’t be activated off the IR twice. Therefore, Ingram’s season has come to an end.

In seven games, Ingram failed to record a single sack after posting at least seven sacks in each of the last five seasons.

The 31-year old is slated to become a free agent after the season. Based on the dip in production and injury history, there’s reason to believe that Ingram won’t be back in 2021 and beyond.

If Ingram isn’t back, Uchenna Nwosu could then become the long term starting LEO. Or the team could elect to address the position early on in the 2021 NFL draft.

3 Chargers among The Athletic’s top-50 free agents in 2021

The Chargers will have some decision-making to do following the 2020 season.

Sitting at 3-7, the chances of the Chargers making the playoffs are very slim. While there’s still some hope among some fans, the majority of them are already looking towards the next season, particularly the offseason where there will be some retooling to the roster.

A big part of that includes free agency, where Los Angeles will have a few notable players that they will have to decide whether or not they will have returning.

The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia ranked the top-50 free agents currently set to hit the market in 2021. L.A. had three players featured on the list and a couple of players as honorable mentions.

Highest on the list for the Bolts is edge defender Melvin Ingram.

Here’s what Kapadia wrote:

16. Melvin Ingram, edge, Chargers (32)

He’s had a very good career, but Ingram has battled injuries and has no sacks and four QB hits this season. Plus, age is working against him. Ingram can still be a disruptive player and is a versatile pass rusher capable of lining up in different spots. But his lack of production this year could hurt him. Ingram could be an attractive option for a contending team looking for a short-term fix. Jason Pierre-Paul’s two-year, $25 million deal from last offseason could be a good comp.

Following Ingram is tight end Hunter Henry, who has served as a security blanket for quarterback Justin Herbert this season.

26. Hunter Henry, TE, Chargers (26)

The Chargers tagged Henry last offseason. He ranks sixth among tight ends with 435 receiving yards so far this season but is 25th with 1.36 yards per route run. Austin Hooper got a four-year, $42 million deal last offseason. Given how young Henry is, he could be in line for a similar deal.

The last person on the list is cornerback Michael Davis, who’s been one of the more productive players in the secondary.

48. Michael Davis, CB, Chargers (26)

After originally signing with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Davis has developed into a quality starting corner. He has size at 6-foot-2 and athletic traits and is young. Davis has been on the field for 96 percent of the Chargers’ defensive snaps this season and has been a contributing player for three seasons. His best days could be still to come.

The Chargers also had two others listed among the honorable mentions that barely didn’t make the list, linebacker Denzel Perryman and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, two defenders that have been impactful this season.

Prediction poll for matchup between Chargers vs. Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins enter this week’s matchup looking to pick up their fifth straight victory.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to face off against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1:05 p.m. PT at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Chargers are desperate for a win after suffering another heartbreaking defeat to the Raiders last Sunday, marking the sixth by a touchdown or less. For the Dolphins, they are looking to pick up their fifth straight victory.

Los Angeles has continued to be carried by rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, who has 19 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. However, Herbert will be facing a Miami defense that is only allowing 20.1 points per game.

There will be another rookie signal-caller on the field, with that being Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa and company on the offensive side of the ball haven’t done anything out of this world to draw some concern. But the Bolts’ inconsistency on defense, especially late in the game, is rather concerning.

L.A. is playing for job security among both players and coaches while the Dolphins are playing to make a push for the playoffs. I expect Herbert to outduel Tagovailoa, but Miami will string together a couple of late drives that will be enough to seal the deal.

I’ve got the Dolphins beating the Chargers by the score of 30-27.

With that being said, who do you think will win? Post in the poll below.

Colin Cowherd endorses idea of Chargers hiring Bill Belichick as next head coach

Would hiring Bill Belichick bring a Lombardi Trophy to Los Angeles?

The Chargers could be looking for a new head coach following this disastrous season of theirs.

