Tag: Morgan Fox

Former Chargers DT Breiden Fehoko signs with Steelers

Breiden Fehoko was consistent against the run.

Former Chargers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko and the Steelers agreed to terms on Thursday, according to his agent David Canter.

Fehoko signed with Los Angeles as an undrafted free in 2020. He appeared in 19 games, four of which were starts. In 2022, he logged a career-high in snaps (279) after season-ending injuries to Austin Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia. Fehoko posted 23 tackles and a tackle for loss.

Fehoko was one of the Chargers’ most consistent interior defenders against the run. Now that he’s with Pittsburgh and Johnson and Ogbonnia are still working their way back from their respective injuries, Los Angeles could look to the draft to bring in someone for depth.

Tracking where Chargers’ free agents signed, who remains unsigned

Here’s a look at those that signed and remain unsigned through the first wave.

The Chargers have been steadily reconstructing their roster by signing Eric Kendricks and returning some of their own from this past season.

There are still some in-house players that either have signed with another team or remain unsigned.

Here’s a look at those that have signed and remain unsigned through the first wave.

S Nasir Adderley

Status: Retired

CB Bryce Callahan

Status: Unsigned

WR Deandre Carter

Status: Unsigned

C Will Clapp

Status: Unsigned

DT Christian Covington

Status: Unsigned

QB Chase Daniel

Status: Unsigned

DT Tyeler Davison

Status: Unsigned

DL Morgan Fox

Status: Re-signed with the Chargers

OT Trey Pipkins

Status: Re-signed with the Chargers

LB Troy Reeder

Status: Signed with the Vikings

TE Richard Rodgers

Status: Unsigned

P J.K. Scott

Status: Re-signed with the Chargers

QB Easton Stick

Status: Re-signed with the Chargers

LB Drue Tranquill

Status: Signed with the Chiefs

LB Kyle Van Noy

Status: Unsigned

Chargers’ biggest needs after first wave of free agency

Highlighting the positions that the Los Angeles Chargers still need to address after the first wave of free agency.

The Chargers have steadily been reconstructing their roster, signing Eric Kendricks and bringing back a few of their own.

Even though general manager Tom Telesco has done a good job piecing together a solid foundation in the early stages, plenty of work still needs to be done.

With that being said, here are the Bolts’ five biggest needs following the first wave of free agency:

Chargers free agency tracker 2023: Running list of Los Angeles’ signings, roster moves

Here is our free agency tracker that details every free agent with ties to the L.A. Chargers.

The new league year is in full swing, which means roster moves are being made by teams across the league.

For the Chargers this past week, they’ve added a new player, brought back some of their own and lost some to other teams.

To stay up to date, here is our free agency tracker that details every free agent with ties to Los Angeles.

March 17

LB Drue Tranquill

Status: Signing with the Chiefs

Previous: Chargers

Details: (1 year, $5 million)

TE Donald Parham

Status: Re-signing with the Chargers

Previous: Chargers

Details: (2 years, $2.7 million)

P JK Scott

Status: Re-signing with the Chargers

Previous: Chargers

Details: (2 years, $4 million)

March 16

OT Storm Norton

Status: Signing with the Saints

Previous: Chargers

Details: TBD

March 15

DL Morgan Fox

Status: Re-signing with the Chargers

Previous: Chargers

Details: (2 years, $7.25 million)

March 14

OT Trey Pipkins

Status: Re-signing with the Chargers

Previous: Chargers

Details: (3 years, $21.75 million)

March 13

QB Easton Stick

Status: Re-signing with the Chargers

Previous: Chargers

Details: (1 year, $1.8 million)

LB Eric Kendricks

Status: Signing with the Chargers

Previous: Vikings

Details: (2 year, $13.25 million)

Chargers re-sign DL Morgan Fox

The Chargers retained a key piece on their defensive line.

Another one of the Chargers’ high-priority free agents is returning to Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, defensive lineman Morgan Fox’s agent David Canter broke the news that Fox would return to the Chargers. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later reported that Fox would be re-signed for two seasons.

It’s a fantastic re-signing for LA, who now return every starter from last season’s defensive line. Fox set a career-high in sacks with 6.5 on a one-year deal last season, leading many analysts to believe that he’d have a market larger than the Chargers would be able or willing to pay. Instead, the Bolts found a way to return the 28-year-old, setting him up for a solid encore season in powder blues.

It’s the second starter the Chargers have re-signed in as many days after retaining offensive tackle Trey Pipkins III on a three-year deal on Tuesday.

Which Chargers are in the PFF Top 100 free agents?

A trio of Chargers have been tabbed as some of the top free agents in the league.

A trio of Chargers has been tabbed as some of the top free agents in the league.

In PFF’s latest free agency rankings, linebackers Drue Tranquill and Kyle Van Noy and defensive lineman Morgan Fox were all listed as among the top 101 pending free agents in the league. Tranquill was ranked 65th, Van Noy 71st, and Fox 90th.

Tranquill broke out in 2022 with 105 tackles and five sacks as LA’s primary linebacking threat after Kyzir White left for Philadelphia prior to the season. He was also a strong coverage player for the second consecutive season and an incredibly efficient pass rusher, logging his five sacks in just 70 rushing opportunities. His versatility was much appreciated in Brandon Staley’s defense, and the question now becomes if Tranquill’s play has put him into a salary bracket the cap-constrained Chargers can’t afford.

Van Noy didn’t have the sort of role he or the Chargers initially envisioned in 2022. Billed as a hyper-versatile linebacker or EDGE rusher, Van Noy wound up primarily playing EDGE after Joey Bosa’s groin injury, and Chris Rumph’s ineffectiveness against the run necessitated reinforcements. While he was quiet in the first half of the season, the 32-year-old finished the year strong and is likely to play elsewhere in 2023.

Fox had arguably the best season of his career after reuniting with Brandon Staley following a brief detour to Carolina. With a pressure rate of 11.2%, he was one of the Chargers’ better pass rushers and one of their only threats from the interior defensive line in that area. His run defense left a bit to be desired, but he had to play a larger role in those situations as injuries ravaged the defensive line. If Fox comes back in 2023, it’s possible he plays more of a specialized role with the remainder of the line healthy. That said, he should have a healthy market as a rotational interior pass rusher.

Free agency begins on March 15.

Chargers’ 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ defensive line

The Chargers were led by unsung hero Morgan Fox on their defensive line in 2022.

The Los Angeles Chargers pass rush has been one of their most useful strategic advantages on defense, and has the power and speed to overwhelm most offensive lines across the NFL.

But that strength is mostly bolstered by their elite edge defender corps, which hosts perennial Pro Bowlers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Their defensive line was comprised of 11 players who took snaps for the Chargers over the course of the 2022 season and accounted for just 11.5 sacks on the year.

Sixth-year lineman Morgan Fox accounted for six and a half of those sacks, leading the unit by a wide margin. Tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day notched two sacks on the season but led the team in combined tackles with 56 on the season, besting Fox by 18 in that category.

Among other key contributors up front for Los Angeles were Breiden Fehoko, Austin Johnson, Christian Covington, and Otito Ogbonnia, who combined for 71 total tackles but just one sack in the team’s 2022 campaign.

Tyeler Davison, Christopher Hinton, David Moa, and Joe Gaziano rounded out the Chargers’ depth on the line, but didn’t see much action as none in this group registered more than one sack or 10 total tackles.

Clearly, there remains a ton of room for improvement for the Los Angeles in this area, though they may find it difficult to upgrade their defensive line given the current state of their salary cap. Watch for the Chargers to look for a lineman in April’s draft, and for them to do their best to improve this group’s production in 2023.

PFF: Chargers ‘can’t afford to lose’ this free agent

PFF named one pending free agent that each team in the NFL “can’t afford” to lose.

Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger revealed one free agent for every team they couldn’t afford to lose and wide receiver DeAndre Carter was their submission for the Chargers.

Here is what Spielberger had to say on why Los Angeles shouldn’t let Carter walk.

This is in no way intended as a slight, but ideally, Carter is WR5 or WR6 in 2023 and not WR4. Still, he clearly has the trust of quarterback Justin Herbert and fills in admirably when called upon, bringing a speed element the team doesn’t currently have on the roster otherwise, an area they must improve in 2023. Carter hauled in a career-high 46 receptions with just two drops on 64 targets and is certainly worth keeping around going forward if he doesn’t cash in elsewhere.

Carter was signed to serve just as a return specialist. But things took a turn when Keenan Allen and Mike Williams sustained their respective injuries, leading to Carter getting more playing time at the wide receiver position.

Carter set career highs in catches (46), receiving yards (538), and tied his career high with three receiving touchdowns. He was still an integral piece on special teams, finishing second in the league in yards per punt return.

Carter was an important player this season but was he enough to warrant a contract extension by a team currently in an unfavorable position with their spending money?

Los Angeles is more than $20 million over the cap. Therefore, they will have to do some wheeling and dealing, and it remains to be seen if Carter is a priority when they are in the clear to make moves.

Instead, players like Trey Pipkins, Drue Tranquill, or Morgan Fox may be more essential to the Chargers. If they let Carter walk, they could fill his void with a speed threat in the draft to contribute on offense and special teams.

3 Chargers among Pro Football Focus’ top 100 free agents

PFF dropped their top 100 free agents heading into the 2023 offseason and there are three Chargers on the list.

Free agency will be interesting for the Chargers when that time rolls around.

Not expected to have a lot of salary cap space available, Los Angeles will have to be wise on how they spend. Of course, their internal players will be factored in.

Set to have 15 pending free agents, the Chargers have three players that made Pro Football Focus’ initial top 100 free agent rankings.

Here are the new contracts PFF projects each player will sign this offseason:

64. LB Drue Tranquill – Contract Projection: Two years, $8.5 million ($4.25M per year); $5 million total guaranteed

70. EDGE Kyle Van Noy – Contract Projection: Two years, $6.5 million ($3.25M per year); $4 million total guaranteed

89. DL Morgan Fox Contract Projection: Two years, $9 million ($4.5M per year); $5 million total guaranteed

Linebacker is not a premium position in Brandon Staley’s system, as evident from the Chargers letting Kyzir White walk after an outstanding 2021 season. But Tranquill was impressive not just as a run defender but in coverage and as a pass rusher. Having him back gives Los Angeles their energized playmaker and a vocal leader in the middle of the defense.

When Kenneth Murray was working his way back from offseason ankle surgery, Van Noy played inside linebacker. He was then deployed as an interior blitzer and was also rushing off the edge and playing in coverage. When Joey Bosa suffered his groin injury, Van Noy became a starting edge defender, and he went on to post a sack in five consecutive games.

The Chargers need to address the edge defender this offseason, and while having Van Noy’s versatility, leadership and experience would help, he might have played his way toward the end of the season out of their budget. Additionally, Los Angeles may want to go with a younger option via draft.

Fox was signed to supply a pass rush presence along the interior which he did, setting a career-high in sacks (6.5). Given that the Chargers’ defensive line room is predominantly filled with run-defense specialists, Fox should be a priority due to his ability to get after the quarterback. Plus, at just 28 years old, he is still in his prime.

4 pending free agents Chargers must prioritize re-signing

The Chargers have 15 pending free agents heading into the offseason.

The 2023 free agency period on the NFL calendar begins on March 15, but it will be before you know it. The Chargers have 15 pending free agents heading into the offseason.

General manager Tom Telesco will have to be selective when deciding who’s worthy of being brought back next season since the team does not have a lot of spendings this go around.

Los Angeles is projected to be $19.4 million over the salary cap in 2023, the fifth-worst situation in the NFL. However, they could free up some of that with internal moves.

With that, here’s a look at the top priorities based on their play from this past season when Los Angeles begins that process.