Tag: L.A. Chargers

Where Chargers undrafted free agent class ranks among rest of NFL

The consensus wasn’t too high on the undrafted free agents that the Los Angeles Chargers signed.

The NFL draft is behind us, and all of the talks have been primarily surrounding around the six selections made by general manager Tom Telesco. But left out have been the undrafted free agents that he signed.

The Chargers inked 19 undrafted free agents to a contract after the draft. How does the haul stack up to the rest of the league?

The Athletic’s Arif Hasan put together a consensus draft board before the event, and was able to string together the top undrafted free agent classes by team as well as the top undrafted free agents.

Los Angeles ranked No. 23 out of the 32 teams in the league. They didn’t sign a player that was part of the top-25 players remaining on the board after the draft.

Yahoo Sport’s Thor Nystrom put out his rankings, as well. For his grading scale, he has the Bolts ranked No. 27.

The Chargers were light on defensive line depth coming out of the draft, so it’s not a surprise they targeted that in the UDFA free-for-all. I’d bet that at least one of Joe Gaziano or Brandon Fehoko make the team. Asmar Bilal and Jesse Lemonier are two other guys to keep an eye on in camp.

I recently put out an article that lists the four undrafted free agents that I believe will make the 53-man roster.

The Chargers have had a good amount of success finding diamond in the rough players, so if some of the players that I mention don’t make it, there is still bound to be a couple that do after their showings in training camp and preseason action.

5 players with Chargers ties named to PFF’s All-Decade top 101

The Los Angeles Chargers have had a slew of great players within the past decade.

Pro Football Focus recently released its list of the 101 best players of the 2010s decade, and five of those players with ties to the Chargers were among the crop.

Three of the players who made the cut are still with the team, while the other two are no longer with the Bolts. However, their contributions still impacted the franchise, in a positive way.

Here’s who made the cut, along with analysis from PFF’s Sam Monson:

12. CB CHRIS HARRIS JR.

“Chris Harris Jr.’s career has been a remarkable thing to behold. An undrafted player out of Kansas, Harris forced his way onto the team as a nickel corner, played so well he earned snaps outside in base and then so well at that that he became a true No.1 cornerback who didn’t even play in the slot anymore. Harris has been targeted over 600 times in the decade, and yet surrendered just 6.3 yards per reception. Over the course of the 2010s, only Richard Sherman allowed fewer receiving yards per snap in coverage than the 0.89 Chris Harris did, and nobody did it with a more varied role within his defense or a tougher path to success than hitting the league as an undrafted free agent.”

15. S ERIC WEDDLE

“The best — and most consistent — safety over the past decade, Eric Weddle retired after last season after never earning a season grade as low as even average. At a position where consistency is incredibly hard to maintain, Weddle was phenomenal year after year in every facet of play. Weddle was a modern-day prototype safety who could do everything that was asked of him at an extremely high level, and he showed later in his career that he could do exactly the same thing in a new team with new requirements. Weddle had three seasons this decade that earned an overall PFF grade above 90.0.”

24. CB CASEY HAYWARD JR.

“Hayward just outperformed expectations from Day 1 in the NFL. His rookie season was one of the greatest statistical performances we have ever seen from a corner covering the slot, and he only got better as his play earned him a greater role within defenses and, ultimately, a job with the Chargers as a No. 1 corner. For the decade, he has the highest forced incompletion rate of any cornerback (18.6%) and has been one of the most underrated coverage players of his generation. Hayward doesn’t get remembered as a shutdown corner along with the biggest names at the position, but he should.”

64. QB PHILIP RIVERS

“Rounding out the bottom half of the second-tier of quarterbacks, Rivers has had a few ups and downs throughout his career, but he had six top-10 finishes during the decade. Even when it doesn’t look pretty, Rivers has the anticipation and feel to mitigate a decrease in arm strength, and he remains productive at all levels of the field. Even more impressively, Rivers played behind one of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines for the better part of the decade, yet he still stood in there and made big-time throws at a high level. The big criticism for Rivers is the lack of postseason success, but he’s one of the most underrated regular-season quarterbacks in NFL history and clearly one of the top eight signal-callers during the 2010s.”

