ESPN ranks Chargers middle of the pack in NFL in continuity

The offensive side of the ball took the biggest hit this offseason.

The Chargers lost their heart and soul of the team from the past decade after the franchise and quarterback Philip Rivers mutually decided to part ways earlier this offseason.

Other notable players that fled consist of tackle Russell Okung, running back Melvin Gordon, safety Adrian Phillips and fullback Derek Watt. So how much continuity did Los Angeles retain overall coming out of last season?

ESPN ranked all 32 NFL teams based on continuity, and L.A. ranked No. 16 overall.

Here’s how the “continuity stats” shook up:

Offensive snaps returning: 69.6% (27th)
Defensive snaps returning: 77.8% (T-9th)
Starters returning: 17 (6 offense, 8 defense, 3 special teams)

Non-coordinator assistants returning: 14 of 17
Coordinators returning: 2 of 3 (Shane Steichen, 1st full season as OC after 8 games as interim in 2019; Gus Bradley, DC; George Stewart, ST)
Starting QB: Tyrod Taylor, 1st year with Chargers (9th overall)
Head coach: Anthony Lynn, 4th year (26-22)

The offensive side of the ball took the biggest hit, as they lost Rivers, Okung, Gordon, Watt and guard Michael Schofield.

To fill the voids, the team is rolling with Tyrod Taylor and are hopeful that first-round pick Justin Herbert is the long-term answer at the position. Along with that, they gave the signal-callers some help by adding tackle Bryan Bulaga, guard Trai Turner and rookies Joshua Kelley, K.J. Hill and Joe Reed.

The majority of the defensive starters stayed intact with the only losses being Phillips, linebacker Thomas Davis, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. However, the rich got richer after they acquired cornerback Chris Harris Jr., defensive tackle Linval Joseph and rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray.

“The Chargers made aggressive moves in free agency and the NFL draft to upgrade their roster to contend in the AFC West,” ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry said.

“But two big questions remain in their effort to chase down the Chiefs: Will they be able to form an identity without Philip Rivers, and how quickly can a plethora of new starters meld with the returners with an abbreviated offseason?”

2020 expectations for Chargers’ newest free agent signings

A handful of them will play a significant role in the upcoming season.

With the need to bring in more veterans to an already talented roster, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco didn’t shy away from adding a few earlier this offseason.

With that in mind, here is what fans can expect from each of Telesco’s acquisitions heading into the upcoming season:

WR Darius Jennings

The special teams department has been a major concern for the Chargers the past few seasons, and it’s clear that they made it a priority to shore up after the Jennings along with rookie Joe Reed. Over the past two seasons, he returned 31 kickoffs for 894 yards, including a 94-yarder for a touchdown. Jennings has a chance of making the roster. And while he will unlikely see the field on a consistent basis on offense, but he will be in contention for the starting kick returner job. At most, he will be a special teamer in 2020.

LB Nick Vigil

The Bolts released Thomas Davis prior to the start of the new league year and they lost a few key special teamers in free agency, which left some spots that needed to be filled. Vigil offers positional versatility, which is highly coveted in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense. With Denzel Perryman, Kenneth Murray and Kyzir White projected to be the starters, Vigil will provide depth, and would likely see the field on obvious passing downs since he has earned a strong reputation for his play in coverage. Despite not being a starter, Vigil will make his money on special teams right out of the gate.

DT Linval Joseph

Joseph projects as the Day 1 starter in the middle of the defensive line. It remains to be if he will play all three downs, given the fact that he played only 553 snaps last season which was just over 50%. Known for his ability to defend the run, Joseph will be on the playing field on rushing situations, while Damion Square rotates in or Justin Jones and Jerry Tillery slide in on obvious passing situations. However, Joseph has the capability of staying on the field in those situations as he finished top-4 on the team in quarterback knockdowns in three of his first four seasons with the Vikings, recording 41 in total along with 11 sacks.

CB Chris Harris, Jr.

According to NFL.com research, the Chargers allowed nine yards per slot target last season, which was the fifth-highest average in the league. They also ranked No. 30 in completion percentage to slot targets. Harris Jr., 30, is one of the NFL’s polished cornerbacks in that he can play outside corner and shadow a No. 1 wide receiver but also excel as a slot cornerback. Harris projects as the starting slot corner, overtaking Desmond King in that role. Harris is capable of playing on the outside along with some safety, but we can expect to see him primarily on the inside. His coverage skills and open space tackling will be key as the team looks to stop the Chiefs’ high-powered offense.

