Tag: Bolts

Chargers’ Alohi Gilman primed for bigger role in 2023

Alohi Gilman has earned the right to be starter next to Derwin James.

Alohi Gilman is entering the final year of his rookie deal, where he will be auditioning for another contract, whether for the Chargers or another team.

Gilman has an excellent opportunity to show his worth with extensive playing time, as he is set to be the starting safety alongside Derwin James.

“He’s a guy that’s consistent,” James said about Gilman. “Everyone here counts on him. Everyone knows that he’s going to be where he needs to be. He’s getting better. He’s making calls. He’s confident. It’s exciting being out there. It’s been a lot of fun, a lot of energy out there, honestly.”

Gilman is coming off his best year as a pro. He started for Nasir Adderley down the stretch of the season and made the most of his time on the field, finishing with career highs in tackles (58), passes defended (three) and fumble recoveries (two) while notching an interception.

Gilman has built off his previous campaign, as he was a standout during OTAs and minicamp.

Los Angeles hopes that 2022 third-round pick JT Woods can develop into the deep safety opposite James. The team could also sign someone between now and the start of training camp.

But for now, it’s Gilman’s job to lose.

With his great instincts, cover skills and open-field tackling ability, Gilman should be a vital piece in the back end of the Bolts’ defense this upcoming season.

Chargers sign QB Justin Herbert to four-year deal

The Los Angeles Chargers lock up their quarterback of the future.

Quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers have come to terms, which is a fully guaranteed four-year rookie deal worth nearly $26.6 million with a fifth-year option on Saturday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

This would mark the second rookie that Los Angeles has agreed to terms with. Earlier this week, sixth-round pick Alohi Gilman signed his rookie contract.

Drafted with the No. 6 overall selection of this year’s draft, Herbert will join L.A. with the hopes of becoming the long-term answer after the team and Philip Rivers parted ways after 16 seasons.

In 44 career games at Oregon, Herbert completed 827-of-1,293 pass attempts for 10,541 passing yards (64%), 95 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He started 14 games in 2019, completing 286-of-428 passes (67%) for 3,471 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Herbert’s game is not flawless and there are a few things he needs to work on, but he has the size, arm talent, mobility and above-average accuracy. With the new system, mentorship from quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton and the weapons that Los Angeles has in place, he could succeed in the league.

It remains to be seen when Herbert will make his professional debut. Even though he will be battling it out with Tyrod Taylor in training camp, it’s likely that the 30-year old Taylor will begin the season as the starter.

6 Chargers among ‘best player to wear each jersey number’

The Chargers had a few players represent them in CBS Sports’ list.

The Chargers have had some of the all-time greats walk through the doors since the franchise was founded in 1960.

CBS Sports listed the best players to wear each jersey number in the NFL. The Bolts had six players in total make the list.

Here’s who made the list along with a blurb for each player:

Drew Brees (9)

His career began in San Diego but ended when the franchise selected Philip Rivers in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Brees’ potential was validated in New Orleans. Although he has not been named league MVP, the former Boilermaker has appeared in 13-Pro Bowls. He was named Super Bowl MVP in a championship effort.

Dan Fouts (14)

Fouts was the pilot of the Air Coryell offense. He took calculated risks downfield and was methodical in the team’s matriculation down the field. The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee threw for 43,040 yards and 254 touchdowns. The former third-round selection was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro.

Philip Rivers (17)

Rivers was the No. 4 overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft. Before venturing off to Indianapolis this season, he starred for the Chargers. The N.C. State product has gone to eight Pro Bowls. He has thrown for 59,271 yards and 397 touchdowns in his career. His career passing total should exceed 60,000 yards in 2020.

Johnny Unitas (19)

Unitas was initially drafted by Pittsburgh but was released before ever playing a down. He found a soft landing in Baltimore, where his Hall of Fame career took flight. He won one Super Bowl and three NFL championships during his 18 playing seasons. He was named to ten Pro Bowls and was an eight-time All-Pro. Over the course of his career, he threw for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns.

