Tag: Nasir Adderley

Chargers ‘happy’ with Nasir Adderley’s development

The Los Angeles Chargers could have a breakout player on their hands.

After being selected in the second-round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Delaware, there were high expectations surrounding safety Nasir Adderley.

Unfortunately, he was unable to match those. His rookie season was held back by an injury and in his sophomore season, Adderley had his ups and downs in former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s scheme.

Heading into Year 3, Adderley could experience a breakout year since he will be playing for head coach Brandon Staley, a defensive mastermind who’s known for maximizing the potential of his players.

Up to this point, Adderley has done a great job of getting a full grasp of the new system.

In the classroom, the defensive back group used the game-based learning platform Kahoot! to compete through quizzes to test their football knowledge, and it was Adderley that dominated.

“We’re happy where Nas is at right now and we’re going to continue to put him in spots where he can express those things so that he can develop those things as we move forward,” defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill said.

The team believes that they will be able to get the most out of him by utilizing his versatility, where he can be flexed in the slot (Star) and fill a sub-package safety-linebacker hybrid role (Money).

Between Derwin James and Adderley, the coaching staff believes they have two starting safeties with positional flexibility who can operate comfortably in the deep part of the field and play closer to the line of scrimmage.

Familiarity with Chargers’ defensive backs aiding new secondary coach Derrick Ansley

The connections that Chargers secondary coach Derrick Ansley has with the defensive backs has helped with the transition.

Defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley is tasked with working with a talented group of players heading into the 2021 season.

Luckily for him, familiarity with a few of the key players in the secondary has helped with the transition in his new role.

Before taking the job with the Chargers, Ansley had forms of connections to Derwin James, Nasir Adderley, Brandon Facyson and Asante Samuel Jr.

At media availability, Ansley elaborated on the ties between him and those four.

“It’s been an easy transition,” Ansley mentioned. “Going back to when Derwin was a recruit coming out of Haines City, Fla. then going to Florida St., I had a chance to recruit him when I was at Alabama. Having Nas at the Senior Bowl, knowing Facyson from high school.

Just knowing all these guys, even Asante (Samuel Jr.) recruiting him out of St. Thomas, it just made transition a lot smoother. Not coming in here being the guy who doesn’t really know anybody. We kind of all knew of each other and that kind of helped us gel quickly.”

Prior to taking the job with Los Angeles, Ansley worked as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at the University of Tennessee. He has also coached for the Raiders, the University of Alabama, among other college programs.

Nasir Adderley embracing versatility with Chargers

Nasir Adderley will wear multiple hats this upcoming season for the Chargers.

The Chargers drafted Nasir Adderley with the thought of him being the team’s starting free safety. His rookie season was held back by an injury and in his sophomore season, Adderley struggled in that role.

In Year 3, Adderley is primed for a breakout season since he will be playing for coach that’s proven at getting the most out of his defensive backs.

Part of the way head coach Brandon Staley does this is by playing them in various roles, which is what Adderley is capable of since he defended the slot and even played some cornerback in college at Delaware.

At Tuesday’s media availability, Adderley said that Staley told him last week that the coaching staff was going to expand his role, with the expectation to play some corner.

Adderley added that the whole defensive back room has been honing in on versatility so they can each fill multiple roles.

Between Derwin James and Adderley, Staley believes he has two starting safeties with positional flexibility who can operate comfortably in the deep part of the field and play closer to the line of scrimmage.

“Very very excited. It is different but very exciting defense,” Adderley said, adding that he feels “the sky is the limit.”

Nasir Adderley embracing versatility with Chargers

Nasir Adderley will wear multiple hats this upcoming season for the Chargers.

The Chargers drafted Nasir Adderley with the thought of him being the team’s starting free safety. His rookie season was held back by an injury and in his sophomore season, Adderley struggled in that role.

In Year 3, Adderley is primed for a breakout season since he will be playing for coach that’s proven at getting the most out of his defensive backs.

Part of the way head coach Brandon Staley does this is by playing them in various roles, which is what Adderley is capable of since he defended the slot and even played some cornerback in college at Delaware.