83. WR KEENAN ALLEN

“One of the slickest route-runners in the game, Keenan Allen doesn’t have the mind-blowing athletic profile of some other receivers, but he can match anyone from a production standpoint. Allen has reeled in more than 90% of the catchable passes thrown his way since he entered the league and generated more than two yards for every pass pattern he has run. There is no real weakness to his game, and he has consistently shown that he will get open at will with some of the best releases off the line of any receiver in football.”

Gregg Rosenthal predicts Chargers’ 2020 starters

NFL Media’s Gregg Rosenthal makes his starting lineup predictions for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers have boasted a talented roster for years now. The results may have not reflected from that, but the issues arise from injuries and in-game woes that haunted them.

Los Angeles has shown that they can compete with the league’s best, and they’re hopeful that they can make a postseason run, like they managed to do two years.

After a slew of acquisitions this offseason, L.A. is once again equipped with talent from top to bottom. But how will the starting lineup shake up in order to get the best players on the field?

NFL Media’s Gregg Rosenthal recently took a crack at projecting the Chargers’ starters for the upcoming season.

Here is a look:

Notes

  • By no surprise, Tyrod Taylor is listed as the starting quarterback. Barring any injury, I expect Taylor to be the Week 1 starter. For how long remains to be seen. If he gets hurt or the team isn’t having any success with him under center, then that’s when we can expect rookie Justin Herbert to take over.
  • Andre Patton is listed as WR3. While Patton will be among the competitors for the job, I expect either rookie Joe Reed or K.J. Hill to earn it when all is said and done.
  • In Rosenthal’s eyes, Sam Tevi wins the starting left tackle job. Many are expecting this to be Trey Pipkins’ role, including myself. However, the team could favor Tevi’s experience in the starting position.
  • I would be surprised if Kenneth Murray didn’t open up as the starting Will linebacker and Drue Tranquill didn’t start as the Mike linebacker.
  • The reason for their not being a third linebacker listed is because given the amount of nickel and dime packages the Chargers go in, that would normally be Adrian Phillips’ role. But not that he is no longer on the team, Desmond King is the frontrunner.
  • Rayshawn Jenkins is listed as the starting free safety. If and when the Chargers go into their two-deep looks, Nasir Adderley will be on the field at the same time.

Analysts predict Chargers’ record for 2020 season

The Los Angeles Chargers’ record predictions are a mixed bag of opinions.

The 2020 NFL schedule is out, and the win-loss column predictions have begun.

I’m predicting the Chargers to finish with a 9-7 record, and fans have the opportunity to make their predictions, as well.

But what do other analysts and writers think of the upcoming season for Los Angeles?

Let’s take a look:

ESPN’s Lindsay Thiry: 10-6

“The Chargers open the season on the road facing the Bengals and No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow, then must turn around for their SoFi Stadium debut to host Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, whom they won’t play again until Week 17. In Weeks 4 and 5, the Chargers’ defense will be tested against two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks when they travel to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady, then to New Orleans to play against Drew Brees and the Saints. Weeks 6 through 8 are more than manageable as the Chargers face the Jets, Dolphins and Jaguars. They’ll play the Raiders, then will continue division play at Denver after a bye week. The Chargers then play a trio of games outside the division before ending their season with a three-game stretch of division matchups, including their inaugural trip to Las Vegas in Week 15.”

USA Today’s Nate Davis: 9-7

“All things considered, and assuming their key performers are healthy, they look fairly stout across the board – though it remains to be seen how well the offensive line protects either veteran QB Tyrod Taylor or first-rounder Justin Herbert … and whether either can successfully pilot a squad Rivers couldn’t elevate a year ago. The Bolts will play two prime-time games on the road but aren’t scheduled to be featured at SoFi Stadium, their new home building.”

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport: 5-11

“Two years ago, the Los Angeles Chargers won 12 games and a playoff contest. After a wildly disappointing 2019 campaign, the Bolts are now starting over.