Junior Seau (55)

The list has essentially served as a reminder that the Trojans used to be a powerhouse. Seau has 12 Pro Bowls and a Defensive Player of the Year award to his name. He was named a ten-time All-Pro. The California native recorded 1,849 tackles, 56.5 sacks, 18 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Larry Little (66)

Little entered the league as an undrafted free agent. It did not slow down an impressive playing career, however. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion. The Georgia native appeared in five Pro Bowls and was named a seven-time All-Pro. Little was vital to Miami’s offensive success during their perfect season in 1972.

Ex-Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson reveals best decision, biggest regret during career

LaDainian Tomlinson’s best decision during his NFL career might come as a surprise.

Chargers legend LaDainian Tomlinson will go down as one of the greatest players to walk through the franchise’s doors.

Tomlinson, who put together a polished career in the blue and gold, is now working as an analyst for NFL Network.

Recently, Tomlinson along with eight other former players and current analysts for the outlet reflected on their playing days, sharing the best decisions that they made and their biggest regrets.

Tomlinson said that the best decision that he made was signing with the Jets the year after he posted a career-low 730 rushing yards.

“The following offseason, I knew it was time to leave San Diego and start a new chapter in my career,” Tomlinson said. “The best decision I could have made was signing with the New York Jets at that time. I was able to bounce back with a good season.

I helped my team get to the AFC Championship Game. I was featured in a national commercial. That season justified my decision to join Rex Ryan and the Jets — forgoing a deal with Minnesota — and that was a great feeling.”

By no surprise, Tomlinson said that his biggest regret was not be able to hold up the Lombardi Trophy during his professional career. Even though the Chargers made five postseason appearances, including the AFC Championship in 2007, they were unable to reach the Super Bowl.

“So many things have to go right to win a team championship, and injuries seemed to pop up at the wrong time,” Tomlinson said. “I realize that winning a title isn’t technically a decision, but it’s the one thing that eluded my football career.”

Tomlinson’s nine seasons with the Chargers included eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl selections. He holds a handful of franchise career records, including rushing yards (12,490), rushing touchdowns (138), total touchdowns (153) and yards from scrimmage (16,445).

WATCH: Chargers RB Austin Ekeler reacts to seeing SoFi Stadium for first time

SoFi Stadium is going to be one of the best stadiums in the NFL.

The Chargers are a little over a month from playing their first game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, which will be the new home to them and the Rams.

Recently, running back Austin Ekeler got a glimpse at the stadium where he will be terrorizing offenses for years to come.

Check it out:

SoFi Stadium is 97% complete, the Oculus video board is completely finished and the field turf has been laid out. There’s still some work that needs to be done, but the stadium is just about finished. It remains to be seen if fans will be allowed in this season due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Bolts’ first game at their new home will be on Aug. 22 in a preseason exhibition against the Rams. It would’ve been on Aug. 16 against the Cowboys, but the NFL decided to eliminate the first and fourth week of preseason matchups.

3 Chargers practice squad players to keep eye on during training camp

Three defensive players for the Los Angeles Chargers have the opportunity to make the 53-man roster.

Practice squad players benefit from being able to learn the system, which could then give them the upper hand when attempting to make the final 53-man roster.

With that being said, here are three Chargers players from the practice squad to keep an eye on when training camp starts on July 27:

LB Malik Jefferson

Things are looking up for the linebacker position after the outstanding rookie season by Drue Tranquill and the first-round pick used on Kenneth Murray. However, the depth behind those two isn’t as superior as they would like it to be.

The Bengals selected Jefferson in the third-round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he primarily played on special teams before having his season cut short. He was let go of in August of 2019 before being signed by the Browns. Cleveland released him in November, which then led to Los Angeles signing him to the practice squad.

