Tag: Chargers defense

Highlight: Chargers LB Kenneth Murray sacks Titans QB Ryan Tannehill

Watch Kenneth Murray make a splash play on fourth down.

Maybe Kenneth Murray should keep the green dot beyond this week.

(Okay, probably not.)

With a fourth and four from the Chargers 46, the Titans lined up to go for it and keep the pressure on LA’s defense. Ryan Tannehill took the snap and had no time to throw, as Murray came unblocked on a blitz and wrapped up the quarterback for a sack.

Tannehill lost 6 yards on the play, giving the Chargers the ball on the Titans’ side of midfield.

Where the Chargers rank statistically after Week 1

Looking at the major metrics, here is where the Chargers stand after the first game.

The Chargers dropped their season opener to the Dolphins in a shootout.

While Los Angeles was able to keep pace with Miami’s high-octane offense, thanks to their rushing attack, ultimately, Tua Tagovailoa and company reigned supreme.

Now that Week 1 is in the rearview, we now know how the Bolts rank statistically compared to the rest of the NFL. Looking at the major metrics, here is where L.A. stands after the first game.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley on Austin Johnson’s return: ‘He’s ready to play’

The Chargers’ defense gets a boost with the return of Austin Johnson.

The Chargers were riddled with injuries last season, and one of the key losses was of defensive tackle Austin Johnson.

Johnson suffered a fractured knee and MCL injury in Los Angeles’ Week 9 win over the Falcons and spent the remainder of the 2022 season on injured reserve.

Johnson was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after he passed his physical on Aug. 17.

“He’s ready to play,” Brandon Staley said. “He wouldn’t be active if we didn’t think that he could play. There’s probably going to be a certain amount of snaps that we kind of have projected for him. But he’s going to be full speed.”

Before he got hurt, Johnson was a cog in the middle of the defensive line. He was tied for the team lead in run stops with 14 and led the team in run stop percentage at 11.4%.

Having him back on the field will be vital as the Bolts look to improve their run defense from last season.

The Chargers finished 27th in the league, allowing 144.2 yards rushing per game. A lot of the damage came after Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia sustained their season-ending injuries.

Ogbonnia is still on the IR and will miss the first four games of the season as he continues to work his way back from his knee injury.

Chargers EDGE Joey Bosa emphasizing run defense this season

Joey Bosa is hoping to provide a boost to a struggling Chargers defense against the run.

Joey Bosa is one of the best in the NFL at getting after the quarterback. While he acknowledges that, Bosa is still looking to improve a particular area of his game.

Talking to the media following Thursday’s training camp session, Bosa said he wants to get better at defending the run.

“I feel like my run defense has gone down the last few years,” Bosa said. “I’m super focused on having more of an impact in the run game.”

Early in his professional career, Bosa played a traditional defensive end position under former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, which required more responsibilities to set the edge and play the run.

When Brandon Staley was hired in 2021, Bosa transitioned to an outside linebacker, requiring him to drop back into coverage. That meant he had to lose weight to be more fluid in space.

Bosa played around 265-270 pounds in the first five seasons and dropped to 250 pounds these last two. He is now back to his starting weight and feels that will add more power to his game to make him an impactful run defender again.

“I just think I’ll be a much more effective player and pass rush with my power, and be able to play the run a little more dirty,” Bosa added. “I kind of played at that weight for my first four or five years.

Just recently with the outside linebacker stuff, have felt comfortable dropping, but I think it’s a big part of my game to be able to be powerful and be strong. I think it was definitely a good change this offseason.”

Bosa’s 2022 season was cut due to a groin injury that required surgery. He finished with 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble in just five games.

Now healthy, Bosa’s presence on the edge will boost a defense that lacked consistency at generating pressure and against the run.

Chargers 2023 roster review: CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Asante Samuel Jr. looks to show improvement in run defense as he enters Year 3.

Training camp is nearing, and with a few more weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before it kicks off.

Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is entering the third season of his NFL career.

Samuel served as the outside corner opposite Michael Davis after J.C. Jackson tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in Week 7 last season. It was an up-and-down campaign for Samuel, as he allowed six touchdowns and struggled as a run defender.

Samuel finished the 2022 season with 57 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, including three in the Wild Card game against the Jaguars, a fumble recovery and 11 passes defended.

With Jackson still working his way back to full health, Samuel should see time as the starter. But once Jackson returns, he would presumably replace Samuel. Samuel could move back in the slot and rotate with Ja’Sir Taylor depending on the matchups and packages on a week-to-week basis.

Contract: Samuel signed a 4-year, $7,222,946 contract, with a $2,613,052 signing bonus, $3,601,368 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,805,737.

Acquired: The Chargers drafted Samuel in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft (No. 47 overall).

Quote: Derwin James on Samuel:

“To me, football is just confidence and knowing your job. I feel like if you know your job and you know it well enough, and you’re confident to go do it, you can do it. Year three with Asante, I feel like he is going to have a lot more confidence, for sure.”

Highlight:

Reviewing Chargers’ 2022 run defense, how it can improve in 2023

The Chargers’ run defense hit rock bottom last year. Here is a look at how they can improve in that department.