There have been a few names that could possibly intrigue Los Angeles if they decide to pull the plug on Anthony Lynn, such as Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

But one name that was thrown into discussion by Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd that drew some attention of Chargers fans as well as the rest of general population was Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

“They’ve got a star quarterback and they’re in a crowded sports market. Justin and Belichick would sell tickets for a franchise who can’t sell tickets,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd believes that Belichick, who he sees leaving New England after this season, could be good fits for other teams like the Jaguars, Texans, or even the Bengals.

There’s no denying that Belichick would garner some buzz in the City of Angels. Belichick, who has a proven track record of winning, would be in a situation where he has the pieces to make a big run.

Quarterback Justin Herbert would have a coach that helped a guy develop into one of the best at his position, with that being Tom Brady.

But would the upper management of the franchise see Belichick as a good fit? Only time will tell, but if Lynn is gone, the vacancy will attract a lot of potential candidates.

Melvin Ingram returns to practice after Chargers guarantee his salary

Melvin Ingram will not be holding out of the 2020 season after all.

There was a potential holdout on the horizon over in Los Angeles, CA as defensive end Melvin Ingram sat out of consecutive practices due to being dissatisfied with his contract.

The Chargers didn’t want to deal with missing the 31-year old Ingram, which is why the team agreed to adjust his contract.

NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reports that L.A. guaranteed this year’s salary of $14 million, making it enough for Ingram to return to practice.

Ingram, who is slated to become a free agent after this season, is still seeking a long-term deal. But the guarantee was good enough for him to return to the gridiron in the meantime.

In 106 career games, Ingram has recorded 350 combined tackles, 49 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Chargers’ Alohi Gilman could make some noise in rookie season

The Los Angeles Chargers’ sixth-round pick could be more than a special-teams ace in his rookie season.

The Chargers drafted safety Alohi Gilman in the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, adding another piece to an already stacked secondary.

Gilman reunites with linebacker Drue Tranquill, defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and defensive end Isaac Rochell, all of whom attended and played at the University of Notre Dame.

Gilman has been lost in the shuffle because much of the attention has been shifted to the other rookies selected, most notably quarterback Justin Herbert and linebacker Kenneth Murray.

But Gilman should not be forgotten, as he could carve up a major role in Year 1.

Los Angeles lost a few key special teamers this offseason, including Adrian Phillips and Derek Watt. Gilman should step in as a special teams ace because of his aggressiveness when coming downhill and high-volume as a tackler.

With Phillips gone to the Patriots, Gilman will be in contention not only for the backup strong safety spot to Derwin james, but for the team’s main dime linebacker role. Given his skillset and feel for the position, it wouldn’t be surprising if he wins the job this upcoming season.

“This guy reminds me a lot of A.P., just the way he carries himself, the way he goes about playing the football game,” coach Anthony Lynn said, per Los Angeles Times’ Jeff Miller. “With the versatility that he has shown on the field, we believe he can fill that role.”

Gilman does his best work closer to the line of scrimmage. There, he shows understanding of pursuit angles and great instincts against the run and in zone coverage. His combination of physicality and all out effort meshes well with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defensive philosophy.

If Gilman shows out at training camp and preseason, like Tranquill did a year ago, he could be a key piece in a defense that ranked No. 6 in the league in 2019.

“He’s super smart, tough and he hits,” general manager Tom Telesco said. “Those are some traits that are good to have in the secondary. We think between safety and some special teams, he has a real chance here.”

Chargers top 5 breakout season players in 2020: RB Justin Jackson

The third-year running back for the Los Angeles Chargers could have a big season in 2020.

Every season, there are players who break out onto the scene who may not have been dominant the season before, whether they were a backup, dealt with an injury or just improved as a player in the offseason.

This is the first story in a 10-part series counting down the top 5 Chargers players who I believe are most likely to have a breakout season in 2020.

Jackson, the seventh-round selection of 2018, has flashed each and every time that he is on the field.

In his rookie season, he was buried on the depth chart and didn’t get many opportunities because Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler carried the load. In the following season when he had the opportunity to break out, Jackson was held back by an injury, limiting him to just seven games.

However, Jackson has done remarkably well as a runner in limited action. In 20 games played, the former Northwestern product has averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 79 touches.

