Austin Johnson – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Projecting Chargers’ defensive depth chart for Week 1 vs. Dolphins

Here’s how we project the Chargers defensive depth chart to look for the start of the regular season.

The Chargers are just days away from their season opener against the Dolphins

The positions are set after finalizing their 53-man roster, but the team has yet to release the official depth chart.

So let’s dive into how the defensive side of the ball could shape up heading into the 2023 season, highlighting who is likely to start and serve as depth pieces behind them.

Defensive line

	Starter	Backup	Reserve
DT	Sebastian Joseph-Day	Christopher Hinton
NT	Austin Johnson	Nick Williams
DE	Morgan Fox	Scott Matlock

Johnson will start the season on the active roster after fracturing his left knee and injuring his MCL, while Otito Ogbonnia is on the reserve/PUP list. It remains to be seen if Johnson will be a full-go. If not, Williams, Hinton and Matlock should see split-up snaps.

Edge defender

	Starter	Backup	Reserve
EDGE1	Joey Bosa	Tuli Tuipulotu
EDGE2	Khalil Mack	Chris Rumph II

Bosa and Mack will be the starters. There is plenty of excitement around that tandem after Bosa missed most of the 2022 season with a groin injury. Tuipulotu should see the field in third-down situations. Rumph will be mixed in too, but he will primarily be a special teamer.

Inside Linebacker

	Starter	Backup	Reserve
ILB1	Eric Kendricks	Tanner Muse	Amen Ogbongbemiga
ILB2	Kenneth Murray	Daiyan Henley	Nick Niemann

Kendricks and Murray are the starters in the middle of the defense. As for the rest of the group, they will be making their money on special teams.

Cornerback

	Starter	Backup
CB1	J.C. Jackson	Deane Leonard
CB2	Michael Davis
Nickel	Asante Samuel Jr.	Ja’Sir Taylor

The biggest question that still looms is whether or not Jackson will be ready for Week 1. Luckily, the Chargers have the depth regardless of the outcome. If Jackson is not ready, Samuel will start on the outside opposite Davis with Taylor in the slot. If Jackson is ready, Samuel was the slot corner battle over Taylor and would start there with Jackson and Davis on the outside.

Safety

	Starter	Backup	Reserve
FS	Alohi Gilman	JT Woods	AJ Finley
SS	Derwin James	Raheem Layne

James and Gilman are the starting safeties. Woods will be the third safety behind them. When James is playing “Star” or “Money” in sub packages, a safety must come on to replace him in the deep part of the field, which will be Woods. He flashed in the summer, showing off his coverage skills and improvement as a tackler. Can it materialize when the games matter?

6 storylines to follow in Chargers’ preseason finale vs. 49ers

Be sure to keep an eye on these six storylines as the Chargers square off with the 49ers on Friday night.

The Chargers face off against the 49ers on Friday night before head coach Brandon Staley and company begin their trimming of the roster to 53 players next week.

Here are six storylines to watch for during Los Angeles’ final preseason matchup against San Francisco:

11 Chargers players who will be pending free agents in 2024

Austin Ekeler highlights the group of players set to be free agents after the 2023 season.

The Chargers will have some tough decisions to make after the upcoming season with 11 players slated to hit free agency.

It also doesn’t help that they will be strapped for cash, set to have the second-least salary cap totals among all 32 teams in the league.

Here are 11 Chargers players who will be pending free agents in 2024 (via Spotrac):

4 injuries from 2022 that could impact the Chargers roster in 2023

With training camp less than a month away, the recovery process of some Chargers’ players could affect how the 53-man roster is built.

With training camp officially less than a month away, the injury recovery process of a few key Chargers’ players could affect how the opening 53-man roster is built.

Los Angeles lost a number of players to injuries that ended up being season-ending last year despite not necessarily being the most injured team in the league.

The participation, or lack thereof, of these players in next month’s training camp could determine who’s on the field in Week 1 vs. the Dolphins.

Every NFL draft pick coached by James Franklin

Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.

Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.

Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.

And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

Chargers 2023 NFL draft preview: Where does Los Angeles stand at defensive tackle?

Our Chargers’ NFL draft preview series continues with the defensive tackle position.