OT Bryan Bulaga

The right tackle position produced inconsistent results for the past few seasons, but that will quickly change after the signing of Bulaga, who will start from Week 1. Bulaga reunites with former offensive line coach James Campen from their playing days with the Packers, which is a nice to have familiarity on the roster. One of the better pass protecting tackles in the league, and very capable in the run game, Bulaga provides the trenches with a huge boost. If all goes well and he stays healthy, the 10-year veteran could earn a trip to the Pro Bowl, finally.

Projecting the Chargers’ defensive line depth chart

The Los Angeles Chargers have a sneaky good defensive line heading into the 2020 season.

The Chargers boast a solid defensive front, which consists of arguably one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems and an ascending crop of defensive tackles.

Below, I take a crack at projecting Los Angeles’ defensive line depth chart for the 2020 season:

DE: Joey Bosa

Bosa is entering the final year of his contract eager to become the league’s highest-paid defensive ends. The former Ohio State product earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing tied for second in the conference in sacks (11.5) while also tallying up the fifth-most tackles (67) of any defensive end in the NFL. As long as he stays healthy, he will be on the field wreaking havoc. In certain situations, his backup, Isaac Rochell, will be on. The 24-year old Rochell has been a key contributor as a rotational pass-rusher, playing in all 16 games the last two seasons and posting seven sacks and 46 tackles in his career. Undrafted free agent Joe Gaziano is a name to remember heading into training camp.

Backup: Isaac Rochell, Joe Gaziano

NT Linval Joseph

Brandon Mebane manned this spot the past few seasons, but the Chargers wanted a fresh new start after choosing to replace him earlier this offseason. Joseph joins the team with 10 years of professional football service under his belt. The 32-year old shines in the run defense department, showing the ability to take on doubles teams to allow other members to roam freely. However, Joseph possesses an athletic skillset to rush the passer, which he expects to do more. Behind him is Damion Square, who’s been a key rotational piece, especially the past three seasons, combining for 77 tackles, nine quarterback hits, eight passes defensed, five tackles for loss and three sacks.

Backup: Damion Square

DT: Justin Jones

After experiencing an up-and-down rookie season, Jones took a leap in Year 2 after using the offseason to shed weight and become more quicker and agile. Jones finished the season with 30 tackles, six quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss, one pass deflected and a forced fumble. Jerry Tillery, the 2019 first-round pick, didn’t have a great rookie season, but he did show glimpses of potentially becoming the dominant interior pass-rusher he was drafted to be. With an offseason under his belt to get stronger, bigger and work on his technique to make a jump in 2020.

Backup: Jerry Tillery

DE Melvin Ingram

Like Bosa, Ingram is chasing a big contract. Ingram failed to play a full season in 2019, but he still managed to tally 39 tackles, seven sacks, five passes defended and an interception in 13 games. Since making the conversion to a full-time defensive end, Ingram has been a consistent anchor. His backup – Uchenna Nwosu – has made noise in a limited capacity. In two seasons, the former USC product has totaled 59 tackles, 17 quarterback hits, eight tackle for loss and 5.5 sacks. If Ingram isn’t re-signed after this season, Nwosu should be the next man up.

Backup: Uchenna Nwosu, Joe Gaziano

Identifying the Chargers’ most underrated position groups

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists the Los Angeles Chargers’ two most underrated positional groups.

The Chargers have one of the most talented rosters on paper from top to bottom. They’re strong in certain areas, which rank among the best in the NFL, most notably their secondary.

However, there are other positional groups that aren’t getting as much love, but they certainly should as we head into the upcoming season.

On the offensive side of the ball, I believe the running back unit doesn’t get as much attention outside of the talented Austin Ekeler. But with the pieces they have, they could make some noise.

Ekeler has proven to be one of the league’s most dynamic skill players, finishing with 557 rushing yards on 132 attempts with three touchdowns along with 92 receptions for 993 receiving yards and eight receiving scores in 2019.

The former Western Colorado product will again serve as a ball carrier and pass-catcher out of the slot and out wide this upcoming season.

To ensure the team is able to get Ekeler lined up all across the formation, Los Angeles can afford to do so with the tandem of Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley.

Jackson, a seventh-round pick by the Bolts in 2018, has rushed 79 times for 406 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in his 20 games (one start) in two seasons.

The former Northwestern product was hampered by injuries last season, but he has shown enough flashes to prove that he can be a threat when he is healthy.

