Tag: Keenan Allen

Chargers WR Keenan Allen says K.J. Hill has ‘been amazing’ in training camp

The Los Angeles Chargers’ leading wide receiver Keenan Allen has been impressed with former Ohio State receiver K.J. Hill in preseason camp.

There are all sorts of news on former Ohio State players making their mark on NFL training camps across the league, and the latest is former wide receiver K.J. Hill.

Graded out by many analysts as a third-round type-talent, Hill somehow dropped all the way to the seventh round in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Los Angeles Chargers swooped him up and he’s been nothing but a professional so far in 2020.

Beyond that though, Hill might be locking down a starting spot as the No. 3 option in the Chargers’ offense and has impressed his teammates with his route-running and ability to separate.

One of those players that’s been extremely impressed by Ohio State’s all-time passing yards record holder is the Chargers’ leading receiver Keenan Allen. He caught up with Inside Training Camp Live and was asked if any player has shown up as a potential to help the passing game from the slot position.

“K.J. Hill’s come in, and he’s been amazing,” Allen said. “His route running — you can just tell he’s been with a very elevated college team. They have Brian Hartline as a receiver coach. His techniques and his thought process is already there.”

You can watch the exchange for yourself in the below Twitter video shared by OSU’s receivers coach Brian Hartline himself.

It’s one thing to get praise from the media and coaches, but when your team’s best at the position you are competing with takes notice, it adds even more belief that you’re doing something right.

Go get ’em K.J.

 

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Who will step up in Chargers WR Mike Williams’ absence?

The Chargers need to figure out who will compliment Keenan Allen while Mike Williams is out.

The Chargers could be without wide receiver Mike Williams for the entire month of September after he sprained his shoulder on a diving catch during last Sunday’s practice.

Now that Williams likely won’t be in the starting lineup for the next few weeks, Los Angeles not only needs to figure out who will be the third wide receiver on the depth chart, but the second wideout in the meantime.

It might be a difficult task to replace the third-year player considering the depth chart is filled with a handful of unproven wide receivers in the starting role.

The player who will get the first crack is Jalen Guyton. Prior to Williams’ injury, Guyton was the frontrunner for WR3. Though Guyton doesn’t have the size or physicality that Williams possesses, he has the speed (4.35 40-yard dash) to give quarterback Tyrod Taylor a deep option on the outside.

The player who I think has the next best chance to fill the role is rookie Joe Reed. Reed has the dense build and physical nature to win the down the field in that role.

The Chargers have been using him in a variety of roles, including running back. But he has the skillset to succeed as a deep option. In 2018, Reed turned 37 targets into 25 receptions for 465 yards and seven touchdowns (67.6 percent catch rate).

Next in line who will have a crack to fill Williams’ shoes are Darius Jennings, Jason Moore and Tyron Johnson, along with rookie K.J. Hill.

Jennings is entering his fourth season. He has 27 catches for 235 yards during his professional career. However, he has been used primarily as a return specialist.

Moore had two receptions for 43 yards in 2019. He appeared in 10 games last season with most of his experience coming on special teams. Moore is a big receiver who uses his frame well, similar to Williams.

Johnson spent time on the practice squad in 2019. He has been praised by the coaching staff, and coach Anthony Lynn said that he has the speed they are looking for.

Lastly is Hill. The team’s seventh-round pick has been making plays all throughout camp thus far, getting open and catching everything thrown his way. Hill’s lack of speed likely warrants him to slot role, but he could find his way on the field if Keenan Allen was to play on the outside.

I predict Guyton to fill in for Williams, and the battle for WR3 will be a tight competition which will be determined during the rest of camp.

Chargers WR Keenan Allen talks potential contract extension, impressions of Tyrod Taylor, Justin Herbert

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen talked about the possibility of getting a contract extension before the season and the quarterbacks.

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is entering the final year of his contract.