After taking a steady approach in free agency, signing just one external player in linebacker Eric Kendricks and re-signing a handful of their own, the Chargers now have their sights set on the draft where they will look to bolster their roster with their selections and make a deeper run in 2023.

Before, we’re going position by position to break down where Los Angeles stands entering the draft.

Next up is the defensive line.

Catch the previous profiles here:

Morgan Fox on re-signing with Chargers: ‘It’s really exciting’

Chargers DL Morgan Fox spoke to the media on Monday.

The Chargers brought back a handful of players, but one of the most notables was the re-signing of defensive lineman Morgan Fox.

“It’s really exciting,” Fox said on being brought back. “I’m excited to be back with staff, with the guys, first and foremost. We have a great room across the board; offense, defense. I just love being around the guys.

Being around them, seeing all the work we put in, we’re trying to go a little farther than we did. Being back with a staff that believes in you and believes in the team is awesome.”

Fox was inked to a veteran minimum contract last May to supply a pass-rush presence from the interior part of the defensive line. He went on to outplay that deal.

Fox set a career-high in sacks (6.5). His previous best was 5.5, which he set with the Rams when Brandon Staley was their defensive coordinator in 2020. Fox also finished in the top 10 in Pro Football Focus’ pass rush efficiency metric for interior defensive linemen.

“Coach Staley believes in me and he gives me opportunities to go make plays” Fox said. “That’s something that he’s always done, every year that I’ve been with him, is just a plethora of opportunities. He puts me in positions to win and believes in my abilities to win.”

While lauded for his pass-rush prowess, Fox’s play against the run continuously improved after being put into a starting role. He had 21 run stops on the season.

Given that Los Angeles’ defensive line room is predominantly filled with run defense specialists, Fox’s return is huge due to his ability to get after the quarterback. Additionally, he will be a vital piece in general as Otito Ogbonnia and Austin Johnson work their way back from their injuries.

Former Chargers DT Breiden Fehoko signs with Steelers

Breiden Fehoko was consistent against the run.

Former Chargers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko and the Steelers agreed to terms on Thursday, according to his agent David Canter.

Fehoko signed with Los Angeles as an undrafted free in 2020. He appeared in 19 games, four of which were starts. In 2022, he logged a career-high in snaps (279) after season-ending injuries to Austin Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia. Fehoko posted 23 tackles and a tackle for loss.

Fehoko was one of the Chargers’ most consistent interior defenders against the run. Now that he’s with Pittsburgh and Johnson and Ogbonnia are still working their way back from their respective injuries, Los Angeles could look to the draft to bring in someone for depth.

What Penn State players are in the NFL playoffs in 2023?

What Penn State players are on the rosters for teams in this season’s NFL playoffs?

The NFL’s regular season is now officially in the books and the field for this year’s playoff is set. And once again, this NFL postseason will be seeing Penn State well represented throughout the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the most former Nittany Lions on their roster as the battle for the Super Bowl is about to get underway. In all, there are 18 players from Penn State in this year’s NFL playoffs.

The only teams in the NFL playoffs with no Penn State ties are the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on a roster for a team in the NFL playoffs.

Report: Chargers signing DT Tyeler Davison

Reinforcements are coming on the Chargers’ defensive line.

After losing Austin Johnson, Otito Ogbonnia, and Christian Covington to season-ending injuries over the past two weeks, as well as waiving Jerry Tillery, Los Angeles had just three healthy defensive linemen on the roster.

Brandon Staley said Monday that they would look to make a couple of moves in addition to elevating practice squad lineman Joe Gaziano to the active roster.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the first of those moves, with the Bolts signing seven-year Tyeler Davison to their active roster.

Davison was previously on Cleveland’s practice squad after spending four years with the Saints and three with the Falcons.

Davison is more of a Covington-type player as an inconsistent run fitter with a bit of pass-rush upside, but at this point, the Chargers have to take what they can get.

An NFL-caliber player with 216 career tackles that the team knows is in shape because he’s been on a practice squad for a month is better than a rookie UDFA off the street, after all.

Davison has not appeared in a game this season for the Browns but had 30 tackles with 3 for loss in 12 games for the Falcons last season.