Complimenting him is Kelley, the team’s fourth-round pick. The former UCLA product should see immediate snaps. A well-rounded back, Kelley makes the most of each touch, making it difficult for defenders to bring him down.

Expected to run the ball more so than previous years with their new offensive scheme, the players in this group are capable of becoming the focal point of the offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Chargers are strong across the board. But one unit that isn’t being recognized as much as others is the interior part of the defensive line.

Brandon Mebane is no longer a part of the crop, but his replacement – Linval Joseph – is an upgrade. Joseph, the two-time Pro Bowler is an athletic and powerful take-on player with the backfield vision and handwork to make an impact vs. the run, which is an area that was not a strong suit last season.

Justin Jones, the Chargers’ third-round pick in 2018, made a huge leap from Year 1 to Year 2 after using the offseason to shed weight and become more quicker and agile. Even though he missed four games due to an injury, Jones was arguably one of the team’s best interior defenders.

The former North Carolina State product finished the season with 30 tackles, six quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss, one pass deflected and a forced fumble.

Expectations were set high for 2019 first-round pick Jerry Tillery, but he was unable to meet them. However, throughout the course of the season he showed glimpses of untapped potential despite failing to make his presence known on the stat sheet.

Tillery also didn’t have a full offseason heading into his rookie season since he spent the majority of it rehabbing his torn labrum. Now healthy and a full slate ahead of him, Tillery has that to has full advantage to get bigger and stronger.

If he puts the pieces together in his second season, showing he can play with better leverage and out-power interior blockers, he could become the dominant pass-rushing defensive tackle the team was hoping to get.

Los Angeles could look to bring in another player to compliment Joseph at the nose tackle position. Damion Square and Sylvester Williams, both key contributors last season, are still on the market to fill out the room.

ESPN tabs Chargers as having one of better offseasons among NFL teams

Find out where the Los Angeles Chargers finished in the ESPN analyst’s offseason rankings.

Coming off a disappointing 5-11 2019 season, it was evident that changes needed to be made.

According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the necessary changes were made in order to enhance their chances of turning things around in 2020.

Los Angeles departed ways with quarterback Philip Rivers, but they drafted his replacement. Along with that, they acquired a slew of veterans in free agency and play-makers on both sides of the ball in the draft.

In Barnwell’s offseason rankings for all 32 teams, L.A. finished No. 10 overall.

Here’s where he believes the Bolts struck gold:

The Chargers were able to add a number of veterans on what were team-friendly deals relative to the market. Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga arrived on a three-year, $30 million deal. Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. left the Broncos for two years and $17 million. Defensive tackle Linval Joseph signed on a similar deal. The Chargers won the trade when they dealt tackle Russell Okung to Carolina for guard Trai Turner. They even franchised tight end Hunter Henry and locked up running back Austin Ekeler on a four-year, $24.5 million deal. Every deal here looks good.

General manager Tom Telesco hit a home run on each of his free agency signings. While the team lost Russell Okung, they were still able to get a five-time Pro Bowl guard (Trai Turner) out of it. Two of their own top skill players (running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Hunter Henry) were inked, as well.

In the draft, they found the quarterback of the future with Justin Herbert, a plug-and-play linebacker with Kenneth Murray and a few offensive weapons that should contribute early on in their professional careers, which consists of running back Joshua Kelley and wide receivers Joe Reed and K.J. Hill.

The only notable thing that Los Angeles failed to do was find Okung’s replacement. Many thought that the team was going to acquire a left tackle, whether it was in free agency or the draft, but they chose not to. Instead, they head into training camp with Sam Tevi, Trey Pipkins, Storm Norton and possibly Forrest Lamp fighting for the starting job.

Chargers named most improved team in AFC West by The Ringer

Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco made a handful of moves this offseason.

When you a finish a season with a 5-11 record and are last in the division, you can expect changes to be made.

That’s exactly what the Chargers experienced after a disastrous year, despite having high expectations set prior to.

First, Los Angeles recognized that some of their woes came from the quarterback position, which led to split between them and Philip Rivers.

Filling the void is Tyrod Taylor, who has one more year remaining on his contract. The team is hopeful that the long-term answer will be first-round pick Justin Herbert.

Aside from solidifying the most important position on the field, L.A. was hard at work in free agency and the draft to address vital positions on both sides of the ball.

From the signings of cornerback Chris Harris Jr., offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, trading for guard Trai Turner and adding some instant contributors through the draft, most notably linebacker Kenneth Murray, the Chargers appear ready to turn things around.