The Chargers’ run defense finally hit rock bottom last year. With a plethora of injuries on the defensive side of the ball and some poor tackling performances, the 2022 Chargers gave up 144.2 rushing yards per game.

Purely looking at the league rankings, Los Angeles, technically speaking, moved from 30th worst run defense in 2021 to 27th in 2022. But that rushing yards per game figure mentioned is more than the team has allowed in over 20 years. The 2003 Chargers allowed the next most at 139.6 rushing yards per game.

While the yards total is enough to suggest how bad the run defense was, figuring out what kind of runs were successful can lead us to a more layered diagnosis. The Bolts’ real struggle of 2022 was runs to the outside:

Of course, no one will argue that opponents averaging 4.5+ yards per carry on inside runs is good. It’s below league average but not historically significant. The health of Austin Johnson will be important in that respect.

On outside runs, however, per MIBPJ’s data, the 2022 Chargers allowed a whopping 8.73 yards per attempt. Out of 1632 unique team season run gaps since 2006, outside runs vs. the 2022 Chargers ranks last in run gap performance since the data has been tracked.

Let’s say the data tracks with almost whichever Chargers game is used as a sample from last season:

The diagnosis? The EDGE duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack did not perform at the level the Chargers expected, which led to more runs getting to the second + third levels of the defense.

Bosa was forced to miss most of the season after he left the Jacksonville game with an injury. His absence was brutally felt. Mack, unfortunately, had his worst season as a run defender in 2022 via PFF run defense grade and recorded the fewest run stops of his career in an entire season. The former Bear also finished with a 19.2% missed tackle rate.

So with the Bosa and Mack duo not working out in 2022, more outside runs got to the second and third levels. The Chargers’ run defenders and tacklers were relatively porous there as well. Combining the linebackers with the secondary for a moment, Derwin James and Michael Davis were the only Chargers players graded over 60+ in run defense on PFF. And when Los Angeles did snuff out a play properly, missed tackle rates were pretty problematic throughout the defense.

To some extent, the Chargers have recognized their problems against the run. Eric Kendricks is coming off of one of his best seasons as a run defender in Minnesota. Replacing Drue Tranquill with his production vs. the ground game is an upgrade.

The Kendricks signing will set the tone for the defense, especially given that he’ll have Brandon Staley’s green dot play caller responsibilities. But it will not be enough to fix the Chargers’ issues on the interior or exterior by itself.

As mentioned earlier, the Chargers missed Bosa in several respects last season. He needs to stay healthy for LA to have a shot at getting the run defense going in the right direction. And even though he’s not what he used to be in Oakland and Chicago, I’d bet on a slight return to form for Mack if Bosa is available to play on the other side of the line.

Separate from this, the Chargers need their other players to step up and make their tackles when runs get past the first level. Whether Kenneth Murray takes a step forward in this regard as a starter in a contract year will determine a lot. Past solely the linebacker room, the Chargers’ secondary also needs to be more consistent in the same manner.

Derwin James on Asante Samuel Jr.’s growth: ‘He is going to have a lot more confidence’

Derwin James said that he expects Asante Samuel Jr. to play with more confidence next season.

Confidence is key for defenders in the NFL, especially those on teams like the Chargers who have to play the likes of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs twice a year.

Nobody knows this better than the All-Pro safety Derwin James, who has made a name for himself with bold and selfless play since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2018.

James spoke to reporters about a variety of topics. When questioned about the development of cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., he pointed to his teammate’s confidence as an area of potential growth.

“To me, football is just confidence and knowing your job,” James explained to the media. “I feel like if you know your job and you know it well enough, and you’re confident to go do it, you can do it. Year three with Asante, I feel like he is going to have a lot more confidence, for sure.”

Samuel served as the outside corner opposite Michael Davis after J.C. Jackson went down with his season-ending knee injury. It was an up-and-down campaign for Samuel, as he allowed six touchdowns and struggled as a run defender.

Samuel finished the 2022 season with 57 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, including three in the playoff game against the Jaguars, a fumble recovery and 11 passes defended.

Whether this newfound confidence will come to pass for Samuel will have to wait to be seen until the regular season, but an endorsement from James is sure to play into the young cornerback’s self-esteem, at a bare minimum.

With so much on the line and expectations for the Chargers at an all-time high, James and Samuel will have to work together to bring Los Angeles its first playoff win since 2018.

But, with the collective talent they possess and a coaching staff determined to bring the team success next season, perhaps confidence in their game is all the members of the secondary need.

Khalil Mack on new Chargers DC Derrick Ansley: ‘He’s excited’

Khalil Mack noted Derrick Ansley’s excitement to take over as the team’s defensive coordinator.

The Chargers’ hopes for serious playoff contention in 2023 hinge on the play of their defense, which will be led by first-year coordinator Derrick Ansley next season.

Despite retaining nearly every key starter in the offseason, the team will face an uphill battle in the loaded AFC. Still, hopes are high that they can rise to the top at OTAs this week, and one veteran, in particular, seemed bullish on the new leadership that Los Angeles has in place.