With Philip Rivers set to throw passes in Indianapolis, the Chargers have turned over the reins at quarterback to a combination of veteran Tyrod Taylor and rookie Justin Herbert. The Melvin Gordon era is over as well; the ground game now belongs to Austin Ekeler.

The Chargers will benefit from the weakest schedule in the AFC West in 2020. Their opponents had a combined winning percentage of .492, and they face only four teams that made the playoffs a year ago.

But unless Herbert proves to be an exceedingly quick study, the Chargers have the look of a last-place team.”

Touchdown Wire’s Barry Werner: 7-9

“Anthony Lynn will have to decide when to test Justin Herbert as a starter when the Bolts fail to light it up in the first part of the season. Forgive Tyrod Taylor if he has seen this script before.”

FS1’s Nick Wright: 6-10

NFL Media’s Cynthia Frelund: 8-8

James Campen addresses state of Chargers’ offensive line

The Los Angeles Chargers are hopeful that James Campen can help the offensive line become a strong suit.

The Chargers not only added two proven players to the offensive line earlier this offseason in guard Trai Turner and tackle Bryan Bulaga. The team added a proven mentor for the unit, hiring offensive line coach James Campen.

Los Angeles’ offensive line finished as one of the worst groups in the league in 2019, but the team is hoping that the arrival of Campen might be the turning point.

Campen, who spent 15 seasons with the Packers, worked with primarily middle and late-round draft selections. But he turned the majority of them into Pro Bowlers and All-Pro selections.

Campen gave credit to the scouting departments for finding “late-round gems” along the offensive line rather than his ability to develop them.

Among the crop is tackle Trey Pipkins, last year’s third-round pick. After the departure of Russell Okung, Pipkins will have the opportunity to win the starting left tackle job.

Campen said he’s watched tape on Pipkins dating back training camp last summer. “He’s a very intelligent young man. He gets what you’re asking him to do. I think he has a lot of potential.”

Pipkins was forced into the action last season when Okung was sidelined. In the games he played, he did experience some growing pains, but he also flashed as a solid blindside blocker.

Campen mentioned that he has a plan for the former Sioux Falls product.

Even though the expectation is that Pipkins will be the starting left tackle going into the season, there will be other players in contention, consisting of Sam Tevi, Forrest Lamp, Trent Scott and Storm Norton.

Campen said it’s the most-discussed position of the offseason. “There are options there. There is a lot of good candidates that have a lot of the athletic traits you want at left tackle.”

Campen is referring to the options currently on the team, but didn’t touch up on potential free agent options that they could look to bring in, including Jason Peters, who still remains on the market.

Other than left tackle being the mystery along the offensive line, the rest of the group looks solidified for the most part.

Center Mike Pouncey will play in 2020 after being medically cleared on Wednesday, and the acquisitions of Bulaga and Turner will provide a huge upgrade on the right side. Dan Feeney has had the left guard spot locked up for the past couple of years now.

Campen has familiarity with Bulaga having spent a decade with him, and he has done a lot of work on Turner. He called them leaders. “They are what you want from an offensive lineman.”

The Chargers are hopeful that a combination of Campen’s coaching and a new offensive scheme will benefit an offensive line that has been a weak part of the team for years now.

Chargers’ Pep Hamilton gives first impression of QB Justin Herbert

Pep Hamilton is already working on improving some of Justin Herbert’s weaknesses from college.

The Chargers made two changes to the quarterback room this offseason. They drafted Justin Herbert in the first-round of this year’s draft, and followed that up with giving him a mentor by hiring Pep Hamilton to fulfill the duties as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

So what does Hamilton think of his new project? NFL Media’s Jim Trotter recently spoke with Hamilton to get an idea how Herbert is doing in (virtual) rookie minicamp thus far.

“I asked him [Hamilton], what did you learn about your quarterback about you didn’t know before? He said, ‘Look, we knew about his intelligence, we knew about his athletic gifts but what I didn’t know is how important football is to him.’

And he told me that with Justin, one of the things is he wants more. He wants to understand all the conceptual things behind a play design. He wants to know the why, as opposed to just the what. And Pep told me that’s important because you have to understand and see the big picture to succeed at the position,” Trotter said.

