Chargers roster – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Chargers sign OL Bradley Bozeman

The Chargers fill a void at center.

The Chargers are signing offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman.

With Corey Linsley headed toward retirement due to medical issues, Los Angeles needed a starting center. Bozeman will fill that void.

The Bolts are emphasizing the running game, and Bozeman’s strength is paving the way on the ground. His 71.6 run-blocking grade since 2021 is 11th among all Centers over that period.

Selected by the Ravens in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft, Bozeman started 49 games across four seasons, with most being at left guard.

Bozeman joined the Panthers ahead of the 2022 season, and he re-signed with the team on a three-year, $18 million contract last offseason. He started 28 of his 34 appearances.

This past season, Bozeman was chosen as the Panthers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee.

Chargers re-signing QB Easton Stick

The Chargers are bringing back a familiar face.

The Chargers are re-signing quarterback Easton Stick, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.

Stick, a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, had served as the backup with zero experience as a starter until this past season when Justin Herbert was sidelined with a finger injury.

Stick went on to start the final four games and finished with 1,129 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception while adding 144 rushing yards and a score on 27 carries.

With a new regime, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they addressed the backup quarterback spot with another veteran. But given Stick’s athleticism paired with Greg Roman’s run-heavy offense, the pairing made sense.

Additionally, the Chargers brought back Shane Day to be the team’s quarterbacks coach. He previously worked with Stick in 2021 and 2022.

Chargers’ Khalil Mack named to PFF’s top 101 players from 2023

Pro Football Focus released their top 101 players from 2023.

Despite a dud of a season, the Chargers still had a few key contributors.

Pro Football Focus released their top 101 players from 2023, and Khalil Mack made the list, checking in at No. 40.

Mack bounced back in 2023 and posted his best performance since at least 2020. He tallied 88 quarterback pressures, headed by 18 sacks, on his way to an elite PFF grade that showed well in every facet of play.

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. A menace off the edge, Mack not only got after the quarterback at a high level, but he was also a key contributor at defending the run.

In a season where the defense struggled, Mack remained a bright spot that shined on a weekly basis. For his efforts, he was named to his eighth Pro Bowl.

Chargers DC Jesse Minter heaps high praise on Tuli Tuipulotu: ‘Didn’t look like a rookie’

Tuli Tuipulotu is coming off an outstanding rookie season.

Among the players returning that will be vital in Jesse Minter’s defense is edge defender Tuli Tuipulotu, who had an outstanding rookie season.

Minter is familiar with Tuipulotu’s skillset, having watched college film of him while he was at USC, and highlighted his versatility in an interview with team writer Eric Smith.

“I think his last year, we might have had one team that we were watching where there was some crossover film of USC,” Minter said. “The cool thing about him is he’s a guy in college that they moved all over the place — off the ball, up on the edge, they even had him played out in space a little bit.”

Tuipulotu, the former second-round pick, was a monster off the edge, finishing with the second-most quarterback pressures among rookies (51) and an 88.4 run defense grade that only trailed greats Maxx Crosby, DeMarcus Lawrence and Khalil Mack.

“You look at how he played his rookie year and I thought he stepped in and played really well for a rookie,” Minter added. “Didn’t look like a rookie, didn’t feel like a rookie when you were watching him. He plays with the toughness and the physicality that we certainly want our guys to play with.”

Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack’s future with the Chargers is up in the air, as they could be moved to clear up cap space. But one thing that is certain is that Tuipulotu will be on the roster next season and he will be a key piece of Minter’s defense.

What release of Eric Kendricks means for the Chargers

Why did the Chargers move on from Eric Kendricks?

The Chargers released veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks in an expected move prior to next week’s free agency. The move saves LA roughly $6.5 million against the cap.

The Kendricks move, combined with last week’s unprecedented salary cap increase, brings the Chargers to about $19 million over the cap. With a combination of other cuts, trades, and potentially restructures, achieving cap compliancy is in reach. GM Joe Hortiz said fixing the cap was a necessity at the NFL Combine last week.

Kendricks was largely signed to fix the Chargers’ run defense issues last offseason. While he and Kenneth Murray were an improved and competent duo against the run for the most part, the second level of Brandon Staley’s defense got torn apart in pass coverage. Murray and Kendricks combined to allow well over 1000+ yards combined in pass coverage last season.

Even from when he was signed last season, Tom Telesco structured his deal for the Chargers to rightly have an out on a contract given to an older linebacker. With the new shift to Jesse Minter’s defense, neither Murray or Kendricks are really scheme fits. Both are now set to be free agents next week.

The question now turns to what the Chargers will do in their re-modeling of the linebacker room. Daiyan Henley still figures to be part of the plan going forward after he largely played special teams in his rookie campaign. Outside of him, the room is currently occupied by traditional special teams contributors. Notably, Michigan fits in Minter’s defense like Junior Colson and Michael Barrett are available in the 2024 NFL draft.

Mike Williams, Khalil Mack, Keenan Allen, and Joey Bosa remain the names to watch as the Chargers continue to make decisions throughout the pre-free agency process.

Chargers release LB Eric Kendricks

Eric Kendricks was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2019.

The Chargers have released linebacker Eric Kendricks, the team announced on Tuesday.

Signed last offseason to a two-year deal, Kendricks started 14 games, totaling 117 tackles with seven tackles for loss, six passes defensed, and 3.5 sacks.

Los Angeles saves $6.5 million against the cap by releasing Kendricks. He was slated to make $5 million in base salary in 2024.

Kendricks, a former second-round pick out of UCLA, began his career with the Vikings, where he played for eight seasons.