In a press conference, general manager Tom Telesco said that they were fans of Jefferson coming out of college, indicating that they were pleased to sign him when they did. Coach Anthony Lynn said that Jefferson would primarily be used as a MIKE linebacker. Given how thin the linebacker and special teams depth is, he has a real shot to crack the 53-man roster.

DT PJ Johnson

Johnson was selected by the Lions in the seventh-round of the 2019 NFL draft. He was with the team throughout the preseason, but was released on cutdown day. The former Arizona product was signed to Los Angeles’ practice squad last December.

Johnson, the humongous defensive lineman, has great upper body strength to dispose blockers and make an impact against the pass and run. The 6-foot-4 and 335 pound nose tackle finished his collegiate career with 31 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

The nose tackle position was addressed with the signing of Linval Joseph and re-signing of Damion Square. That doesn’t mean the work ends there. Last season, the Chargers carried three on the roster, which means Johnson could eventually occupy the final spot.

CB Quenton Meeks

It was thought that the Chargers were going to bring in a cornerback this offseason to compete with Michael Davis and Brandon Facyson on the opposite side of Casey Hayward. However, they swayed away from the position other than signing Chris Harris, Jr.

After a successful collegiate career with Stanford, Meeks was signed by the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent some time on the practice squad before being promoted to the active roster. There, he amassed eight tackles and two passes defensed.

Prior to the 2019 season, Meeks was released by Jacksonville. A month later, he signed to Los Angeles’ practice squad.

Meeks, the 6-foot-2 and 197 pound corner, plays with reaction skills, intelligence and toughness, projecting best in a Cover 3 system. His skillset, on-field demeanor and hustle are all traits that should be highly coveted by the coaching staff to make the team as a depth piece and special teams ace.

Third down defense needs to be point of emphasis for Chargers in 2020

The Los Angeles Chargers have a talented defense, but they need to be better on third down.

While the Chargers finished with a top-10 defense in 2019, they struggled to stop opposing offenses on third-down situations and in the red zone on crucial possession downs, ranking 29th and 30th in the league, respectively.

A big reason why Los Angeles was unable to get off the field in those situations was because of the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and conservative coverage.

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.

However, it’s inexcusable when the Chargers have arguably the best pass-rushing duo with defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.

Gus Bradley’s scheme from previous seasons, a Cover 3 system that involves a lot of zone coverage, forced them to play conservative and did not allow many opportunities to attack downhill.

To ensure they have more success on third downs moving forward, Bradley is going to incorporate more split safeties and tighter coverage, which could lead to more takeaways.

This offseason, the Chargers brought in more personnel to help, signing cornerback Chris Harris Jr. to add to the room that consists of Casey Hayward, Michael Davis and Desmond King. They also signed defensive tackle Linval Joseph and drafted linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Having safety Derwin James for a full 16-game slate will also be beneficial. James made a major impact on third-down situations in his rookie season. Unfortunately, he was limited to a few games in 2019 due to a foot injury.

The team is hopeful that defensive tackle Jerry Tillery takes a step forward after an underwhelming rookie campaign. Drafted for his ability to get after the quarterback, Tillery is working hard this offseason to improve his game.

The bottom line is that more pressure and different coverage alignments will hopefully be the solution to improving Los Angeles’ third-down defense in 2020.

Could OT Cordy Glenn be option for Chargers?

Would it be smart for the Los Angeles Chargers to sign a left tackle before the regular season?

The Chargers entered the offseason with the expectation that they were going to address the left tackle position after trading away Russell Okung for guard Trai Turner.

Instead, the team chose not to do so other than signing Bryan Bulaga to fill in at right tackle.

Sam Tevi, Trey Pipkins, Storm Norton and Forrest Lamp will be in contention for the job. This isn’t to say it’s a bad thing because new offensive line coach James Campen has a knack for developing offensive linemen, but it’s still a boom or bust situation due to their inexperience in that role.

If the coaching staff doesn’t feel confident with the in-house options after all, it wouldn’t be too late for Los Angeles to consider a compelling free agent like Jason Peters. Or, they could consider Cordy Glenn, like Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton suggests.

