Tag: denzel perryman

4 defensive storylines to watch at Chargers training camp

The Los Angeles Chargers look to finish as a top-5 unit in 2020.

Here are four defensive storylines to watch for the Los Angeles Chargers during training camp.

Deciphering crowded secondary

The Chargers have one of the most talented secondaries in the NFL, but the unit is jam packed with players vying for playing time.

Nasir Adderley, Los Angeles’ second-round pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, had high expectations heading into the summer, as many thought that he would make a nice tandem alongside safety Derwin James. But he was derailed by a lingering hamstring issue that had been ongoing even before he was drafted.

Meanwhile, Rayshawn Jenkins emerged in 2019 as a long-term solution at that position. This offseason, they signed Chris Harris Jr. to play in the slot, which has also left Desmond King with limited options to find playing time.

One possibility is playing Adderley at dimebacker — the sixth defensive back in the dime packages. Or he could play free safety in those packages, with Jenkins moving to dimebacker. In either of those scenarios, King likely wouldn’t be able to see the field.

The bottom line is that having a crowded secondary is a good problem to have. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

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Chargers top 5 breakout season players in 2020: LB Drue Tranquill

The Los Angeles Chargers’ former fourth-round pick could be voted a team captain this season.

Every season, there are players who break out onto the scene who may not have been dominant the season before, whether they were a backup, dealt with an injury or just improved as a player in the offseason.

This is the fifth and final story in a five-part series counting down the top Chargers players who I believe are most likely to have a breakout season in 2020.

Part 1: RB Justin Jackson

Part 2: DT Jerry Tillery

Part 3: FS Nasir Adderley

Part 4: OT Trey Pipkins

Drue Tranquill, the fourth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, made an impact upon arriving to camp in his rookie season. As the season went on, he became a key piece on the defensive side of the ball.

In 15 games played, three of which he started, Tranquill racked up 64 tackles (50 solo), four tackles for loss and one pass defended. On top of that, he finished tied for the most special teams tackles by any rookie (11), and finished second on the Chargers in the same category behind Derek Watt.

For his efforts, he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team as the non-returner/kicker special teams player.

Even though he established himself as the team’s best linebacker in 2019, the former Notre Dame product will still likely split time with Denzel Perryman at MIKE, while rookie Kenneth Murray starts at WILL this upcoming season. The reason for that is because the coaching staff still loves Perryman.

Perryman will play middle linebacker on most — if not all — rushing downs, and Tranquill will fill that role on passing downs. If I was the one in charge, Tranquill would be a three-down player next to Murray.

I expect Tranquill to continue his dominance in coverage and against the run, as well as one special teams. It may seem like a long shot for him to make the Pro Bowl at the linebacker position in Year 2, but he’s more than capable of landing on the team as a special teamer.

Where Chargers’ linebackers rank among NFL heading into 2020 season

Pro Football Focus isn’t as high on the Los Angeles Chargers’ linebacker corps.

The Chargers’ linebacker positional group has been a work in progress the past few seasons.

The team has prioritized the unit, adding a handful of players throughout the years. Heading into 2020, they have a decent-looking corps on paper led by Denzel Perryman, Drue Tranquill and rookie Kenneth Murray.

Where do they rank among the rest of the league’s linebacker rooms? Pro Football Focus stacked up all 32 units heading into the upcoming season, and Los Angeles was slotted No. 18 overall.

Perryman, the sixth-year player, is entering the final year of his contract, and will have to do a lot in order to stay on the roster beyond the 2020 season. 2019 was the first time since his rookie campaign in which he played in 14 or more games, finishing with 68 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.

However, his playing time decreased due to the emergence of last season’s rookie standout Drue Tranquill, who took a significant amount of snaps away from the former Miami product.

Going into this year, Perryman will likely see the field first, but him and Tranquill will split snaps. Perryman will play on rushing downs while Tranquill will play on passing downs. By the end of the year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the second-year player with more snaps.

The Chargers weren’t aggressive in trading up for Murray in this year’s draft to serve as a depth player. The team clearly had a role for him and that’s to start in the spot that was played by Thomas Davis last season.

Murray needs to needs to clean up his overaggressive tendencies and enhance his ability in coverage, but the combination of his instincts, range and closing speed quickness will translate to remarkable production in the running and passing game.