That is why The Ringer’s Robert Mays named Los Angeles the most-improved team in the AFC West.

It’s not easy for a team to lose an entrenched starting quarterback and get better, but the Chargers might have done just that. Moving on from Rivers didn’t dissuade GM Tom Telesco and the front office from being ultra-aggressive this offseason. Adding right guard Trai Turner in a trade and signing steady right tackle Bryan Bulaga in free agency remade the Chargers offensive line. Inking cornerback Chris Harris Jr. gives this team the most complete secondary in football. Those moves overshadow subtler ones like signing defensive tackle Linval Joseph after he was released by the Vikings. And Telesco topped everything off by nabbing Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert with the sixth pick in the draft and trading back into the first round to snag speedy Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Even without Rivers, this Los Angeles roster is much more talented from top to bottom than it was at the end of last season.

Other teams in the division were hard at work at building their roster in order to put together the best lineup to compete with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, the Bolts added the most notable players to put them in the most optimal position to contend. The only positional group that is seen as a hole is the left tackle spot after the departure of Russell Okung.

The Bolts had a busy offseason because they are hopeful that they can bounce back and give fans, as they move into their new stadium an idea of what they’re truly capable of after years of inconsistency.

There’s no denying that they’re talented from top to bottom and they’re capable of competing with anyone, but health will be the most vital determining factor of their success. Injuries have wrecked the team in past seasons.

Chargers looking to bring more heat on opposing quarterbacks

Gus Bradley is hopeful the scheme change will help this upcoming season.

Despite having one of the more talented rosters on the defensive side of the ball in the league last season, the numbers didn’t reflect that in a specific category.

The Chargers ranked No. 6 in total defense, but they finished second-worst in takeaways with a -17 turnover differential.

A big reason why Los Angeles was unable to produce more turnovers was because of the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

L.A. finished 26th in quarterback pressures with 125. The number doesn’t come as a surprise as the unit blitzed only 75 times, which ranked last in the league.

“Yes, you’ve got to stop the run,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “Yes, you’ve got to eliminate explosive plays. But you have to find ways to affect the quarterback. We didn’t do a good enough job last year in doing that.”

When a team has arguably one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL, the expectations to generate more pressure is a lot higher. Defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram contributed for 18.5 out of the team’s 30 sacks, which ranked 28th overall.

Bradley’s scheme from previous seasons, a Cover 3 system that involves a lot of zone coverage, forced them to play conservative and not allowing many opportunities to attack downhill.

To ensure they’re getting more quarterback pressures moving forward, Bradley is going to start incorporating more two-deep safety looks and man coverage.

This offseason, the Chargers also brought in more personnel to aide in this department, signing cornerback Chris Harris Jr., defensive tackle Linval Joseph and drafting linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Having Derwin James for a full 16-game slate will also be beneficial. After finishing his rookie season with 11 quarterback pressures and 3.5 sacks, the do-it-all defender was limited to only five games in 2019 after sustaining a foot injury last offseason.

There are also high hopes that second-year defensive tackle Jerry Tillery takes a step forward after an underwhelming rookie season. Drafted for his ability to get after the quarterback, Tillery is working hard this offseason to get bigger and stronger.

The motto this upcoming season on the defensive of the ball will be more pressure, more takeaways.

What Chargers’ Gus Bradley said at media availability

Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley touched on handful of topics.

Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley spoke to the media on Wednesday via Zoom teleconference.

Going into the 2020 season, Bradley will have more pieces to utilize which include cornerback Chris Harris Jr, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Harris, the four-time Pro Bowl selection, brings a proven veteran presence to the cornerback room. Bradley said he met him at the Pro Bowl in 2019, and loves how competitive he is and feels like he will be a good addition to the defense.

To fill the void after Thomas Davis released earlier this offseason, Los Angeles traded up 14 spots to snag Murray with the No. 23 overall selection in this year’s draft. Bradley said his intensity, leadership, and length were some of the reasons why they picked him.

The Bolts released Brandon Mebane, too. To fill the nose tackle spot, the team signed Joseph. Bradley hasn’t met Joseph yet, but said that he has heard a lot about the leadership he brings, highlighting his spirited nature and feels like has a chip on his shoulder.

Bradley said that he wants to be more active at the position as a whole.

He believes Justin Jones will benefit from the changes that the team is making with the defensive scheme. As for Jerry Tillery, who didn’t wow as many people in his rookie season, Bradley highlighted his flashes. But the one thing needed to be improved upon was his strength and simply getting bigger. He said Tillery has been working hard this offseason.