One of the things that Herbert struggled with in college was not seeing the entire field and being late to locate coverage. In Oregon’s system, he did benefit from pre-determined reads at times, but that will have to change at the next level.

To work on this, Hamilton has already given Herbert an assignment during the offseason training.

“What Hamilton told me is that he’s given Herbert an assignment. And he wants him to basically make a mental checklist of everything he goes through while watching NFL defenses.

Pep said, ‘when you see a little, you see a lot. When you see a lot, you don’t see anything’ and by that, what he means is that Herbert should be focusing on certain keys pre snap to know what a defense is going to do and what that coverage is going to be,” Trotter said.

Hamilton has worked with many NFL and some college quarterbacks, including Andrew Luck at Stanford and with the Colts. The Chargers are hopeful that he will help elevate Herbert’s game as he looks to be the long-term answer at the quarterback position.

3 Chargers primed for breakout seasons in 2020

The Los Angeles Chargers have a few players that could turn heads in 2020 for the first time.

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.

There are a few candidates to break out in 2020 for the Chargers, and I take a look at them in no particular order.

RB Justin Jackson

Jackson, the seventh-round selection of 2018, has flashed each and every time that he is on the field. In 20 games played, Jackson averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 79 touches. In his rookie season, he was buried on the depth chart and didn’t get many opportunities because Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler carried the load. In the following season when he had the opportunity to break out, Jackson was held back by an injury, limiting him to just seven games. Entering his third campaign, the team is still “very high” on Jackson despite the durability concerns. After drafting RB Joshua Kelley in the fourth-round of this year’s draft, it’s evident that the backfield will likely be a committee. But with the team expected to run the ball more now that a mobile quarterback will be under center, Jackson will will have the chance to return back to his old ways, if he can stay healthy.

DT Jerry Tillery

Tillery had expectations like any other first rounder would. He did not live up to those, failing to make his presence known in his rookie season. He was drafted to give the interior part of the defensive line a boost in the pass rushing department. Even though he never put it all together, he still managed to do positive things that might have gone unnoticed since he didn’t fill up the stat sheet. Tillery didn’t have a full offseason heading into in Year 1 since he spent the majority of it rehabbing his torn labrum. Now healthy, Tillery has that to has full advantage to get bigger and stronger. I could see him taking a big leap in his second season, similar to how Justin Jones did a couple of years back. If he puts the pieces together, showing he can play with better leverage and out-power interior blockers, him, Jones and newly acquired Linval Joseph will present a solid interior defensive line trio.

FS Nasir Adderley

Like Tillery, Adderley had high expectations heading into the summer, but he was derailed by a lingering hamstring issue that had been ongoing even before he was drafted. Adderley’s injury forced him to miss mandatory minicamp and most of training camp. He made his NFL debut in the preseason finale, where he recorded an interception, giving fans a glimpse of the talented safety. Unfortunately, his hamstring continued to be an issue, which forced the team to place him on the injured reserve. While Adderley was out of the action, Rayshawn Jenkins started at free safety all 16 games, playing the most snaps by any player. Since Jenkins earned the trust of the coaching staff, it may seem like an uphill climb for Adderley earn snaps, but a systematical change might make it easier than originally expected. The Chargers are expected to show more two-deep looks and man coverage and less Cover 3. This will mean that both Adderley and Jenkins would be on the field. If Adderley can stay healthy, he could be a difference-maker on the backend of the defense.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert jersey among top-15 sold

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s jersey has been in popular demand.

The NFL season is still months away, but NFL jersey season, however is year-round.

Now that rosters have been shaping up after a slew of acquisitions via free agency and the draft, fans are eager to support new players on their team, whether that’s veterans or rookies.

Chargers fans are especially ecstatic because of the new uniform changes, which features four new color ways.

A week before the draft, fans were able to buy jerseys of safety Derwin James, defensive end Joey Bosa and running back Austin Ekeler. But now, the jerseys of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert and linebacker Kenneth Murray are now available.