At Tuesday’s media availability, Adderley said that Staley told him last week that the coaching staff was going to expand his role, with the expectation to play some corner.

Adderley added that the whole defensive back room has been honing in on versatility so they can each fill multiple roles.

Between Derwin James and Adderley, Staley believes he has two starting safeties with positional flexibility who can operate comfortably in the deep part of the field and play closer to the line of scrimmage.

“Very very excited. It is different but very exciting defense,” Adderley said, adding that he feels “the sky is the limit.”

4 Chargers players that fans are most excited to see in 2021

Who are Chargers fans looking forward to watching the most in 2021? Find out.

The Chargers are loaded with talented, which is why I wanted to get an idea of which members of the team fans are most excited to see this year as they look to make a playoff run under first-year head coach Brandon Staley.

With that being said, I went to our official Twitter and Facebook accounts to ask fans who they’re looking forward to the most. Below is a look at what the majority of the bunch said.

S Derwin James

Fans were eager to see James in his third season, but that was put a halt after he sustained a severe knee injury right before the end of training camp. The injury wiped out his entire 2020 season, which was supposed to be his bounce back campaign after being limited to five games the year before. Ensuring James is on the field in 2021 will be critical. James gives the Chargers a rare defender who can cover wide receivers, the best tight ends in the NFL, stop running backs at the line of scrimmage and put pressure on quarterbacks, all of which are key elements to determining their success rate.

S Nasir Adderley

After a year slowed by an injury and a sophomore slump, Adderley is in prime position to turn things around in Year 3, as he will be playing under head coach Brandon Staley, who has had plenty of success at maximizing his defensive player’s potential. The thought is that the team will be able to make full use of Adderley by utilizing his versatility instead of playing the free safety position, where he can be flexed in the slot (Star) and fill a sub-package safety-linebacker hybrid role (Money) due to his instincts, short area quickness and ball skills. If James stays injury-free and things click for Adderley, they could be one of the league’s best safety duos.

LB Drue Tranquill

Tranquill made an impact in his rookie season, finishing as the Chargers’ second-leading tackler with 75 total tackles, along with being tied for the most special teams tackles by any rookie (11). All eyes were on him heading into Year 2, but he only got to see the field not even for a full quarter after suffering an ankle injury in the season opener that knocked him out for the entirety of 2020. Looking ahead, Tranquill’s intelligence, communication, coverage skills and playmaking abilities are highly anticipated in Staley’s defense next to the ascending LB Kenneth Murray.

QB Justin Herbert

It’s no surprise that fans are excited to see the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Herbert, who wasn’t expected to play as early as he did, put together one of the best rookie campaigns in league history, finishing with 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns, which resulted in shattered records. Heading into 2021, Herbert could be in for an even bigger season, given the fact that he will have all key skill players from last year returning and the additions of Jared Cook and Josh Palmer. Most importantly, Herbert will have plenty of time to get the ball to those guys with a competent offensive line that features All-Pro center Corey Linsley, Matt Feiler, Oday Aboushi and first-round pick Rashawn Slater. There are questions regarding Herbert and adapting to the new offense enforced by Joe Lombardi, but his high football IQ should allow him to overcome any challenges.

ESPN’s Mike Clay projects Chargers’ 2021 defensive stats

ESPN’s Mike Clay revealed his defensive projections for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mike Clay is an NFL and fantasy football analyst at ESPN and spends a lot of time going through algorithms and formulas to project player and team stats prior to the regular season.

Recently, Clay revealed his defensive projections for the upcoming season.

Let’s take a look at how he believes the Chargers players will fare in 2021 under head coach Brandon Staley’s defense.

Defensive line

Players Snaps Tackles Sacks
Justin Jones 724 48 3.1
Linval Joseph 713 60 3.1
Jerry Tillery 702 35 4.5
Christian Covington 346 23 1.3
Cortez Broughton 130 9 0.6

Edge defenders

Player Snaps Tackles Sacks
Joey Bosa 897 66 10.7
Uchenna Nwosu 454 34 4.2
Kyler Fackrell 378 23 2.7
Chris Rumph II 248 15 1.6
Emeke Egbule 54 3 0.5

Linebackers

Player Snaps Tackles Sacks Interceptions
Kenneth Murray 1,026 123 0.8 0.7
Kyzir White 486 66 0.4 0.5
Drue Tranquill 173 25 0.2 0.1
Nick Niemann 151 20 0.2 0.1

Cornerbacks

Player Snaps Tackles Sacks Interceptions
Chris Harris Jr. 994 66 1.2 1.0
Michael Davis 951 66 0.2 2.5
Asante Samuel Jr. 702 53 0.3 1.5
Tevaughn Campbell 270 19 0.2 0.5
Brandon Facyson 65 6 0.0 0.1
Ryan Smith 43 3 0.0 0.1

Safeties

Player Snaps Tackles Sacks Interceptions
Derwin James 972 104 1.5 2.7
Nasir Adderley 972 81 0.2 1.0
Alohi Gilman 270 24 0.3 0.5
Mark Webb 162 14 0.1 0.3

Chargers top 5 breakout season players in 2021: S Nasir Adderley

Heading into Year 3, Chargers safety Nasir Adderley is in prime position to turn things around.

Every season, there are players who break out onto the scene who may not have been dominant the season before, whether they had limited snaps, dealt with an injury or just improved as a player in the offseason.

This is the first story in a five-part series counting down the top Chargers players who I believe are most likely to have a breakout season in 2021.

Part 1: WR Tyron Johnson

Part 2: DT Jerry Tillery

Part 3: EDGE Uchenna Nwosu

The Chargers drafted Nasir Adderley in the second-round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Delaware with the hopes of pairing him with Derwin James to create a dynamic safety tandem.

Unfortunately, Adderley’s rookie season was short-lived as a hamstring injury kept him out for the majority of the season. After being fully recovered last season, while he showed some flashes in spurts, he was inconsistent in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s system.

Adderley allowed 14 catches on 18 targets (77.8%), four of which went for touchdowns, and missed 12 tackles in 2020.

Heading into Year 3, Adderley is in prime position to turn things around, as he will be playing under head coach Brandon Staley, who has had plenty of success at maximizing his defensive player’s potential. Staley has full faith in Adderley, despite his struggles.

“He’s our type of safety,” Staley said. “He can see in the deep part of the field. He’s smooth. He’s got a lot of DB traits for us. We really think that he’s a smooth athlete. We think he’s going to be a good fit for how we want to play.”

Instead of relegating Adderley to the free safety position, Staley believes that he will be able to make full use of him by utilizing his versatility, where he can be flexed in the slot (Star) and fill a sub-package safety-linebacker hybrid role (Money).

While he has the athleticism and range to play in the deeper parts of the field, Adderley’s instincts, short area quickness and ball skills could go a long way closer to the line of scrimmage.

If everything clicks, Adderley will be an integral part of the backend of the defense.

Lack of safety depth is a concern for Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers could afford to add a veteran at the position.

Two months into the offseason and the Chargers have done a fine job of reconstructing a roster under first-year head coach Brandon Staley.

For the most part, each position group has quality starters followed by depth, but Los Angeles’ situation at safety still remains a bit shaky.

Prior to the draft, there were only three players at the position – Derwin James, Nasir Adderley and Alohi Gilman. The team added two more; Mark Webb, a seventh-round pick and Ben DeLuca, an undrafted free agent.

James will be returning from his second lengthy injury that he’s suffered with the Chargers since being drafted in 2018.

Even though can Staley unlock Adderley’s potential in 2021, he’s still coming off a rough sophomore season.

Gilman doesn’t offer much position flexibility.

Webb, the wide receiver convert, didn’t start playing on the defensive side of the ball until 2017.

It’s easy to think that L.A. will have a dynamic defense with James on the field, but considering he’s only played five games in total the past two seasons, the team can’t consider it a complete guarantee.

In addition, under Staley, this will be a defense that relies heavily on their defensive backs.

Bradley McDougald, Bobby McCain, Malik Hooker, Adrian Colbert, Andrew Sendejo, Tre Boston, Kenny Vaccaro and D.J. Swearinger are just to name a few free agent safeties that could be brought in on one-year deals.

The Chargers banking on what they have at the position isn’t surprising, knowing that Staley is capable of getting the most out of his defensive players.

However, for a team that has been hit with the injury bug for years now, they should know that having more might actually be better.

2021 NFL draft: Safety Jevon Holland might be too compelling for Chargers to pass up on

The Los Angeles Chargers should look to add the versatile playmaker in the second-round.

The Chargers will be looking to strengthen their secondary in this year’s draft, especially the safety position.

Not only is Los Angeles lacking depth, considering the team only has three players on the roster – Derwin James, Nasir Adderley and Alohi Gilman, high level of defensive back play is essential in head coach Brandon Staley’s system.

“I don’t think you can have enough DBs just in the current NFL,” Staley said.

Should Staley be aggressive to find a safety that fits his scheme, there is a high-caliber player that will likely be available when L.A. is on the clock with pick No. 47.

That player is Oregon’s Jevon Holland.

A consensus four-star recruit out of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif., Holland made an immediate impact in his freshman year by making 44 tackles, defending 11 passes, and finishing second in the Pac-12 with five interceptions.

In 2019, Holland was an All-Pac-12 second-team defender after recording 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, eight passes defended, and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He opted out of the 2020 season to prepare for the draft.

From a physical standpoint, Holland stands at 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds.

Staley is a big advocate of position versatility in the secondary and Holland displayed that for the Ducks, having lined up in the box, the slot and from a two-high safety spot, where he served as a key piece in the pass and run defense.

In the passing game, Holland has the play speed to turn and run to stay in phase up the field with receivers. He shows plus vision to diagnose multiple routes while ID’ing the quarterback and the instincts and burst to quickly close and secure the football in a hurry.

Against the run, Holland is consistently pursuing across the field or attacking downhill. He has excellent take-on ability and length to shed blockers and he is an explosive and fundamentally sound tackler to drive through ball carriers.

In addition, Holland offers special teams experience, as he was an outstanding punt returner for the Ducks, averaging 15.3 yards per return in 2019. Plus, his toughness and tackling skills would benefit on coverage units.

Adding Holland might be one of Staley’s ideal scenarios come draft day, and that could come to the fruition, given the fact that the team is certainly interested in him.

Holland confirmed that he met with Los Angeles and Derwin James.

Overall, Holland would be an instant contributor for the Bolts where his versatility in the box, slot, and third level of the field would be put to good use, capable of making a lot of plays against the pass, run and on special teams.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley on Nasir Adderley: ‘Our type of safety’

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley had high praise for safety Nasir Adderley.

The Chargers made the decision to not re-sign Rayshawn Jenkins after a promising 2020 season.

The reason could’ve been that the new coaching staff didn’t see Jenkins as a scheme fit, or head coach Brandon Staley was sold after watching Nasir Adderley’s tape.

From Staley’s comments at last Thursday’s media availability, it certainly seems like that was the case.

“He’s our type of safety,” Staley said. “He can see in the deep part of the field. He’s smooth. He’s got a lot of DB traits for us,” Staley said. We really think that he’s a smooth athlete. We think he’s going to be a good fit for how we want to play.”

Adderley struggled in his sophomore season after missing a good chunk of his rookie campaign due to an injury. While he showed some flashes in spurts, he was too inconsistent in the single-high role in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s system.

Instead of relegating Adderley to the free safety position, Staley believes that he will be able to get the most out of him by utilizing his versatility, where he can be flexed in the slot (Star) and fill a sub-package safety-linebacker hybrid role (Money).

Rather than playing a specific position in the secondary, defensive backs will be moved around quite a bit.

Given the fact that Staley likes to roll with three safeties on the field, the team could be looking to add another one in this year’s draft, considering it’s only Adderley, Derwin James and Alohi Gilman on the roster.