Allen, 28, has proven that he’s worth an extension, posting his third consecutive season with at least 90-plus receptions and 1,190 receiving yards.

At Monday’s availability, Allen was asked about the possibility of getting a deal done before the 2020 season.

“That would be nice,” Allen said. He doesn’t know if his agent and Los Angeles are engaged in contract negotiations at the moment.

Allen is among a handful of notables that are slated to become free agents after the season.

Rather than waiting until next offseason, the Chargers may elect to lock up the team’s primary threat in the passing game soon.

Allen, who said he is in the best shape of his life, will have someone different than Philip Rivers distributing the wealth to him this upcoming season.

Allen was able to get familiar with Tyrod Taylor, who joined the team last year. Taylor is now projected to be the Week 1 starter, and he Allen said the chemistry has been good.

He says Tyrod brings a new element to their game with being able to run the ball.

If Allen is retained, he will have rookie Justin Herbert throwing him the rock, hopefully for years to come. The wideout likes what he sees from Herbert thus far.

“He can throw the ball anywhere on the field,” Allen said. A lot of strength behind his arm. He obviously can run. He’s a big guy and he’s smart, too.” Herbert had a handful of impressive throws today.”

Gallery: Everson Griffen’s 2019 season with the Vikings

It was reported on Wednesday that Everson Griffen had signed a deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Here are photos from his 2019 campaign.

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Recapping Chargers’ ‘Hard Knocks: Los Angeles’ season premiere

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez recaps the season premiere of HBO’s Hard Knocks.

The much-anticipated season of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Los Angeles featuring the Chargers and Rams debuted on Tuesday night.

A star-studded cast, headlined by coach Anthony Lynn, made for some eyebrow-raising moments.

Starting the episode with Lynn in a Zoom meeting stressing the importance of taking COVID-19 seriously after he was a victim of it. Lynn used his positive test as motivation for his players.

“Be patient, man. Be patient. Fellas, this year is not like any year we’ve had in the National Football League,” Lynn said. “There’s going to be chaos. It’s going to be change and it’s going to come every single day. The goals, the objectives, will not change.”

The bulk of the first episode took viewers behind the scenes of both team’s preparations for an unusual regular season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A handful of scenes included players having their temperatures screened, undergoing coronavirus testing and practicing social distancing.

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. each made their discomfort be known before their noses were swabbed for the active virus.

While COVID-19 protocols were the main focus of Tuesday’s episode, there were plenty of other notable moments in the season premiere.

As Los Angeles transitions into a new era with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, the 23-year old got plenty of camera time, most notably a throwing session which included a handful of beautiful passes.

His throws caught the attention of his coaches and teammates.

Defensive end Joey Bosa, who became the highest-paid defensive player after agreeing to a five-year extension worth $135 million, shared the emotional moment before telling his teammates he planned on buying a boat.

The name of his boat? “Double Swipe,” which is his go-to pass-rush move.

While the coronavirus pandemic has been sweeping the headlines, police brutality and systemic racism is still a thing. The cameras captured a Zoom call in which several of the team’s players talked about the social justice issues.

On the call, Chargers longsnapper Cole Mazza expressed his concerns about kneeling for the national anthem, citing his family’s military service. His teammates offered their understanding of Mazza’s perspective and supported him if he chooses to stand while others knelt.

“I think that’s the beauty of our country: someone being able to protest for someone, who’s also standing for what they believe in,” quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “At the end of the day, it’s about having respect for one another.”

It wouldn’t be an episode of “Hard Knocks” without some roster cuts. Lynn met with tight end Andrew Vollert in person to tell him the unfortunate new. Vollert’s response of “You’ve got to be f***ing kidding me,” had many people rolling.

Lynn followed it up by saying “I just like the fact that he was like ‘you got to be f***ing kidding me!’ I was like hold up now, you ain’t Antonio Gates.”