With his leadership and football IQ, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one responsible of handling defensive play calls.

Kyzir White will start as the SAM linebacker. White started last season as the starting MIKE while Denzel Perryman was nursing an ankle injury for the first two games. White struggled in that role, so Perryman took over. With Davis serving as the starting WILL, that only left White with one option: SAM.

With the Chargers playing a lot of sub-packages, that means the SAM doesn’t see the field as much. Because of that, White didn’t play as much as many were expecting. When White did see the field, he was making plays. The former West Virginia product finished with 40 tackles, two passes defensed and one tackle for loss.

Desmond King, Rayshawn Jenkins and Nasir Adderley will likely be the candidates as the team’s sub-package linebacker, which will limit White’s playing time.

Los Angeles also added Nick Vigil via free agency, and they will have Malik Jefferson, Cole Christiansen and Asmar Bilal all fighting for final roster spots.

Which Charger is on the hot seat in 2020?

The former Miami product might be looking for a new home after this season.

Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman has been the man in the middle of the defense for the past few seasons. However, 2020 could mark his last in the blue and gold.

Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton named a member of each franchise in the league whose job could be in jeopardy this upcoming season, and Perryman was listed for Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Chargers have a deep linebacker unit with multiple players capable of handling decent workloads. While that’s a positive for the team, Denzel Perryman may lose significant snaps.

In 2019, Perryman lined up for just 358 defensive plays, partially because of a knee injury, which is a common theme throughout his five-year career. The veteran linebacker has missed 24 games since entering the league.

Last season, Drue Tranquill played 380 defensive snaps. Kyzir White, who has the versatility to line up in different spots across the second level of the defense, logged 372 snaps. The Chargers traded up to select linebacker Kenneth Murray with the No. 23 overall pick.

At 6’2″, 241 pounds, Murray can man the middle, as he did at Oklahoma, or line up on the outside.

With all the talent at linebacker and Perryman’s extensive injury history, his job security seems a bit shaky.

The Chargers took a huge leap in the 2020 NFL Draft, trading up 14 spots to select linebacker Kenneth Murray.

The selection of Murray all but signified that Los Angeles sees a bright future with the tandem between the rookie out of Oklahoma and former fourth-round pick Drue Tranquill.

With the emergence of Tranquill last season, Perryman’s playing time decreased as the weeks went on even after managing to stay healthy for nearly the full 16-game slate.

However, the early draft pick used on Murray solidified how the coaching staff feels about the position group moving forward.

This season, Perryman may start, but Tranquill will come onto the field in passing situations. Eventually, the team’s goal could be to make Tranquill and Murray the permanent starters.

2020 also marks the final year of Perryman’s contract, and knowing L.A. will have some notable free agents like defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, wide receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Hunter Henry, the former Miami product may be the odd man out.

Chargers LB Drue Tranquill named potential breakout star by CBS Sports

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill is ready to take a step forward.

The Chargers could have a star in the making.

After emerging in his rookie season, linebacker Drue Tranquill has high expectations set for him heading into Year 2.

CBS Sport’s Josh Edwards believes that Tranquill is bound for a breakout season in 2020.

Here is what he had to say about the former Notre Dame product:

Tranquill is a more mobile linebacker used primarily in sub packages. Our breakout defensive team is going to be smaller, but no less impactful in our approach to combat more spread style offenses. Tranquill was all over the field last season. He should have more opportunities to make an impact with an improved defensive unit around him this season.

After serving as a special teamer, Tranquill’s hard work led to more playing time. Week in and out, the 2019 fourth-round pick was consistently making plays in the middle of the defense, finishing as the second-leading tackler with 75 total tackles.

Going into his sophomore season, it remains to be seen if Tranquill will be the starter at MIKE because of Denzel Perryman’s presence, which happens to still be highly coveted by the coaching staff.

Tranquill will likely see the field for 60% of the defensive snaps with the majority of them coming on passing downs while Perryman is on the field for rushing downs. They could experiment with him at WILL, but that would take snaps away from first-round pick Kenneth Murray.

After finishing the 2019 season tied for eighth in the NFL in special teams tackles with 11, Tranquill will continue to be a special teams ace as well, especially after losing key assets on kick and punt coverage defenders, including Adrian Phillips, Derek Watt and Nick Dzubnar.

