Tag: Kyzir White

Chargers LB Kyzir White proving his worth at training camp

Could Chargers linebacker Kyzir White finally get meaningful playing time?

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After flashing very early on in his rookie season, Chargers linebacker Kyzir White’s year was cut short after sustaining a knee injury.

White used the time off to get healthier, stronger and bigger. He started the 2019 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 and dime 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, though, he was making plays. The former West Virginia product finished with 40 tackles, two passes defensed and one tackle for loss.

Heading into Year 3, White is hoping to not be lost in the shuffle and earn some meaningful playing time.

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said that White “is really coming on strong now,” adding that the team has been moving him around a lot and he’s been making a lot of plays throughout training camp.

White’s recent play has suggested that he’s worth an expanded role. Like I mentioned, if he plays the SAM, then he won’t have much of an opportunity to make an impact, given the majority of the time the defense is in a sub-package.

Speaking of sub-packages, there is a void at the dime linebacker spot, which was played by Adrian Phillips the past couple of seasons, that still needs to be filled. White is capable of manning the spot, given his experience at both linebacker and safety.

He could also rotate inside with rookie Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill.

The bottom line is that White needs to see the field more, as long as he can stay healthy. To Bradley, this is the “strongest linebacker group he’s had since he’s been in Los Angeles.”

Shining Sophomore or Sophomore Slump? Grading Chargers’ 2018 draft class’ second season

Chargers Wire grades the Los Angeles Chargers’ 2018 draft class’ second season to determine if the sophomores slumped or shined.

When evaluating the previous season as a whole, it’s easy to make quick judgements on the rookie class. Yet, we forget about the group that was brought in the year prior.

In 2018, general manager Tom Telesco made the point to load up on the defensive side of the ball, as well as bring in some offensive players later on that were thought to make some contributions.

With that, let’s take a look at whether the second-year players shined or slumped:

Round 1, Safety Derwin James

Coming off an outstanding rookie season, the expectations were at an all-time high for James. Unfortunately, his campaign was put to a halt as he sustained a foot injury which required surgery that kept him out for the majority of the year. Though the defense were relatively solid, his absence was evident. Upon returning in Week 13, his impact was felt immediately. James, the chess piece on the defensive side of the ball, made plays in coverage, against the run and as an additional blitzer. In five games, he posted 34 tackles, three tackles for loss and one pass deflected.

Grade: A, but incomplete

Round 2, LB Uchenna Nwosu

Entering this season, it was expected that Nwosu was going to take over as the full-time SAM after the team elected to move on from Kyle Emanuel. But that’s not how it turned out after all. Nwosu primarily backed up defensive end Melvin Ingram at LEO, getting snaps when Ingram would come off the field, which was not very often. He received almost 100 more snaps than he did last year, but his production took a bit of a dip in the pass-rushing department. Nwosu only posted two sacks after finishing with 3.5 in 2018, and he only had seven quarterback hits this season compared to last season where he had 10. Nwosu did make more of an impact as a run defender, finishing with five tackles for loss. The jury is still out whether or not Nwosu will take on more of an expanded role next season.

Grade: B-

Round 3, DT Justin Jones

It wasn’t until near the end of the 2018 season when Jones really started to come into his own. Jones used the offseason to shed some weight to get quicker and more agile. From how his sophomore season went, the tactic that he used paid dividends. Even though he missed four games due to an injury, Jones was arguably one of the team’s best interior defenders, making an impact as a pass-rusher and run defender. The former North Carolina State product finished 30 tackles, six quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss, one pass deflected and a forced fumble.

Grade: B+

Round 4, LB Kyzir White

After flashing very early on in his rookie season, White’s year was cut short after sustaining a knee injury. White used the time off to get healthier, stronger and bigger as he was up 13 pounds entering the offseason. He started the 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. The expectation is that when Davis is no longer with the team, then White will likely take over that role full-time.

Grade: B

Round 5, C Scott Quessenberry

The offensive line wasn’t particularly a bright spot for the Chargers due to injuries that occurred throughout the season. But when one man (Pouncey) went down, another stepped up. Quessenberry made an impact early on that many may have not been expecting from him when handing him the starting duties. But you could tell that he benefited from learning from a four-time Pro Bowler. The former UCLA product was consistent in pass protection and in the run blocking department. Depending on what happens with Pouncey, Quessenberry could be in line to start as early as next season.

Grade: A-

Round 6, WR Dylan Cantrell

After dealing with a shoulder injury in his rookie season, Cantrell, the summer standout, was expected to take a big leap in Year 2. Unfortunately, the injury reoccured and was he ultimately waived by the team in July. He cleared waivers and reverted to the injured reserve. He never made an appearance this past season and his future with Los Angeles remains to be seen.

Grade: N/A

Round 7, RB Justin Jackson

While RB Melvin Gordon dealt with an injury in 2018, it didn’t take long for Jackson to raise some eyebrows with his play. Fast forward to 2019 when Gordon held out for a quarter of the season, Jackson still maintained the model of consistency, flashing as a runner. In the first three games of the season while serving as the complimentary back to Austin Ekeler, Jackson rushed for 142 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. From that point on, he was banged up by a hamstring injury, and he didn’t benefit from Gordon’s return. Should the Chargers choose to move on from Gordon, Jackson is likely going to be due for a huge uptick in snaps moving forward.

Grade: B+

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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