Tag: denzel perryman

3 Chargers who could be surprise cuts this offseason

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out three players who could be surprise cuts this offseason.

General manager Tom Telesco and company are gearing up for what will be one of the most polarizing offseasons.

Aside from free agency and the 2020 NFL draft, the Chargers will need to decide what to do with their 15 expiring contracts. Among the group are notables like quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Melvin Gordon and tight end Hunter Henry, along with defensive end Joey Bosa who is due for a big payday.

Los Angeles’ $56.3 million in projected salary cap comes above the league average of $47 million. The front office will have to dish the majority of that available money to household names, but if they feel the need to make some signings in free agency they could elect to move on from some players that are under contract through the 2020 season.

With that, here are three Chargers who could be surprise cuts this offseason:

LB Denzel Perryman

The linebacker position was a focal point for Telesco heading into the 2019 season. One of the moves that he elected to do was bring back Perryman on a two-year deal. The former Miami product stayed relatively healthy and played well enough to remain on the team through next season, but Drue Tranquill’s emergence at the middle linebacker position has given the Chargers reason to believe that they could lean on the fourth-round selection to manage the full load moving forward. Should they move on from Perryman, Los Angeles would save $6.55 million in cap space.

C Mike Pouncey

One of the heart and souls on the offensive line and in the locker room, Pouncey didn’t have the season he was anticipating. In Week 5, Pouncey sustained a major neck injury that required surgery. The injury was so severe that there’s still a possibility that it could be career-ending. Pouncey recently appeared to be optimistic that he would be able to play, but it all depends on if the doctors clear him. If he isn’t cleared, then the Chargers will have to look elsewhere to fill the void at the center position. Scott Quessenberry would likely be the favorite when considering his strong play in the starting role this past season.

DT Brandon Mebane

Even though Mebane is coveted for his veteran and locker room presence, he didn’t flash as much as previous season and the Chargers showed that they could be set at the nose tackle position with two other players — Damion Square and Sylvester Williams, both who proved their worth this past season and could very well be re-signed. If the team elects to move on from the 34-year old, they would save $4.25 million in cap space.

Chargers LB Drue Tranquill named to PFF’s 2019 All-Rookie Team

Drue Tranquill was by far the most dominant from the Los Angeles Chargers’ 2019 draft class.

Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill was lights out in his first professional season.

For his efforts, Tranquill was named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie team as a special teamer.

Tranquill, the fourth-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft, made an impact as early as last summer in camp, showing his high football IQ to quickly get adapted to the new playbook.

That translated to the field, where he was seen making plays on a consistent basis, whether that was at the linebacker position or on special teams. As the season went on he grew into an integral part of the defense.

In the 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).

With durability concerns continuing to loom around Denzel Perryman, Tranquill could very well be in contention to earn the permanent starting middle linebacker role in 2020.

LB Denzel Perryman returns to starting lineup for Chargers

The move to bench arguably the best linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers is a bit puzzling.

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn announced that linebacker Denzel Perryman will start at middle linebacker this weekend against the Vikings.

Perryman missed the Week 14 matchup against the Jaguars after he and safety Roderic Teamer were sent home after missing a morning meeting prior to the game.

While Perryman missed out on the action, rookie standout Drue Tranquill got the start, where he led the team in tackles with eight.

“He’s been our starting MIKE all year. Last week we had a disagreement, so he went home. He understands, and now he’s back,” Lynn said.

The decision to start Perryman and resort Tranquill back to the bench isn’t surprising, but it’s a bit of a head-scratcher.

The fourth-round selection has arguably been the best linebacker this season, where he’s been a force against the run and has been the most superior in coverage.

There’s still a chance that we could see Tranquill on the field more than advertised. But at the moment, we can anticipate Perryman getting the majority of the snaps, while Tranquill serves as a sub-package linebacker.

Other notable updates:

  • Lynn said he will make a decision on whether defensive tackle Jerry Tillery will be active for Sunday later this week. Tillery was not active in Week 14 in favor of Sylvester Williams.
  • With his suspension over, Michael Davis will retake his starting job at corner. But Lynn said Brandon Facyson will still get time because of how well he’s played, particularly against the run.

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The future is now for Chargers LB Drue Tranquill

Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill has been lights out in his rookie campaign.

Prior to the regular season, general manager Tom Telesco made it clear that he wanted to add more talent at the linebacker position.

One of the ways that Telesco was hoping to fulfill that was by selecting Drue Tranquill with their fourth-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft.

Telesco was taking a bit of gamble because while the talent and football intelligence were there, Tranquill had two season-ending knee injuries throughout his collegiate career.

With expectations not that high for the former Notre Dame product entering camp, it wasn’t long until he started to raise eyebrows.

The coaching staff was pleased with how quickly he was getting adjusted to the playbook, and from that point it was clear that the team knew they might’ve had something with Tranquill.

Tranquill entered the season as a key special teamer and sub-package linebacker.

Tranquill’s presence was evident, as he was making tackles over the field, whether that be rallying to the football on special teams or shooting through gaps and blowing ball carriers in the backfield.

He was playing like he had been in the league for years and with that came the reward of receiving more snaps with the first-team defense.

Tranquill was given the starting role at middle linebacker over Denzel Perryman, and Sunday’s victory over the Jaguars marked his third start this season.

Tranquill finished the game with a team-high eight tackles, including five on the first defensive drive where he played a large contribution in holding the Jaguars to less than 100 rushing yards.

The run defense department had been shaky for the Chargers over the past few years and he has certainly helped with shoring that up, posting four tackles for loss. But his previous safety skills show in pass coverage, where he’s held his own against running backs and tight ends.

There’s no doubt that Tranquill has shown that he’s capable of managing the full load as the team’s starting middle linebacker role, which is why it could make out to be something to watch for this offseason.

Denzel Perryman, who signed a two-year contract extension this past offseason, could be a candidate to be cut in favor of Tranquill. The team has a lot of key players to re-sign and releasing him would free up some cap space to do so.

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Update on Chargers’ head-scratching inactives

Here’s why Chargers’ Denzel Perryman, Roderic Teamer and Jerry Tillery were inactive ahead of the Week 14 matchup against the Jaguars.

The Los Angeles Chargers pulled away with a monstrous victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. While there was plenty of excitement surrounding the win, there was still one thing that was puzzling.

Prior to the matchup, linebacker Denzel Perryman and safety Roderic Teamer had been ruled out, and then that was followed up with first-round selection Jerry Tillery being among the eight inactives.

Following the game, coach Anthony Lynn didn’t provide too much information, saying that it was “coach’s decision” but did say he sent them home rather than having them stand on the sidelines in street clothes.

Today, the reason why they were sent home came out.

According to ESPN’s Eric D. Williams, Perryman and Teamer missed a morning meeting in Jacksonville, which led to Lynn sending them home on Saturday.

Perryman has been the team’s starting middle linebacker for the past few seasons, but rookie Drue Tranquill has slowly been taking over the role throughout the course of the year.

As for Tillery being an inactive, Lynn said it was for matchup purposes. He rolled with veteran Sylvester Williams in the game to help stop the Jaguars’ run game.

“I wanted to see Sylvester. Sometimes it’s a matchup deal and they were going to run the football. Leonard (Fournette) is having a breakout year. So I needed a bigger body in the middle of our defense, and that’s why Sylvester was up. But Jerry has done nothing wrong. He’s working his tail off, I like his development. It was just a matchup deal,” Lynn said.

Third-round pick Trey Pipkins was also another inactive that raised eyebrows. The team is happy with Pipkins’ production, but with Russell Okung and Sam Tevi back in the starting lineup, it’s more difficult to rotate them in and Trent Scott is currently the preferred backup.

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Chargers’ Denzel Perryman, Roderic Teamer ruled out vs. Jaguars

The Los Angeles Chargers have ruled out two players less than 24 hour prior to their matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Los Angeles Chargers have ruled out linebacker Denzel Perryman and safety Roderic Teamer ahead of the matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Both Perryman and Teamer were not listed on the injury report this past week. It remains to be seen why the team decided to downgrade the two less than 24 hours from kickoff.

It’s possible that it could be a disciplinary action.

Perryman has been a key piece to the Chargers run defense, totaling 49 tackles, four tackles for loss and one forced fumble.

Teamer was a valuable asset while safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips were overcoming their perspective injuries. He has 40 tackles, an interception and a sack.

With Perryman out, rookie Drue Tranquill will likely take over as the team’s starting middle linebacker on Sunday.

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Good, bad, ugly from Chargers’ loss to Broncos

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez delivers the good, the bad and the ugly from the Chargers’ 23-20 loss to the Broncos.

The Los Angeles Chargers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 13.

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the game:

The Good

WR Keenan Allen and Mike Williams

Quarterback Philip Rivers wasn’t great, but he wasn’t bad. But one of the biggest reasons why he was able to bounce back after an underwhelming start was because he benefited from Allen and Williams.

Allen got the best of cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and the rest of the secondary, winning with his savvy route running, including a beautiful corner route to get behind the coverage for a touchdown. Allen finished with six catches for 68 yards and a score.

Meanwhile, Williams continued to serve as the big playmaker for the offense, reeling in a couple deep passes, including one on a critical 4th-and-11 when he made an adjustment to come down with a one-handed grab to keep to drive going late in the game. He finished with five catches for 117 yards.

Linebackers

The group came together as one on Sunday, with all members making key plays. Rookie Drue Tranquill was all over the field, finishing with three tackles for loss. Second-year Kyzir White, who finally saw the field for an extended period, was a threat in pass coverage, finishing with a pass defended and was close to an interception. Denzel Perryman made the defensive play of the game when he intercepted a pass late in the game to set his team up for a field goal. Thomas Davis finished with six tackles.

Derwin James and Adrian Phillips

The return of James and Phillips was felt right away. James was utilized all over the field, but he was at his best filling in the alley to stop running back Phillip Lindsay, limiting him to 58 yards rushing. Phillips, on the other hand, was delivering hard hits all evening long and was a key contributor on third-down situations.

The Bad

Special teams

The Chargers let running back Troymaine Pope take over as the team’s punt returner after cornerback Desmond King struggled with fumbling the football. But Pope replicated King’s woes by muffing a punt in the second quarter, which ultimately led to a field goal.

Penalties

Linebacker Drue Tranquill’s roughing the kicker call could fall under the special teams category, but it was just one of many costly penalties committed by Los Angeles. In total, they were hit with seven for 82 yards, including a few false starts by offensive tackle Russell Okung

The Ugly

Defensive pass interference penalty

You never want to blame the officiating, but this is what it came down to. Cornerback Casey Hayward was hit a questionable penalty with seconds remaining in the game to set the Broncos up for the game-winning field goal. In reality, Hayward stayed in his tracks to make a play on the uncatchable ball, while wide receiver Courtland Sutton was the one who initiated the contact. They never reviewed the penalty, thus ending the game in what would’ve likely been an overturned call.

Game planning/Play-calling

You can blame one player, area or the penalty for the Chargers’ loss on Sunday but ultimately, it fell on the lack of execution with the planning, especially coming of a bye week and the play-calling as a whole. On the offensive side of ball, it was all vanilla and the red zone efficiency continues to be a problem, as they were 0-1 in a critical situation. The lone turnover by Rivers killed them, as it resulted in a touchdown. The defense played a great game as a whole, allowing only 219 yards. But the lack of pass rush and a few broken coverages bit them hard for two passing touchdowns.

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Chargers’ weakness becoming a strength

There’s one area that the Los Angeles Chargers have really made strides at improving this season.

The Chargers’ strong suit hasn’t always been stopping the run. Just three weeks ago, the team ranked No. 22 in the NFL, allowing 117.1 rushing yards per game.

Since then, the unit has made strides, giving up only 95 yards per game on the ground, which ranks them as the ninth-best in this category the past three weeks. Had they not allowed a couple big carries, this number would be significantly lower.

The running backs that Los Angeles has slowed down happen to be among the best at their position in the NFL — Titans’ Derrick Henry, Packers’ Aaron Jones and Raiders’ Josh Jacobs.

Their success all starts up front in the trenches. Despite missing starting defensive tackles Justin Jones and Brandon Mebane, Damion Square and recently acquired Sylvester Williams have done a phenomenal job filling in.

Williams, the 6-foot-2 and 313 pounder, was picked up to fill the role of Mebane. Whether it’s clogging holes or forcing double teams to allow other members of the front seven to make plays, Williams has shown to be a solid acquisition.

Last year it was Darius Philon who was the unsung hero in the trenches, but this year it’s been Square, who has been a huge contributor to the defense.

Defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram have been a dominant force at getting to the opposing quarterback, but running backs as well.

The rest of the front seven and backend of the defense was notorious for missing their assignments and missing tackles in the open field, but the group has really come into their own in those areas.

Whether it’s diagnosing where the football is going, avoiding blocks, or tackling with sound technique, they haven’t allowed many explosive plays like they used to in the past.

The Chargers will have to keep this same energy in this department the rest of the way out, as they will face Vikings’ Dalvin Cook, Jagaurs’ Leonard Fournette and Jacobs once more.

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