Entering his third campaign, the team is still “very high” on Jackson despite the durability concerns. After drafting RB Joshua Kelley in the fourth-round of this year’s draft, it’s evident that the backfield will likely be a committee.

But with the team expected to run the ball more now that a mobile quarterback will be under center, Jackson will have the chance to return back to his old ways and carry a large load, if he can stay healthy.

“This year’s a big year for Justin,” Ridgley said. “We’ve got to find a way to get him on the field and have him contribute. I think everyone in here saw what he can do when he’s healthy.”

Madden NFL 21 ratings for every Chargers player

The highly anticipated video game is almost here.

EA Sports unveiled its complete launch ratings on Friday for the upcoming Madden NFL 21.

Here are the initial rankings for all the Chargers players on the Madden 21 roster.

Quarterbacks

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Chargers’ Roderic Teamer suspended four games of 2020 season

The former Tulane product will be sidelined for the first four games of the 2020 season.

Chargers safety Roderic Teamer has been suspended the first four games of the 2020 season without pay for a violation of the substance abuse policy, the league announced Monday.

Teamer joined Los Angeles in 2019 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Tulane, finishing his first season with 40 tackles, an interception and a sack.

Filling in while Derwin James and Adrian Phillips were sidelined, Teamer appeared in seven games, making six starts, last season.

With Teamer slated to miss the first four games of the regular season, sixth-round pick Alohi Gilman will likely serve as the backup strong safety in the meantime.

Chargers rank middle of the pack in offensive weapons in 2020

ESPN isn’t as high on the Chargers’ skill players as many other analysts.

The Chargers will start a new era at the quarterback position as Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert take over after Philip Rivers and the franchise mutually agreed to part ways earlier this offseason.

There are plenty of questions in regards to how the quarterback play will shape up in Los Angeles. But the team’s skill players should help elevate it, which is led by Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Hunter Henry.

Even though the position players receive high praise by many analysts from various platforms, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is not as high on them as the others. Barnwell ranked the Bolts’ offensive weapons as No. 16 in the NFL.

The backfield will have a slightly reconstructed look heading into the upcoming season. Returning is Ekeler and Justin Jackson. Not returning is Melvin Gordon. Coming in is fourth-round pick Joshua Kelley.

Melvin Gordon’s disastrous holdout and subsequent campaign opened up the door for Austin Ekeler, who averaged 122.5 yards from scrimmage over the first month of the season and earned an extension afterward. Ekeler was below-average as a runner as his workload increased and will need help from either Joshua Kelley or Justin Jackson between the tackles, but he was third in the NFL in yards per route run and fourth in targets per route run. He’s a valuable weapon.

The wide receiver group will feature Allen and Williams, but the depth behind them remains a mystery. The team brought in rookies K.J. Hill and Joe Reed as well as Darius Jennings. Returning is Andre Patton and Jason Moore.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen basically posted an identical line in 2018 and 2019, but Mike Williams suffered the indignity of touchdown regression past the mean. After scoring 10 times on just 43 receptions in 2018, he scored twice on 49 catches last season. Williams led the league by averaging 20.4 yards per grab, but while he jumped from 664 yards to 1,001 yards in his third season, he needed 24 more targets to get there. I’m not factoring quarterback play into this analysis, but it’s likely his numbers will drop in 2020 with the Chargers drafting Justin Herbert to replace Philip Rivers.

Henry returns as the No. 1 tight end. If he stays healthy, he could be due for a big season as he will be playing for a contract extension.

The guy who could push the Chargers up the rankings is Hunter Henry, who came back from a torn ACL, only to break a bone in his leg in the opener and miss a month. Henry was on the field for the final 11 games of the season and popped up with a 100-yard performance, but even over that time frame, he ranked eighth among tight ends in yards per game. Rob Gronkowski showed you can be really valuable despite injury woes if you’re great when healthy. I’m not sure pretty good and occasionally healthy is as compelling. Henry has a lot to play for on the franchise tag this upcoming season.

For reference, the team’s offensive weapons ranked No. 11 in 2019 and No. 10 in 2018.