A couple of the bigger questions heading into training camp is what role is Desmond King going to play after the signing of Harris, and how will Nasir Adderley see the field more as he showed a lot of promise before having his season come to an end after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Bradley said that King could play safety in their dime package. He said they may move him to the outside. King is going to have a lot on his plate heading into the final year of his contract, but he is a versatile player that they could move around.

Adderley was in the mix for the starting free safety spot, but the injury kept him off the field nearly the entire season. Heading into Year 2, Adderley could earn a job at the position, especially because Bradley said he wants to implement more two-deep safety looks and man coverage this season as opposed to just his Cover 3 system that relies heavily on zone coverage.

Rayshawn Jenkins, the team’s starting free safety from last season, showed have the same role. But Bradley thinks Jenkins might play more linebacker and strong safety this season to help with the dime linebacker void after Adrian Phillips left in free agency.

Bradley said that he could see Adderley, Jenkins or rookie Alohi Gilman in that spot.

One of the biggest goals this season is creating more takeaways. He said the defense didn’t do a good enough job of taking the ball away last season. The unit ranked second-worst in the league with a -17 turnover differential.

The bottom line is that we can expect the majority of the players on the defensive side of the ball to be moved around quite a bit this upcoming season, and a possible change to the scheme could benefit the group as a whole.

Grading the fit for each Vikings player who signed elsewhere

The Vikings let a lot of talent sign elsewhere in free agency. See the best fits for each player on their new team.

Minnesota has let a lot of talent walk in free agency this offseason, and some of the teams the former Vikings players ended up are interesting fits to say the least.

Linval Joseph on the Chargers? Xavier Rhodes with a prove-contract on the Colts? Those two and more will be enticing to watch as the 2020 NFL season progresses.

Are you a fan of a former player still and want him to succeed? Or will you relish in schadenfreude if the Vikings let a player walk who ends up declining. Either way, it’s going to be strange to see certain Vikings players in different jerseys next season.

Bengals CB Trae Waynes

I think this is a great fit for Waynes. He can come in and start right away on a team that has the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 Draft.

A frustration will be that the Bengals are a year or two away from contending again, unless the team drafts a quarterback who absolutely takes the league by storm (which they might).

However, some of the money Waynes reportedly received will probably ease the burden of losing. He signed with Cincinnati for three years and $42 million, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

I think it’s a good fit for Waynes, but the Bengals overpaid for a cornerback that is only serviceable. They had the cap space, but would have the money been better spent on more offensive linemen to protect the quarterback, especially if the team ends up drafting Joe Burrow? Good for Waynes, but not great for the Bengals.

Grade: B-

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Poll: Grade Chargers’ offseason moves so far

General manager Tom Telesco has made the point to bring in a slew of talent this offseason up to this point.

It’s been a little over two weeks since the NFL’s free agency period opened, and as it seems to be every year, the bulk of the madness happened in the first few days. So how have the Chargers done?

This year’s offseason has been more intriguing than others in the past. It has seen Los Angeles bring in some new members and part ways with a handful of notables.

Here’s the list of L.A.’s ins and outs so far in free agency, along with the team(s) that they went to and came from:

OUT

QB Philip Rivers | Colts

LB Jatavis Brown | Eagles

LB Nick Dzubnar | Titans

S Jaylen Watkins | Texans

LB Thomas Davis | Redskins

S Adrian Phillips | Patriots

FB Derek Watt | Steelers

RB Melvin Gordon | Broncos

WR Travis Benjamin | 49ers

WR Geremy Davis | Lions

DT Brandon Mebane

IN

OT Bryan Bulaga | Packers

DT Linval Joseph | Vikings

CB Chris Harris, Jr. | Broncos

LB Nick Vigil | Bengals

WR Darius Jennings | Titans

RETAINED

TE Hunter Henry

TENDERED

CB Michael Davis

OT Trent Scott

DE Isaac Rochell

UNSIGNED

G Michael Schofield

DT Damion Square

DT Sylvester Williams

RB Troymaine Pope

G Ryan Groy

WR Dylan Cantrell

C Dillon DeBoer

G Spencer Drango

TE Lance Kendricks

There’s still some players available that they could sign, but the team has made the direction they plan to attack the draft very clear. They will likely prioritize quarterback, left tackle, wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback.

So what kind of grade do you give Chargers general manager Tom Telesco for his work thus far. Vote in the poll below.

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