Projecting the Chargers’ linebacker depth chart

With the addition of rookie Kenneth Murray, Chargers Wire examines the linebacker corps.

The Chargers have steadily looked to enhance the linebacker room over the course of the past few years. The team looked through free agency and the draft, but the results from the positional group were still average at best.

After a couple key additions, they look to boast a promising unit this upcoming season.

Below, I take a crack at projecting Los Angeles’ linebacker depth chart for the 2020 season:

MIKE: Denzel Perryman

Perryman is entering the final year of his contract, and will have to do a lot in order to stay on the roster beyond the 2020 season. 2019 was the first time since Perryman’s rookie campaign in which he played in 14 or more games, finishing with 68 tackles (50 solo), one interception and one forced fumble. However, his playing time decreased due to the emergence of rookie standout Drue Tranquill, who took a significant amount of snaps away from the former Miami product. Going into this year, Perryman will likely see the field first, but him and Tranquill will split snaps. Perryman will play on rushing downs while Tranquill will play on passing downs. By the end of the year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the second-year player with more snaps taken.

Backups: Drue Tranquill, Nick Vigil, Malik Jefferson

WILL: Kenneth Murray

The Chargers weren’t aggressive in trading up for Murray in this year’s draft to serve as a depth player. The team clearly had a role for him and that’s to start in the spot that was played by Thomas Davis last season. Murray needs to needs to clean up his overaggressive tendencies and enhance his ability in coverage, but the combination of his instincts, range and closing speed quickness will translate to remarkable production in the running and passing game. With his leadership and football IQ, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one responsible of handling defensive play calls.

Backups: Nick Vigil, Malik Jefferson

SAM: Kyzir White

White started last season as the starting middle linebacker while Denzel Perryman was nursing an ankle injury for the first two games. White struggled in that role, so Perryman took over. With Thomas Davis serving as the starting WILL, that only left White with one option: SAM. With the Chargers playing a lot of nickel packages, that means the SAM doesn’t see the field as much. Because of that, White didn’t play as much as many were expecting. When White did see the field, he was making plays. The former West Virginia product finished with 40 tackles, two passes defensed and one tackle for loss. Desmond King, Rayshawn Jenkins and Nasir Adderley will likely be the candidates as the team’s sub-package linebacker, which will limit White’s playing time.

Backups: Uchenna Nwosu, Emeke Egbule

Pro Football Focus lists Chargers ‘most underrated’ player in 2020

The second-year linebacker is looking to take a leap this upcoming season.

Yesterday, I wrote about the Chargers’ most underrated position groups heading into the 2020 season.

On the same day, Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey tabbed the most underrated player on each team in the league.

For Los Angeles, he went with linebacker Drue Tranquill.

Athleticism like Tranquill displayed at the 2019 NFL Combine (4.57 second 40-yard dash, 6.94 second three-cone and a 37.5-inch vertical jump) married with strong coverage results coming out of college (80-plus coverage grades in each of his last two seasons) is a recipe for success in the pros. As a fourth-round pick, Tranquill had a limited role in his first season as a member of the Chargers’ defense, but he did some promising things during his time on the field, earning a 66.6 overall grade for the year. Even with the Chargers trading back up into the first round to take Kenneth Murray, there is plenty of reason to expect the second-year player out of Notre Dame to take another step forward in 2020.

Tranquill, the fourth-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft, made an impact upon arriving to camp in his rookie season. As the season went on he became a key piece on the defensive side of the ball.

In 15 games played, three of which he started, Tranquill racked up 64 tackles (50 solo), four tackles for loss and one pass defended. On top of that, he finished with the most special teams tackles by any rookie (11).

The former Notre Dame product will likely split time with Denzel Perryman at MIKE, while rookie Kenneth Murray starts at WILL this upcoming season. But it won’t be long until Tranquill is the permanent starter.

It may seem like a long shot for Tranquill to make the Pro Bowl at the linebacker position in Year 2, but he’s more than capable of landing on the team as a special teamer.

Which Chargers veterans could be on the trading block?

There are three members of the Los Angeles Chargers who could be involved in a trade package to move up in the draft.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco didn’t shy away from making a trade up on Thursday night to secure a player that was loved by the coaching throughout the pre-draft process.

Telesco jumped up 14 spots to draft linebacker Kenneth Murray, trading their second and third-round picks with the Patriots.

After giving up both picks, Los Angeles will not be making any selections on Friday evening, at least for now.

“You never know. It’s not like we’re going to take tomorrow off,” Telesco said when asked about the possibility of trading up again to make a selection on Day 2 of the draft.

Without a second or third-round selection, it might be tricky to strike a deal with a team unless it involves a veteran player.

Should Telesco see a player at the wide receiver or offensive tackle position that’s high on their big board that they want to snag once again, who might he look to include in a possible trade?

Three names come to mind – cornerback Desmond King, linebacker Denzel Perryman and defensive end Melvin Ingram.

King has been talked about as a potential option ever since the signing of Chris Harris Jr.

With Harris expected to start in the slot, King is left as a key rotational piece inside or outside. Even if he took the role as the dime linebacker, formerly played by Adrian Phillips, his snaps would significantly decrease from what they were the past few seasons.

King has proven himself as one of the league’s best slot corners, so it’s hard to believe that teams wouldn’t be interested in him, especially when factoring how young he is still.

Perryman could be an option because he only has one more year remaining on his contract and after the emergence of Drue Tranquill, signing of Nick Vigil and selection of Murray, they could be planning for the life after him.

Ingram is the least likely out of the two because he is a focal point to the team for his contributions on the field and in the locker room.

However, like Perryman, he has one more year remaining. Ingram also has the largest salary cap hit on the roster ($16 million), and former second-round pick Uchenna Nwosu has shown to be nearly as promising in his role.

Los Angeles has also had a lot of success finding diamond in the rough pass-rushers that have been productive all throughout training camp and preseason, yet they never make the 53-man roster.

I’m sure they wouldn’t have an issue of striking gold at the position in the late rounds or from the undrafted free agency pool for additional depth.

The bottom line is that it’s evident Telesco won’t shy away from making a trade, as seen yesterday. If he finds himself getting the itch to move up again, it’s likely a player would be required and the ones mentioned would be my best bet to be shipped out as part of the trade package.

4 Chargers takeaways following free agency and ahead of NFL draft

General manager Tom Telesco has loaded up with talent, but he’s not done yet.

Even though free agency is not necessarily over, the big-ticket players are all gone. The Chargers signed a few players before turning their full attention to the 2020 NFL Draft, which is just weeks away.

Los Angeles made some aggressive moves in the first week of the new league year, which will likely have an impact on their game-plan later this month as they continue to build the roster.

Here are four takeaways from the Bolts’ free agency and ahead of the upcoming draft.

Only a couple of pieces away from a competent line

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Heading into free agency, one of the Chargers’ biggest needs lied along the offensive line after finishing among the league’s worst last season. To address it, Los Angeles traded for five-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga.

The additions of Turner and Bulaga shored up the right side of the line, but there are still questions that need to be answered with the rest of the unit.

Uncertainty lies at the left tackle position as to whether or not the team believes in Trey Pipkins as the starter moving forward. Center Mike Pouncey has not been cleared to play yet after sustaining a severe neck injury. And it remains to be seen if Dan Feeney or Forrest Lamp can be reliable starters at left guard going forward.

The questions that loom large can and likely will be addressed in the upcoming draft. If the Bolts draft their quarterback of the future in Round 1, I expect them to follow that up with a tackle to compete for a starting job as well as an interior offensive lineman for more depth in case Feeney or Lamp don’t pan out or Pouncey isn’t able to play.

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Report: Chargers restructuring LB Denzel Perryman’s contract

The Los Angeles Chargers continue to make moves to clear up cap space.

The Chargers have been very active on Friday leading up to free agency, which starts next week on March 18.

First, came the announcement on tight end Hunter Henry getting franchise tagged. Then, came the news of linebacker Thomas Davis and defensive tackle being released.

Now, Los Angeles and linebacker Denzel Perryman have agreed to a restructured deal, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Perryman signed a two-year deal before the start of the 2019 season. He was set to make $6.5 million in salary and bonuses during the upcoming season. The new compensation has not been announced, but he will have the opportunity to earn it through incentives.

In 2019, the former second-round selection appeared in 14 games, recording 68 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one interception and a forced fumble.