Khalil Mack told reporters on Wednesday about his thoughts on the matter, giving Anlsey a ringing endorsement.

Ansley, Mack said, was quick to reach out to him after his promotion to defensive coordinator, formerly held by Renaldo Hill, and has carried an infectious enthusiasm with him to the Chargers’ offseason program.

“He pulled me in right away, we had a conversation,” Mack explained of Ansley’s transition to coordinator. “We chopped it up. You could tell that he’s excited to be in that position. He is going to make the most of it, as well, and try to get the best out of all of his guys on defense.”

Given the defensive star power that Los Angeles hosts, it wouldn’t be a stretch to project that they could be one of the best units in the league if players manage to stay healthy through the regular season and into the playoffs.

Ansley will need to do his best to manage workloads, adjust on the fly, and get creative to live up to Mack’s expectations and bring the Chargers to postseason glory in 2023.

LB Eric Kendricks sounds off on what led to decision to sign with Chargers

Linebacker Eric Kendricks spoke to the media on Monday.

The Chargers made just one external free agent signing, adding linebacker Eric Kendricks.

Kendricks returned to California, where he was born and played college football at UCLA after spending the past eight seasons with the Vikings.

Kendricks, 31, spoke with the media for the first time on Tuesday as the offseason program began, and elaborated on why he decided to come home.

“Honestly, they’re a good team,” Kendricks said. “They’re contenders, they have a good quarterback, a great coaching staff. Just having conversations with Coach Staley, I think the first time we talked, we maybe talked for an hour and a half. It was 11 p.m. and I got to know his personality a lot.”

Kendricks reunites with new linebackers coach Jeff Howard, who replaced Michael Wilhoite in that role. Howard spent seven seasons on Minnesota’s defensive staff as an assistant from 2015 to 2019, which was Kendrick’s first five years with the team.

“I’m glad that I can fit into this program, into this system, but also, I don’t have to do too much as I come in. I can get to know the guys, get to know the leaders on the team, like Khalil, and things like that and just play my role.”

Kendricks is one of the more decorated veteran linebackers in this league. And Brandon Staley couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to add not only his play-making to the positional room but his experience and leadership to replace Drue Tranquill, who signed with the Chiefs.

“This is my ninth year in the league. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve done a lot. Hopefully, my experiences can help everybody else around me. Like I said, I’m not pushing for that. I’m just going to come in here, be myself and play the game that I love to play.”

Chargers 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ cornerbacks

After J.C. Jackson went down, Michael Davis stepped up and had an outstanding season in 2022.

In the modern pass-first NFL, solid play from cornerbacks is a must, and the Chargers have found some skillful players at the position in recent years. Asante Samuel Jr. was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. And with the addition of J.C. Jackson via free agency last offseason, pundits expected big things from the Chargers’ secondary in 2022.

Signed on a five-year, $82.5 million deal, Jackson’s season ended after suffering a ruptured patellar tendon back on Oct. 24 against the Seahawks. Before getting hurt, Jackson left much to be desired as he was working his way back from off-season ankle surgery and struggled to get acclimated with the coverage concepts in Brandon Staley’s defense. He finished his shortened season with 15 tackles and two passes defended in five games.

In Jackson’s place, Michael Davis was thrust back into the starting role on the outside and looked like a rejuvenated player after having a down season in 2021, locking wide receivers down and getting his hands on the ball. In 12 games started, Davis had a career-high 15 passes defended. So what went from being pegged as a potential cap casualty this offseason turned into a possible contract extension for Davis.

While their modest ball production left something to be desired, Samuel’s three-interception game against the Jaguars in the playoffs was a legendary display of dominance that won’t soon be forgotten. Despite this excellent showing, he managed just two interceptions in the regular season and made 48 solo tackles, tying for first place in the category among Los Angeles’ cornerbacks.

Bryce Callahan, who was also signed to a one-year deal last offseason, led Los Angeles in interceptions, coming down with three on the year to add to his 47 combined tackles. Callahan proved to be a major contributor to the defense, starting 11 games in 15 appearances to help lift the Chargers’ secondary to dominant performances.

Among others who saw snaps for the team at cornerback in 2022 was Ja’Sir Taylor. The Chargers drafted Taylor as a core special teams player, which he proved to be. However, Taylor ended up seeing some playing time on the defensive side of the ball toward the back end of the season.

Taylor had some lapses in coverage, especially when he had to play as an outside corner. But his standout performance came in the big primetime win over the Dolphins, where he locked down Jaylen Waddle. Additionally, he came on strong as a tackler in open space and a blitzer. With Callahan set to be a free agent in March, that could lead to a more prominent role for Taylor in his second season.

Kemon Hall and Deane Leonard should be considered developmental depth and core special teamers for the next season.

Don’t be surprised if the Chargers invest in the cornerback position throughout the coming offseason, but expect the dollar amount of any moves to be relatively minimal. With their three starting spots locked down by Davis, Samuel and Jackson, anyone they might add would be competing for looks in dime packages and other defensive-back-heavy sets on passing downs.