Tag: Bud Dupree

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 13 win over Falcons

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Falcons.

In Week 13, the Chargers defeated the Falcons, 17-13.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

OT Rashawn Slater — 88.4

QB Justin Herbert — 72.8

WR Ladd McConkey — 72.2

OT Trey Pipkins — 69.4

OL Bradley Bozeman — 68.5

Top 5 Defense

CB Tarheeb Still — 94.0

S Derwin James — 90.9

LB Daiyan Henley — 83.1

S Tony Jefferson — 83.0

EDGE Khalil Mack — 79.5

Bottom 5 Offense

OL Zion Johnson — 56.7

FB Tucker Fisk — 54.2

WR Jalen Reagor — 53.7

WR Derius Davis — 52.5

TE Will Dissly — 49.2

Bottom 5 Defense

DL Teair Tart — 55.2

EDGE Bud Dupree — 52.1

CB Kristian Fulton — 49.5

CB Ja’Sir Taylor — 48.1

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 28.8

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 11 win over Bengals

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Bengals.

In Week 11, the Chargers defeated the Bengals, 34-27.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

WR Ladd McConkey — 85.7

OT Joe Alt — 84.1

OL Trey Pipkins — 81.3

OT Rashawn Slater — 79.1

OL Zion Johnson — 77.4

Top 5 Defense

S Alohi Gilman — 83.3

LB Denzel Perryman — 75.1

CB Cam Hart — 74.3

S Derwin James — 72.8

DT Poona Ford — 69.2

Bottom 5 Offense

WR Joshua Palmer — 64.0

RB Gus Edwards — 63.5

WR Quentin Johnston — 61.3

FB Scott Matlock — 53.9

WR Jalen Reagor — 52.2

Bottom 5 Defense

LB Daiyan Henley — 55.5

EDGE Bud Dupree — 54.2

S Elijah Molden — 50.2

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 47.5

CB Ja’Sir Taylor — 38.9

Game Balls: 5 standouts from Chargers’ win over Titans

It was another dominant team effort from the Chargers in Week 10, which included seven sacks from the defense.

Folks, the Los Angeles Chargers are hot. The team has now won three straight and four of their last five after their victory over the Titans in Week 10.

Jim Harbaugh has been persistent about the fact that it’s been a total team effort, and that couldn’t be more true. Here are five players who were key to the team’s 27-17 victory over the lowly Titans this past Sunday.

WR Derius Davis

Davis provided an impact all over the field on Sunday. After the Titans cut to 13-10 early in the third quarter, Davis had a 56-yard kick return into Titans territory. It set the offense up with prime field position, and they were able to capitalize with a touchdown to take a 10-point lead. Davis added a 16-yard catch and seven-yard run to a busy, effective day for him.

OG Zion Johnson

The Chargers have improved their offensive line play in 2024, and Johnson has been a big reason for that. The offense finished with 145 rushing yards, and quarterback Justin Herbert wasn’t sacked once. In a season that has provided many bright spots, Johnson’s progression has been crucial to the offensive line’s success.

RB Gus Edwards

For awhile, it seemed that Edwards had lost his backup job to Kimani Vidal. He missed over a month due to injury and was largely ineffective when he was active this season. Vidal wasn’t effective in the team’s last few games, which led to him being a healthy inactive against the Titans. On Sunday, Edwards was the team’s most efficient ball carrier. He finished with 55 rushing yards on ten carries, over two yards per carry better than starter J.K. Dobbins.

LB Daiyan Henley

Henley was all over the field on Sunday. He had his ups and downs in 2024 but was solid against the Titans. Henley finished the day with 10 total tackles and his first sack of the season. The Chargers’ defense continues to be much improved this season, and the linebacker play has been a big reason for that.

EDGE Bud Dupree

The Chargers’ backup edge rushers have stepped up in a huge way recently. This week, Dupree broke out with two sacks and a forced fumble. The defense finished the day with seven sacks, which included two more from Tuli Tuipolotu. The defensive front continues to wreak havoc, and Dupree was the most significant contributor.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 10 win over Titans

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Titans.