Instead of going with an ineffective or inexperienced starter at a premium position, the Chargers can allow Glenn to earn the first crack at the starting spot. If he stays healthy, Los Angeles may have a decent first-string left tackle who would likely sign on a cheap deal because of his spotty availability in the recent past.

Glenn spent the past two seasons with the Bengals, appearing in 19 of 32 games. He made five starts in his second and final year. He missed the first 10 games of the 2019 season due to a concussion, a one-game suspension due to disciplinary reasons and a shoulder injury.

In 2019, Glenn finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 68.2, while posting an above average grade of 76.9 in pass protection. Between the Bengals and Bills, where he started his professional career, he’s made 95 starts.

Even though Peters would be a more superior option due to his experience and production, Glenn wouldn’t be a bad one-year rental as the starting left tackle, while Pipkins would have another year to develop with Campen mentoring him.

Pair of former Chargers had two of the best seasons of the decade

Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates were a force to be reckoned with.

Former Chargers’ Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates will forever be linked as one of the most successful quarterback and tight end duos in NFL history.

The two connected for 89 touchdowns over the course of 13 seasons, which is the most ever by a quarterback-tight end duo.

Along the way, Rivers and Gates had phenomenal seasons, some of which were tabbed as the best individual campaigns of the past decade.

ESPN compiled a list of the best teams and players of the past decade by using Football Outsiders metrics: DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) for teams and DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) for players.

Rivers’ 2013 season ranked No. 10 by a quarterback in the 2010s.

10. Philip Rivers, 2013 Chargers (1,793 DYAR)

Rivers’ finest year by DVOA and QBR was 2009, but this was the year he set career highs in both DYAR and completion rate (69.5%). He threw for 280 yards per game (8.2 yards per attempt) with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Rivers added 8.0 yards per attempt in two playoff games but the Chargers fell to the Broncos 24-17 in the divisional round. Rivers’ main receivers were Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates, and Danny Woodhead.

In 2013, Rivers had a 69.5 completion percentage, while throwing for 4,478 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and 8.6 yards per attempt.

Three years prior to that, Gates put up the second-best season by a tight end.

2. Antonio Gates, 2010 Chargers (361 DYAR)

Gates’ greatest season wasn’t even a full season. Gates was only healthy for the first half of the 2010 season, suffering plantar fasciitis that limited him to just two games after October. But in the 10 games he did play, he was remarkable. The standard stats — 50 catches, 782 yards, 10 touchdowns — don’t quite do it justice. Gates had a touchdown in every game he played that season but two. He had a 77% catch rate, the highest in his career and the highest of any tight end with at least 30 targets that year. What’s more remarkable is that Gates did all this even though he was the only elite target Philip Rivers had in 2010. Vincent Jackson played only five games; San Diego’s leading starters at wide receiver were Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee.

Which players did Chargers get in Pro Football Focus’ NFL re-draft?

The Los Angeles Chargers got two of the best players at their perspective positions.

An exercise started by ESPN is re-drafting the entire NFL and shuffling all the top players to new teams. There was a lot of feedback, so Pro Football Focus decided to carry the trend.

Based on the Super Bowl odds, the Chargers had the No. 6 overall selection. With that pick, they drafted quarterback Matt Ryan. In the second-round (No. 59 overall), Los Angeles took defensive end T.J. Watt.

There was a run on quarterbacks early on in the re-draft. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray were the signal-callers before Los Angeles was up.

With a handful of top quarterbacks still on the board like Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, Ryan was ultimately the selection.

The 35-year old Ryan has amassed 32,229 passing yards, 194 touchdowns and 87 yards in seven seasons with the Falcons.

The Chargers’ second pick came in the back end of Round 2, where they went with the dynamic edge defender.

In three seasons with the Steelers, Watt has proven to be among the top players at his position, where he’s posted 125 tackles, 51 tackles for loss, 34.5 sacks and 18 passes defensed.

For the full results from both rounds, you can find them below: