Tag: Jesse Minter

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.

Chargers rookie Tarheeb Still raises eyebrows in offseason program

Tarheeb Still could start as a rookie.

The Chargers’ fifth-round pick from Maryland, Tarheeb Still, made his presence known at minicamp practices. 

Within the last few practices, Still got an interception off Justin Herbert and two pass breakups against other quarterbacks during full-team drills. 

“Tarheeb has, probably in the last three or four practices, made a really, really good jump that you sort of expect a guy to make after being able to digest five or six practices,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “Really happy with the jump he’s made.

“He made a bunch of really nice plays out there the last couple days,” Minter added.

Chargers veterans like Derwin James are also taking note of Still’s ability on defense. 

“Tarheeb been making a lot of plays in the slot,” James said.

Still made sure to make the most of his first offseason program, which is no surprise since he was quite the ball hawk when he played at Maryland. He finished his final collegiate season with five picks, which was tied for the fifth-most in the FBS.

Still can play outside or inside, but he is most likely going to play in the slot and compete with Ja’Sir Taylor for the starting job.

Derwin James ready to reclaim place as one of NFL’s top safeties

Derwin James is going to benefit from playing in Jesse Minter’s defense.

Derwin James Jr. is eagerly waiting for the season to begin. Based on his comments on Thursday, his eagerness will transfer to his performance on the field—so prepare for an outstanding season from James. 

“It feels amazing. It feels like Christmas,” James said Thursday. “I can’t wait to play. I can’t wait until September gets here.”

Jim Harbaugh thinks highly of James and wants others on the team to emulate his energy. 

“One and a half practices in way back in April, it was clear to be like, ‘Derwin James, Jr. Okay guys, do whatever Derwin James is doing,'” Harbaugh said about James. “However he approaches the training environment, the way he approaches the meetings, the way he approaches the practices, what he wears, what he does, what he says, the way he goes from meeting to meeting, the way he communicates. Everything he does.”

James’ approach to the game is unique and desirable, so it’s not surprising that Harbaugh spotted that so early on in his time in Los Angeles. 

“Just look at No. 3 and do everything that he is doing and it’s going to be really good for you,” Harbaugh added. 

James has always been a respected leader for the Chargers but his success had been somewhat stagnant last year. 

“Every day, I just try to be the example, set the standard, be here every day and be present, not just be here,” James said. “Working hard and pushing guys.

Although he wasn’t as successful performance-wise last season, he remained a faithful leader for his teammates. 

Most of James’ performance concerns stemmed from the myriad of roles he had in the previous defensive scheme under Brandon Staley. However, under Jesse Minter, his responsibilities have been more suitable. 

“Just looking at who I am as a player, day in and day out, how he sees me in his scheme … every day he just reminds me of who I am,” James said about his early conversations with Minter. “Like I said, I just been getting better every day and he’s a straightforward guy.”

Rather than a play-to-play basis, James will have a set role each game and will stick with it. If he’s asked to cover a tight end, he’ll do that for the entire game. If James is asked to play a single-high safety, he’s doing that for all 60 minutes.

“I feel like I’ll be moved around,” James said. “But I feel like it will be very detailed on an assignment that he wants me to have.”

It’s no secret that James is an exceptional leader for the Chargers’ defensive unit. However, now that he is adjusting to a new scheme, he seems hungry for success.

PFF: Why Jim Harbaugh gives the Chargers reason for optimism in 2024

Jim Harbaugh is a culture changer.

Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman provided a reason to be optimistic for each team in the NFL. For the Chargers, it’s head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Here is what Wasserman had to say:

Jim Harbaugh has had one losing season as a head coach since 2009, a COVID-shortened 2020 campaign at Michigan when he went 2-4. He’s the culture changer that the Chargers needed. His influence was immediately evident in his first Chargers draft class when selecting physical players like tackle Joe Alt, linebacker Junior Colson and defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe.

Harbaugh has always emphasized the importance of running and stopping the run. His coordinators Greg Roman and Jesse Minter are fully on board with that philosophy. All of that is meant to complement Justin Herbert, who is the most talented quarterback Harbaugh has worked with since he had Andrew Luck at Stanford. With Harbaugh in charge, a turnaround in Los Angeles could come sooner than later.

There’s always plenty of hype surrounding the Chargers every year, but it feels different this time. For once, the Bolts have a coach with a winning resume at the college and NFL levels. As Wasserman said in his blurb, they have a culture changer. They haven’t had that in a long time.

If his 144-52 record in college and 49-22-1 record in the pros is any indication, Los Angeles will win a lot of games with Harbaugh at the helm, and it should start this season. I firmly believe he has the type of impact to turn this team around quickly. It’s what he does.

Harbaugh’s impact, combined with the talented Justin Herbert under center and one of the easiest schedules, gives reason to be optimistic about this upcoming season.

ESPN’s FPI gives Chargers 1.1% chance of winning Super Bowl

The model isn’t too high on the Chargers.

So you’re saying there’s a chance?

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gave the Chargers a 1.1% chance of winning the Super Bowl next year and an 18.9% chance of winning the division over the Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos.

However, there is hope of making the playoffs, as the model gives Los Angeles a 45% chance to play beyond the regular season.

Overall, the Bolts are 18th overall, which is ahead of the Bears and one below the Steelers.

The model isn’t particularly high on the Chargers due to losing Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and their defense, which ranked 29th in EPA last season. Even with the pairing of Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert, it’s still below average.

I do feel like it will be a tall task to make it to the Super Bowl, let alone dethrone Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid of the AFC West title. But making the playoffs is a strong possibility, given Harbaugh taking over, the top-end talent and a relatively easy schedule.

PFF: Chargers’ Khalil Mack named to top 30 players over 30

Khalil Mack will be a key piece in Jesse Minter’s defense.

The Chargers have a slew of key veterans on the roster. Among them is edge defender Khalil Mack, who was named one of Pro FootbFocus’cus’ top 30 players over 30.

Mack’s play in 2021 and 2022 indicated some decline as he aged north of 30 with grades in the low 70.0s, but in 2023, he showed he could still be a dominant edge defender (91.8 PFF grade). With a pass-rush win rate of 18.2%, Mack produced 18 sacks.

After considering retiring following the Chargers’ playoff collapse to the Jaguars two seasons ago, 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.

Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree has the chance of being one of the top edge defender groups.

Chargers DBs coach Steve Clinkscale prioritizing versatility in the secondary

Steve Clinkscale is prioritizing versatility in the defensive backfield.

Chargers defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale had his first media availability of the offseason. Clinkscale laid out some of Jesse Minter’s defensive vision as well as his expectations for the secondary.

First, he spoke about Minter’s system:

The beauty with Jesse is that he’s a defensive back guy himself. We speak the same language. I can anticipate the issues that he wants, his pet peeves, my pet peeves. It’s been an easy transition to teach those guys what Coach Minter is looking for. With him being a back end guy, we do put a lot of responsibility on the secondary. We put a lot of work into those guys. We want to make sure that they’re going to do things right. That’s a reflection of him and I, right away, the secondary. His vision on the defense is that we’re going to communicate. We’re going to destroy blocks. We’re going to disrupt the ball. We’re going to have great effort and angles. We’re going to finish and make tackles. That’s what we want to put on film week-in and week-out. If you do those fundamental things, whatever he calls, we should be able to work. Sometimes, they’re going to give us something that’s going to be an issue for the coverage, but as long as what our guys know what to go to when in doubt with the check, then when the ball is snapped to enforce our separators, our fundamental approach to the game, we’ll be fine.

Clinkscale also spoke at length about newly signed cornerback Kristian Fulton and what he’s seen from him so far:

I’ll be honest with you, he’s got kind of the rookie mentality. ‘Coach, teach me. Whatever it is, I want to learn. I want to learn. I want to get better at this.’ This is a new lease on life for him. You see it out there. He moves very fluid. You can tell he’s experienced. He’s able to adjust. He’s able to put it in our language fast. He’s a pro. When I got here, you think, ‘Oh, college is different.’ The pros want to learn just like [S] Derwin James [Jr.]. They want to learn. [S] Alohi [Gilman], they all want to get better and look at things a little different way so they can be successful. It’s been great because we all meet together. That’s what we do. We’re all DB coaches. [Safeties] Coach [Chris] O’Leary coaches the nickels, corners, safeties. We’re all together in the room. Just bringing those guys together, getting them on one page — it’s been special. I believe in the mentality has to be right. Working with Kristian and anybody in there, it’s just been special for those guys to come in and know that we’re going to work, I’m going to hold them accountable, now. I’m going to get on them if they’re not doing things right, but they’re going to go out there and they have the ability to execute for our defense to be special.

Clinkscale was asked about what specific roles he envisions for both Fulton as well as Asante Samuel Jr. Regarding slot and outside corner distinction, the former Michigan coach made it clear that everyone in the secondary has to be prepared to do both. “They are all going to rotate in there…I’ve rotated them at corner and at nickel, like I said, so that they have that versatility.”

Clinkscale hit on theme of versatility several times in his preser. Another quote on that subject that drove the point across: “All of the corners have to know nickel and all of the safeties have to know nickel and dime as well as the safety position.” The issue of potential injuries and preparing for that by having secondary players cross-trained for those potential circumstances was also a clear motivating factor for this coaching staff’s approach.

When it came to Derwin James, Clinkscale also mentioned his versatility and potentially putting him at weakside linebacker and slot corner at times. He mentioned the usage of the safeties at Michigan in that context.

It’s still too early to tell who the starters will be in the secondary and at which spots, but it’s clear that this defensive staff wants to be able to move their defensive backs around while not pigeonholing themselves in regards to depth.

Kristian Fulton sounds off on getting fresh start with Chargers

Kristian Fulton is out to prove a point.

After four seasons with the Titans, where he first began his NFL career, Kristian Fulton felt it was time for a new home and signed with the Chargers.

“It’s been great,” Fulton said at his media availability. “I feel like everybody is really on the same page here so they’ve made it easy for everyone with a fresh start here so they can come in and really make it a smooth transition.”

Fulton, a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, recorded 25 pass breakups and four interceptions throughout four seasons in Tennessee.

Fulton has showcased the skillset to stick with starting wide receivers.

However, recurring injuries hindered Fulton’s tenure with the Titans, forcing him to miss 26 of 67 games. He is also coming off the worst season of his career, but Fulton believes being in Los Angeles will revitalize his play.

“I think what attracted me, obviously I think the coaching staff is excellent, I think they have all the pieces to be a successful team as far as [Jim] Harbaugh, [Jesse] Minter,” Fulton said. “I felt really comfortable with the schemes that they were going to bring in.

“I felt like it was just a great opportunity just to get a fresh start,” Fulton added. “I wanted to go somewhere where the coaches have the same mindset to win. That’s all I’ve been around, so that’s pretty much what led me here.”

Fulton has steadily been adapting to the new scheme and defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale has been pleased with what he has seen out of him.

“I’ll be honest with you, he’s got kind of the rookie mentality, ‘Coach, teach me. Whatever it is, I want to learn, I want to get better at this,'” Clinkscale said. “This is a new lease on life for him and you see it out there.”

“…..He moves really fluid, you could tell he’s experienced, he’s able to adjust, he’s able to put it in our language fast and he’s a pro.”

Fulton has yet to make a significant mark since entering the league but is working toward changing that.

“I got something to prove every year,” Fulton said. “In my opinion, it wasn’t my best year last year on the field.

“Like I said, every time I step on the field that’s got to be my mindset, to prove a point and that’s what I’m here to do,” Fulton added. “Just make the most of this year.”

Chargers sign EDGE Bud Dupree

The Chargers added a productive veteran edge presence.

The Chargers signed edge defender Bud Dupree on Saturday, the team announced.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, it is a two-year deal for Dupree, worth $6 million base and a max value of $10 million.

Dupree joins a talented edge defender room that consists of Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa and Tuli Tuipulotu.

This signing likely guarantees that Dupree will take over the fourth EDGE spot, which is currently held by Chris Rumph II.

The 31-year-old Dupree began his career with the Steelers after being selected in the first round in 2015. After six seasons with Pittsburgh, he signed with the Titans and spent two seasons with them.

Dupree then signed with the Falcons last season, registering 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss, three passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Across nine seasons, Dupree has 305 tackles, 53 sacks, 70 tackles for loss, 90 QB hits and 12 forced fumbles.

Early signs pointing to Derwin James wearing green dot for Chargers during 2024 season

Derwin James was spotted wearing what appeared to be a communications device at voluntary veteran minicamp.

The Chargers uploaded a series of photos from their voluntary veteran minicamp to the team’s website. Perhaps most interestingly, a picture of Derwin James wearing a communications device was uploaded.

Historically, players wearing an earpiece are usually relaying signal calls from the defensive coordinator. In this case, James would be the primary green dot play caller for Jesse Minter.

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James has worked as the team’s green dot previously. Last season, Brandon Staley handed the signal-calling responsibilities to a newly signed free agent in Eric Kendricks entering 2023. After an injury to Kendricks and an early defensive tailspin for the team, the green dot role went back to Kenneth Murray.

James had signal-calling responsibilities in both 2021 and parts of 2022. In 2022, Staley wanted to free up James’ ability to make plays by giving green dot responsibility to former Charger Drue Tranquill early in the season. It was a change of philosophy for Staley relative to how he talked about James’ role when he first was hired.

It’s still too early to suggest that James is getting the green dot role back relative to other options. With the draft quickly approaching, one has to wonder if the Chargers take a linebacker fairly early. Los Angeles publicly met with Michigan’s Junior Colson and Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper in Top 30 visits.

While we’re still a long way away from August and September, James’ contentment with being Minter’s signal relayer is nonetheless interesting and a potentially marked change.