The other starting linebacker, Kenneth Murray, is slated to be a free agent next week.

Chargers DC Jesse Minter ‘excited to unleash’ Derwin James

Jesse Minter revealed how excited he is to work with the star defensive back.

In a sitdown interview with the Chargers’ Senior Writer Eric Smith, Jesse Minter was asked about the vision for safety Derwin James thriving in his defense. In a rather lengthy response, Minter revealed his excitement to work with the star defensive back.

On his usage, Minter said:

I’m excited just to sort of try to try to unleash Derwin. No. 1, put him in positions to best utilize his skills and — he can do a lot of stuff — but I also think there’s a fine line. Like, ‘Let’s try to maximize Derwin and allow him to do the things that he’s really, really good at as much as possible.’ Sometimes you can get a guy like that and you can almost do too much with him and move him around too much. I want him to understand the concepts of the defense so that there’s certainly times that we can maximize his skillset.

James struggled at points last year when more was placed on his plate in reference to Brandon Staley’s STAR position. He had his slot cornerback snaps slashed in the last two weeks while his proportion of box and free safety snaps increased. The result? James had his highest PFF-graded game of the season against the Broncos and turned in a solid performance against the Chiefs.

The Chargers should still use the athletic versatility of James when they have the opportunity to, but it should be less heavily relied upon in the context of the whole defense.

Minter continued by mentioning James’ eagerness to get to work.

An elite cover guy, particularly on tight ends. And then he’s a physical presence over the middle of the field at the safety position. We want to put him in a position to use his strengths and do all that stuff to the best of his ability But really just most excited about his leadership skills, his eagerness. I feel like he stopped by my office every day the first couple of weeks I was here. He just wanted to talk and wanted to kind of get to know me and what we were trying to build. I like it to look at it as a partnership with these guys. Now we’re in this thing together, we’re building this thing together. Really excited about Derwin and the capabilities he has.

Chargers OC Greg Roman emphasizes importance of strong running game

Greg Roman has always boasted strong rushing offenses.

Jim Harbaugh spotlighted improving the running game at his introductory press conference. In hopes of having his vision materialized, Harbaugh hired Greg Roman, a run offense specialist, to oversee the offense.

Roman believes that running the ball effectively will aid Justin Herbert’s play.

“Can you imagine Justin Herbert with a great running game?” Roman said, per ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “… We don’t know, but I can imagine what it might look like. So that’s kind of the vision.”

The Chargers have not had an efficient running game since LaDainian Tomlinson donned the blue and gold. Since 2008, they have finished outside the top 10 in rushing yards per game, most recently finishing 24th.

“I think in this league, you can really, really help dictate the defenses if you have a strong running attack,” Roman said. “If you really talk to most defensive coordinators in this league and got them off to the side when they’re playing a really good running team, they’re sweating a little bit. They’re sleeping a little less that week.”

During Roman’s four seasons as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator (2019-2022), they led the league in rushing yards per game (175.2). When he was Harbaugh’s OC with the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, they were second in the NFL in that time frame in rushing yards per game (139.3).

Roman had Colin Kaepernick and Lamar Jackson as his quarterbacks, and they’re known for their athletic prowesses and the ability to use their legs.

Herbert, on the other hand, is athletic enough to run. But he is more of a prominent passer, which has many wondering how Roman will balance a heavy run game and still let Herbert do his thing through the air.

“It’s going to be a little different,” Roman said. “I think you’re going to see probably a multiple running game. You’ll probably see the use of motions and shifting, and then you’ll see a pretty diverse passing game.

“… Right now, everybody’s got a blank slate of who we can be or what we can do. Could be anything right now, our principles and whatnot of what we do offensively won’t change, but how they come to life on the field will.”

While Roman isn’t known for his passing game, Marcus Brady, who was hired to be the team’s passing game coordinator, should help maximize the offense in that department.

“We’re trying to be great at running the ball, and we’re trying to be great at throwing the ball. We’re trying to be great at both all the time.”

Chargers 2024 offseason position preview: Tight end

Evaluating the Chargers’ tight end room entering the offseason.

Gerald Everett will test the market after two seasons with the Chargers. In his 2022 season, Everett extended his streak of seven straight seasons with an increasing receiving yards total. He was a beacon of consistency, especially when his services were needed most with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missing in action for long stretches.

In 2023, Everett had 58 receptions for 411 yards. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t far off from the same ballpark that his single-season career numbers usually gravitated toward. But it was the lowest yards per reception mark of the veteran tight end’s career at 8.6.

Jim Harbaugh makes tight ends a rather critical focal point of his offensive approach relative to Kellen Moore. As the Chargers gravitate towards a more physical style of offense with him and Greg Roman at the helm, it’s worth seeing where the roster currently stands at the position. Will the team keep Everett? Is it a clean slate start? Could someone like Georgia star Brock Bowers be in play?

In continuing our offseason position preview series, let’s turn to the tight end room entering the offseason.

Chargers rework Corey Linsley’s contract

Corey Linsley said there is a “99% chance” that he would retire this offseason.

Chargers center Corey Linsley has agreed to a restructured contract to lower his base salary for the 2024 season, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Linsley was previously set to make $11.5 million. The move creates $10.29 in cap space, putting them at $35 million over the cap.

Linsley said there is a “99% chance” that he would retire this offseason due to a medical issue.

Retirements are like cuts, so this allows Los Angeles to wait until after June 1 to process his retirement and spread out the dead money while being able to use the cap space before that date.

Linsley was diagnosed with a non-emergent heart issue during the 2023 season and missed most of it as a result. He signed a five-year deal to join the Chargers in 2021, the same year he was a second-team All-Pro.