It also wouldn’t be an episode of “Hard Knocks” without capturing some of the arrivals to training camp. The most notable? Defensive end Melvin Ingram, who showed up in a 2020 Blue Steel Slingshot while playing one of his songs.

The next episode of “Hard Knocks” is set for next Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 7:00 p.m. PT.

Chargers QB Tyrod Taylor gives praise to WR Mike Williams

Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor praised Mike Williams’ ability to win down the field.

With the Chargers’ offense expected to shift to more of a run-heavy approach due to the change of quarterbacks, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to take targets away from the team’s pass-catchers.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who spoke with reporters last week, highlighted WR Mike Williams’ ability as a deep threat. Taylor said 50-50 jump balls are “more like 70-30 or 80-20” when thrown to Williams.

There has been a narrative that Williams’ production will take a dip with Taylor under center.

However, that narrative could be put to bed. Coach Anthony Lynn said Taylor throws one of best deep balls in the game and is really good throwing outside the numbers.

When he was the starting quarterback for the Bills, Taylor ranked 12th in passing yards, eighth in passing touchdowns and 20th in adjusted completion percentage among all quarterbacks on throws 20-plus yards downfield, per Pro Football Focus.

While Taylor’s go-to way of taking care of business consists of running the football and being conservative by throwing to the short to intermediate parts of the field, he isn’t afraid to take chances down the field.

Based on his comment in regards to Williams, the 25-year old could possibly see a campaign similar to the one in 2019, where he led the league in yards per reception (20.4).

Predicting 6 Chargers stars on ‘Hard Knocks: Los Angeles’

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez predicts six Chargers who could be stars on ‘Hard Knocks: Los Angeles’.

HBO’s Hard Knocks: Los Angeles is set to premiere tonight. Ahead of the first episode, I make my predictions for six Chargers players who could be the stars of this year’s five-episode series.

1. WR Keenan Allen

Allen has been under-looked for the majority of his professional career, but the 28-year old should have no problem earning the spotlight. Expect to see his flashy route-running often, but his infectious personality will be on display, too.

2. QB Justin Herbert

Back in 2016, Rams’ Jared Goff got a good chunk of camera time as it was his first year as a pro. Four years later, first-round pick QB Justin Herbert will likely get the same amount of attention. Herbert isn’t loud by any means, and he’s known for his introverted personality. But how he handles an NFL huddle, the competition between him and Tyrod Taylor and how he interacts with his new teammates will be showcased.

3. RB Austin Ekeler

Now with Melvin Gordon, Ekeler takes over as the lead back for the Chargers. Following a breakout season, the 25-year old is starting to get the attention that he deserves. For those that are living under a rock, they will get familiar with Ekeler’s outgoing personality and hardcore addiction to working out really quick.

4. S Derwin James

James has become a household name for his dominance on the gridiron in his first two seasons as a pro. But not many people, outside of fans, may know him for his ra-ra type of personality. James is an outspoken person, who always has a smile on his face and is always making his teammates laugh.

5. EDGE Joey Bosa

Bosa became the richest defensive player in the NFL just a couple of weeks ago, so there’s a 100% chance that there will be footage of him signing his extension. But outside of that, the money man’s laidback and humorous personality could get quite a bit of camera time. His partner-in-crime – Melvin Ingram – is one to watch for, as well.

6. K Michael Badgley

Hard Knocks is notorious for shining the spotlight on players who aren’t necessarily superstars on the gridiron. This may be a bit of a stretch, but Badgley also known as “Money Badger” has your typical California vibe, which could catch the attention of the producers of the show.

The Athletic ranks Chargers’ offense, defense heading into 2020 season

The Chargers’ offense was a bit disrespected.

The Chargers will have a slightly different look on the offensive side of the ball after losing quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Melvin Gordon and offensive tackle Russell Okung.

Los Angeles will start a new era at the quarterback position as Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert take over after Rivers and the franchise mutually agreed to part ways earlier this offseason.