In Week 10, the Chargers defeated the Titans, 27-17.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

QB Justin Herbert — 91.6

FB Tucker Fisk — 73.8

OL Zion Johnson — 72.8

TE Will Dissly — 72.6

OT Joe Alt — 72.0

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu — 71.2

EDGE Bud Dupree — 69.1

CB Cam Hart — 67.4

DT Poona Ford — 67.3

DT Morgan Fox — 67.1

Bottom 5 Offense

WR Quentin Johnston — 55.7

RB J.K. Dobbins — 52.8

WR Jalen Reagor — 50.9

OL Foster Sarell — 50.0

FB Scott Matlock — 49.6

Bottom 5 Defense

S Alohi Gilman — 57.3

LB Denzel Perryman — 52.7

EDGE Joey Bosa — 51.1

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 45.0

DT Teair Tart — 34.2

Broncos QB Bo Nix had another ‘Houdini play’ in Week 6

Bo Nix has eyes in the back of his head!

Bo Nix did it again.

In the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos‘ rookie quarterback looked like he was about to be sacked by Bud Dupree, who had beaten left tackle Garett Bolles to reach Nix.

Nix then ducked and escaped Dupree’s grasp, regained his footing and looked downfield for open receivers. With everyone covered, Nix decided to run and he picked up 21 yards on the ground before safely stepping out of bounds.

It was another Harry Houdini play from Nix, who finished the game as Denver’s leading rusher with 61 yards on the ground.

This is ridiculous by Bo Nix to turn a sure sack into a 21-yard gain
byu/zbeg inDenverBroncos

If that play looks familiar, it’s because Nix had a very similar escaped sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 that the quarterback turned into a 22-yard gain. That play went viral:

Nix helped the Broncos battle back against the Chargers on Sunday, but their fourth-quarter efforts weren’t enough to overcome a 23-point deficit. Following a 23-16 loss, Nix and Denver will now turn attention toward a Thursday Night Football showdown with the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.

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Chargers defender named ‘hidden gem’

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named every team’s hidden gem at the quarter mark of the season.

The Chargers have a few players who have made their presence felt up to this point of the season.

All the while, some have played well, yet they’ve still gone under the radar.

One is edge defender Bud Dupree, who Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recognized as Los Angeles’ biggest hidden gem.

While Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa remain the stars of L.A.’s pass rush when healthy—Bosa missed Week 4 with a hip injury—Dupree has flashed as a rotational sack artist. He recorded a pair of quarterback takedowns in Week 4, has logged three quarterback pressures and has made two tackles for loss. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Dupree get more opportunities moving forward after playing just 56 percent of the defensive snaps over the first month.

Dupree had a big game right before the bye week, as he notched two sacks against the Chiefs. The veteran has taken advantage of his extensive playing time while Joey Bosa has been sidelined with a hip injury.

Through four games, Dupree has eight quarterback pressures, five run stops and four hurries.

If Bosa continues to be hindered by his injury, it will only lead to more playing time for the 31-year-old Dupree.

Chargers highlight: Bud Dupree makes tip drill interception

Justin Fields has turned the ball over for the first time this season.

Justin Fields has turned the ball over for the first time this season.

After the Steelers took over on the Chargers 41 yard line following a short punt by JK Scott and penalty on cornerback Deane Leonard, Fields dropped back on first and 10 to start the Steelers drive. He scanned the field and looked for a sit route on the left side, a play that Pittsburgh had run with great success so far in the game.

Linebacker Daiyan Henley was there this time, however, and his arrival to the ball popped the pass into the air. Steelers running back Najee Harris leaped up to try to make the catch with two Chargers defenders in the area, tipping the ball into the air further. Eventually, the ball landed in the arms of Bud Dupree, who was in the game to replace an injured Joey Bosa.

Dupree was tackled soon after the interception on the Chargers 34. Los Angeles went three and out on the ensuing drive after Justin Herbert was sacked on first down.

https://x.com/chargers/status/1837927951565766656

How Chargers OT Joe Alt fared on first day of padded practice

All eyes were on first-round pick Joe Alt, who got his first taste of NFL-level competition.

When the pads come on at training camp, most of the attention shifts to the trenches, where you can evaluate the offensive and defensive line accurately.

In this case for the Chargers, all eyes were on first-round pick Joe Alt, who got his first taste of NFL-level competition.

In one-on-ones, Alt faced edge defender Joey Bosa. Alt held his own, showing his polished pass-protection skills.

“He acquitted himself well,” Harbaugh said of Alt.

In team drills, Alt played both right and left tackle, which they had him do because of Rashawn Slater’s slight injury he’s working through.

Despite getting beat by Bosa on one rep, where the veteran threw out a double swipe move to catch the rookie off guard and get home to the quarterback, Alt had a good day.

Alt exemplified quick hands, light feet and a strong anchor to keep pass rushers at bay.

Over the next few weeks, Alt’s only going to get better going up against some of the best edge rushers in the league. As they say, iron sharpens iron.

Projecting the Chargers’ edge rusher depth chart in 2024

Taking a crack at projecting what the Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher room will look like entering the 2024 season.

Over the next few weeks ahead of training camp, I will continue to break down the depth chart for each Chargers position.

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive line

Next, I project what the edge rusher room will look like heading into the 2024 season.

Khalil Mack

After considering retiring following the Chargers’ playoff collapse to the Jaguars, Mack had one of the best years of his career in his 10th NFL season. He set a career-high in sacks for a season with 17 and became the 43rd player in NFL history to hit the 100-sack mark. Mack was integral in getting after the quarterback and defending the run. For his efforts, he was named to his eighth Pro Bowl. Mack and Joey Bosa should benefit from new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Joey Bosa

Bosa has missed 20 games in the last two seasons with various soft tissue and lower body injuries. Entering Year 9, the Chargers are hopeful he can stay healthy and replicate his 2021 season when he had double-digit sacks and started in all 16 games. If all goes as planned, Bosa and Khalil Mack should be one of the top edge rusher tandems, something they’ve hoped for since Mack was signed two years ago.

Tuli Tuipulotu

The second-round pick of last year’s draft, Tuipulotu quickly made a name for himself upon entering the league. His snaps quickly crept up as the weeks went on, and he eventually became a full-time starter when Bosa suffered his season-ending foot injury. Tuipulotu was a mainstay in opposing team’s backfields on a weekly basis. His 88.4 Pro Football Focus run-defense grade led all rookies and trailed only Mack, Maxx Crosby, and DeMarcus Lawrence among qualified edge defenders. He also finished second behind Texans’ Will Anderson with 51 pressures.

Bud Dupree

The Chargers signed Dupree in May. Across nine seasons, he has 305 tackles, 53 sacks, 70 tackles for loss, 90 QB hits and 12 forced fumbles. The 31-year-old Dupree will be a rotational rusher in different packages with Mack, Bosa and Tuipulotu.

What is the biggest strength for the Chargers heading into the 2024 season?

ESPN’s Mike Clay listed the biggest strength for each team heading into the new season.

The Chargers retooled their roster this offseason, adding players to various positions. But among them, what is arguably the most superior one?

In a recent article by ESPN’s Mike Clay, he wrote that the edge rusher group is the Bolts’ biggest strength heading into the 2024 season.

Edge rusher. Joey Bosa should be the headliner here, but injuries have been an issue, as he’s been limited to 14 games over the past two seasons. Of course, he was a superstar during his first six seasons (58 sacks) and was effective in nine games in 2023 (6.5 sacks). Opposite Bosa is Khalil Mack, who is now 33 years old but still playing elite ball, having recorded 17.0 sacks last season (fourth-most in the league). Second-year man Tuli Tuipulotu and veteran newcomer Bud Dupree add solid depth.

One of the best moves of the offseason was retaining Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, who both took pay cuts to come back.

Bosa has missed 20 games in the last two seasons with various soft tissue and lower body injuries. The Chargers are hopeful he can stay healthy and replicate his 2021 season when he had double-digit sacks and started in all 16 games.

Mack is coming off a season in which he set a career-high in sacks with 17 and became the 43rd player in NFL history to reach 100 sacks.

Quarterbacks not only have to feat Bosa and Mack but also second-year Tuli Tuipulotu, who had an outstanding rookie season. He finished second in quarterback pressures (51), only behind the Texans’ Will Anderson, while also providing a high level of play against the run.

But the positional room doesn’t stop there, as the Chargers added veteran Bud Dupree in May. Across nine seasons, Dupree has 305 tackles, 53 sacks, 70 tackles for loss, 90 QB hits and 12 forced fumbles.

Under new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Mack and Bosa’s contributions and those of Tuipulotu and Dupree will go a long way toward forming a dominant defense.