Based on sales, Herbert’s jersey has been in popular demand. The team’s first-round pick ranks No. 12 overall of the league’s highest-selling jerseys.

Rookie quarterbacks Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and veterans Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski make up the top-10.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy are the only other rookies to crack the top-20 in jersey sales.

You can buy Herbert’s jersey here.

4 Chargers primed to make first Pro Bowl

The Los Angeles Chargers have a handful of players that could represent them in the 2021 Pro Bowl for the first time.

Every year, the Chargers send a few players to the Pro Bowl.

Sure, awards are the more highly coveted recognition for players, but Pro Bowl selections do matter. The game isn’t as popular to watch anymore, but in a league with over 1,600 players, being in that top 5 percent is an honor.

There is a lot of talent on this year’s roster and the Bolts will likely send some to the annual all-star game that hasn’t been there before.

Here are four that could find their way to Orlando, FL at the end of the season:

RB Austin Ekeler

The fact that Ekeler didn’t make the Pro Bowl this past year is still absolutely shocking. Each year since coming into the league, he showed promise. But he bursted onto the scene in 2019 as he was used all across the formation. Even after Melvin Gordon returned from his holdout, the former Western Colorado product was still productive. Ekeler finished the year with 557 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 92 catches, 993 receiving yards, and eight receiving scores. As a result, he earned a four-year contract extension earlier this offseason. The former Western Colorado product should only continue to be a focal point as a do-it-all skill player moving forward.

WR Mike Williams

After being banged up during his rookie season in 2017, Williams has been the model of consistency since then. In 2018, Williams surpassed the 10-touchdown mark. In 2019, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. His 20.4 yards per reception ranked first in the league. Whether it’s Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert under center, more deep ball opportunities should be there for the big-bodied target this upcoming season.

LB Drue Tranquill

Tranquill, the fourth-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft, made an impact upon arriving. 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). The former Notre Dame product could start the season as the starting Mike linebacker, while rookie Kenneth Murray plays the Will linebacker.

TE Hunter Henry

In four seasons, Henry has proven to be one of the league’s complete tight ends. The only issue is injuries. He has yet to play a full 16-game slate, all due to injury. However, when he is on the field, he is a matchup nightmare. Henry has a career average of 8.9 yards per target, which was among the top nine last year. In 2019, Henry managed to still put up 652 yards on 55 receptions with five touchdowns in only 12 games. Even though there will be a change at quarterback, Henry should flourish both on deeper routes and short crossing patterns, as well as in the red-zone. Staying healthy will be key, though.

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How athletic is Chargers’ draft class?

Was athleticism a priority for Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco in this year’s draft?

Teams draft player that they believe will help put them in the best positions to win football games. However, one of the key traits that has been highly coveted as of late when determining who is brought in is athleticism as the game is getting faster.

For the Chargers, it has been a priority. Last offseason they possessed the most athletic draft class out of all 32 NFL teams.

How did they fare with this year’s haul?

According to Relative Athletic Score (RAS), a measure created by Kent Lee Platte, Los Angeles’ draft class averaged a RAS of 7.38 (out of 10). For reference, last year’s class averaged a RAS of 8.63.

RAS uses a combination of size and athletic testing numbers to produce a composite score for each player.

Based on the chart, it’s clear that athleticism wasn’t favored as much as the previous class, especially with the final two picks in the draft with safety Alohi Gilman and wide receiver K.J. Hill. Gilman and Hill tested poorly because they’re both lacking speed, but that doesn’t mean they’re not great players.

First-round selections quarterback Justin Herbert (9.70) and linebacker Kenneth Murray (9.89) had fairly similar scores. Herbert’s athleticism is evident when he scrambles, while Murray’s is apparent when going from 0-100 in a second, no matter the direction.

Running back Joshua Kelley (7.61) isn’t the most athletic, but he is still quick on his feet to make cuts and runs with vengeance to win yardage. Wide receiver Joe Reed (9.35) tested out extremely well. That athleticism shows on the field when accelerating to turn short gains into big ones with burst and top-end speed.