There are plenty of questions in regards to how the quarterback play will shape up in Los Angeles. But the team’s skill players – which is led by Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Hunter Henry – should elevate it.

The offensive line, which has been the weakest line for years now, had a slight upgrade with the additions of tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner, along with the return of center Mike Pouncey.

How does their offense rank among the rest of the NFL?

The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia ranked all 32 team’s offenses, and Los Angeles finished near the bottom of the pack, coming in at No. 26 overall.

They’ll attempt one of the bigger scheme changes of any offense, going from the stationary Rivers to a quarterback-inclusive run game with Tyrod Taylor. The Chargers upgraded their offensive line, trading for Trai Turner and signing Bryan Bulaga, but they have one of the worst left tackle situations in the league. Given the drastic system change, they’re another team that figures to be hurt by the limited offseason. If things start off badly, there will be pressure to move on to first-round pick Justin Herbert.

The Chargers roster on the offensive side of the ball is talented, but it’ll all fall on the coaching staff’s shoulders to implement the best system to play to Taylor’s and Herbert’s strength in order to them into the most optimal position to succeed.

On the other side of the ball, there’s no denying that the unit is strong in all three levels. Led by Derwin James, Casey Hayward, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, the defense finished as the No. 3 overall defense heading into the upcoming season.

L.A. will have more reinforcements on the defensive side of the ball to help become one of the top units in the NFL, including four-time Pro Bowler cornerback Chris Harris Jr, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Taking a big swing here, but there are legitimate reasons to be bullish about the Chargers’ defense. They were last in red-zone defense, last in short-yardage defense and produced turnovers at the fourth-lowest rate of any team last season. Those are areas that involve at least some luck and randomness, and the Chargers very well could bounce back. Their talent is better too. Safety Derwin James missed 11 games last season, and the Chargers signed Chris Harris Jr. to be their slot corner. First-round pick Kenneth Murray should offer an immediate upgrade at linebacker, and Linval Joseph is a savvy veteran addition at defensive tackle. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are among the top pass-rushing duos in the league. Scheme-wise, the Chargers played Cover-3 (a three-deep zone with four underneath defenders) at the highest percentage of any team last year. In interviews this offseason, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has acknowledged needing to incorporate more man and more split-safety looks. If there’s a defense that could make a 49ers-like leap this season, it’s the Chargers.

5 offensive storylines to watch at Chargers training camp

The Los Angeles Chargers will have a new look on the offensive side of the ball.

Here are five offensive storylines to watch for the Los Angeles Chargers during training camp:

A new era

All eyes will be on the quarterback position after the 16-year marriage between the Chargers and Philip Rivers came to an end earlier this offseason.

Taking over is Tyrod Taylor, the 10-year veteran. Taylor has spent most of his career as a backup but did start three seasons with the Bills, leading them to a playoff appearance in 2017. In 43 starts, Taylor has a 62.6 completion percentage and has thrown 51 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions.

But it won’t be without competition.

Los Angeles drafted Justin Herbert with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft with the hopes of him becoming the long-term solution. Herbert faces an uphill challenge after an unusual virtual offseason program that kept him from taking the practice field.

While Herbert has the size, athleticism and arm strength to get by, his accuracy needs to improve, as does his anticipation. His development will be key in order to best of him. The team is hopeful that quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton will help aide in that.

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Check it out: Chargers players rocking new uniforms for first time

One step closer to seeing the Los Angeles Chargers wear these in live game action.

The Chargers have arguably the cleanest uniforms in the NFL. You can make the argument that they did with their previous threads, but the new ones that they will be donning starting this season definitely takes the reins.

With the season inching closer, that means fans are one step closer to seeing the Bolts in their new stadium while sporting the new uniforms.

Players gave us a preview of what to expect, as they were captured wearing the powder blues for the team’s photoshoot.

Check out some of the footage below, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter account: