Tag: Nasir Adderley

Better or Worse: Evaluating Chargers defense ahead of NFL draft

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez breaks down the state of Los Angeles’ defense.

The Chargers lost a few of their starters from last season, but added some in correspondence via free agency.

But how do they compare now to after the 2020 regular season?

First, was the offense. Next, is the defense.

Defensive Line

Offseason moves: Lost Isaac Rochell as an unrestricted free agent to Colts.

Summary: On paper, the Chargers possess a good-looking interior in head coach Brandon Staley’s 3-4 defense, with the starters being Linval Joseph, Justin Jones and Jerry Tillery. Joseph will start at nose tackle after a promising season that saw him not only command double teams, but make impactful plays against the pass and run. Jones has yet to unlock his full potential, but as a defensive end in the new scheme, his traits will do him wonders. Like Jones, Tillery will fit in perfectly as a defensive end, where his skillset profiles better to, given his length, strength and power. Behind them there’s Cortez Broughton and Breiden Fehoko. Broughton was a seventh-round pick in 2019 and has some versatility. Fehoko, an undrafted free agent, showed promise at nose tackle in his rookie season in 2020. The team could benefit from adding some more juice up front, which can be done in this year’s draft.

Verdict: Same

Edge Defender/Outside Linebacker

Offseason moves: Signed Kyler Fackrell from Giants. Lost Nick Vigil to Vikings. Melvin Ingram remains unsigned.

Summary: With Ingram no longer taking the spotlight, Nwosu enters the season as a starter. Yet to display himself with a full-time role, the anticipation with Nwosu going into the 2021 season is real. Not only has he flashed enough to be an impactful starter, but the sky is limit knowing what Staley was able to do with Leonard Floyd with the Rams last season. Bosa will play on the “edge” of the defense, but he will move around a lot. Fackrell along with Emeke Egbule will come on the field as rotational pass-rushers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team draft one that fits Staley’s mold, with that being an explosive and lengthy player.

Verdict: Slightly worse

Inside Linebacker

Offseason moves: Lost Denzel Perryman to Panthers.

Summary: The highly anticipated duo of Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill was short lived this after Tranquill suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the 2020 season. After having nearly a full year to recover, the boys will be back in town. Murray experienced growing pains right off the bat, but he made consistent growth week in and week out, with his best football coming towards the end of the season. He should be in for a strong sophomore season. Having Tranquill’s play-making skills, both against the run and pass, will be very beneficial. Kyzir White has drawn some injury concerns, but he showed major strides this past season. Like Tranquill and Murray, he could be due for his best season yet. Los Angeles might look to add a cheap veteran or late-round/undrafted free agent for depth.

Verdict: Same 

Cornerback

Offseason moves: Signed Ryan Smith. Re-signed Michael Davis and Brandon Facyson. Released Casey Hayward.

Summary: Davis will fill in as one of the starters on the outside. Chris Harris, Jr. will mainly man the slot, but he will move outside in base. Facyson is likely just a depth piece. Smith has experience as a starter, but he was signed to be a special teams ace. The team also has Tevaughn Campbell, Donte Vaughn and John Brannon on the roster, but they all don’t have the experience to be counted on as starters. Therefore, even after re-signing Davis and Facyson, the positional group is not a finished product and they will need to add another player with the ability to start, which will likely be done with one of their first two draft picks.

Verdict: Slightly worse

Safety

Offseason moves: Lost Rayshawn Jenkins to Jaguars.

Summary: I was thinking that Los Angeles was going to re-sign Jenkins, with the expectation that he was going to form a tandem with Derwin James coming back next season. Now L.A. has a hole at free safety. On the roster, they have Nasir Adderley, who is coming off a rough sophomore season. While he showed some flashes in spurts, he was too inconsistent in the single-high role in Gus Bradley’s system. Maybe Staley sees this as an opportunity to maximize Adderley’s potential. Scheme should play a factor, too. Either way, given the fact that Staley likes to use three-safety formations, the team needs to add more talent.

Verdict: Slightly worse

How Chargers can replace safety Rayshawn Jenkins

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins is gone, now what?

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins showed his worth on the field and he was rewarded for it. However, it wasn’t by the Chargers. Instead, the Jaguars were the team who remunerated Jenkins.

Many, including myself, expected Los Angeles to re-sign Jenkins, with the expectation that he was going to form a tandem with Derwin James coming back next season.

Now L.A. has a hole at free safety.

On the roster, the Chargers have Nasir Adderley, who is coming off a rough sophomore season. While he showed some flashes in spurts, he was too inconsistent in the single-high role in Gus Bradley’s system.

Maybe head coach Brandon Staley, who’s proven to get the most out of his defensive players, sees this as an opportunity to maximize Adderley’s potential.

Scheme should play a factor, too. With Staley, he prefers two-high safety looks. Therefore, while he will still play the centerfield role, it wouldn’t be as often and the tasks would be less stressful.

Or maybe Staley sees guys in this year’s draft class that can replace Jenkins. A few worth noting are Ar’Darius Washington, Andre Cisco, Tyree Gillespie, Damar Hamlin, Shawn Davis, among others.

The Chargers could elect to dip into the free agency pool to sign one, with guys like Anthony Harris, Malik Hooker, Will Parks and Jaquiski Tartt being a few who I like to fill that role.

The bottom line is like the offensive line, cornerback, edge defender and tight end position, Los Angeles will have to address this spot at some point.

6 Chargers with something left to prove vs. Chiefs

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez highlights six players that can help themselves with good performances on Sunday.

The Chargers enter Week 17 with nothing to play for. With a handful of starters expected to miss the season finale, this should be a chance for some players to take on a bigger role on game day.

With that being said, here are six players that can help themselves with good performances against the Chiefs:

FS Nasir Adderley

The Chargers drafted Adderley in the second-round of the 2019 NFL draft 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. Fast forward to this season, his sophomore season hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Adderley’s coverage skills have been lackluster (41.5 overall, per Pro Football Focus) and he has experienced a handful of missed tackles. He will have the opportunity to clean some of that up in the season finale.

RB Joshua Kelley

Despite having other positional needs heading into Day 3 of the draft in 2020, Los Angeles elected to roll the dice on a running back to compliment Austin Ekeler. I was a believer that Kelley was bound to have a big season, given his production in college and the traits he possessed. The former UCLA product flashed in the season opener, but he’s been quiet since then, averaging only 3.2 yards per carry in over 100 attempts. Kelley, who was a healthy scratch last week, is expected to play on Sunday. This will be his opportunity to show that he can be counted on in the rotation next season.

DT Jerry Tillery

The Chargers drafted Tillery in the first-round of the 2019 NFL draft, hoping that he would be a dominant interior pass rusher. Tillery flashed here and there in his rookie season, but he was given a pass because he didn’t have a full offseason to prepare since he was recovering from a shoulder injury. Tillery made a statement in the season opener of Year 2, looking like an absolute force. However, since then, he still hasn’t come into his own. Tillery has committed a slew of unnecessary penalties and has backfield presence has been hit or miss. The team has experimented with him as an edge rusher, where he might have a better future since he hasn’t been stout against the run. Can he give fans a glimpse of dominance on Sunday?

OL Sam Tevi, Dan Feeney, Forrest Lamp

All three of these offensive linemen will be free agents at the end of the season. After making the switch from the right side to the left side, Tevi has proven to be fine. He’s serviceable, but I believe the Chargers need a cornerstone left tackle. Lamp shined early on, but has been inconsistent down the stretch, with the majority of his woes occurring in pass protection. Like Lamp, Feeney was solid in the early stages of the season, but he slowly regressed. Feeney dealt with elbow and knee injuries, which could’ve hindered his play. Regardless, this will be the trio’s last shot to prove themselves.

Chargers Injury Report: Estimated list of 12 players who would not have practiced

The Los Angeles Chargers have a short week.

It’s a short week for the Chargers, who are set to take on the Raiders on Thursday night, which is four days after their last game.

Even without practice on Monday, Los Angeles was still required to give an estimated injury report in order to have the required three.

Here is a look at the report, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter account:

Tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner both suffered head injuries in Sunday’s victory over the Falcons. Bulaga is in concussion protocol while Turner is not, per coach Anthony Lynn.

There were a few players that had to be taken off the field last weekend, including wide receivers Keenan Allen (hamstring), Mike Williams (back), tight end Hunter Henry (hip) and edge defender Uchenna Nwosu (back/shoulder).

This list does not mean they will miss time throughout the week. This report is more so about highlighting players who will possibly be limited or unable to practice based on their injury status entering the short week.

How Chargers will fill slot cornerback void

Coach Anthony Lynn is considering three players.

The Chargers have a void to fill, at least for now.

After trading Desmond King to the Titans on Monday, Los Angeles now finds themselves needing to fill the temporary void at the slot cornerback position.

At Monday’s media availability, coach Anthony Lynn started out by saying “Sometimes players need a fresh start. His time was up here and I wish him all the best,” when giving his thoughts on the trade

With King out, Lynn said he’s considering TeVaughn Campbell, Nasir Adderley and Jahleel Addae for starting slot duties.

Campbell started in place of King this past weekend, where he had a solid outing with the exception of the pass interference call and blown assignment on the final drive.

Addae was signed a couple of weeks ago to provide versatility. While he’s primarily played safety, he can play inside if need be. The same applies for Adderley, whose natural position is free safety, but has some experience at cornerback.

Chris Harris Jr. is the one who mans the starting spot, but he remains on the injured reserve with a foot injury, and he will continue to be sidelined for at least a couple of more weeks.

HOF DB Herb Adderley saw football greatness again in cousin Nasir Adderley

Hall of Fame defensive back Herb Adderley, who died this week at age 81, got to see greatness all over again in cousin (and Chargers safety) Nasir Adderley.

Sad news in the NFL on Friday, as it was announced that Herb Adderley, who was selected by the Packers with the 12th overall pick in the 1961 draft and amassed 48 interceptions in a 12-year career with Green Bay and Dallas, died at age 81.

“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Herb Adderley,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker said in a statement. “He was a great player and an even greater man. Herb left an indelible mark on the game and was respected tremendously by players and personnel across the league.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Herb’s wife, Brenda, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Herb’s memory.”

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, Adderley played in five Pro Bowls. He was also in four of the first six Super Bowls, winning championship rings in three of them. He also played in seven NFL championship games in an 11-year span from 1961 through 1971, winning each one – five times with the Packers and twice with the Cowboys. Adderley’s 60-yard interception return for a clinching touchdown for the Packers in Super Bowl II was the only interception return for a touchdown in the first 10 Super Bowls.

Adderley was one of the greatest defensive backs of his era and of all time, and one of the more remarkable things about his life is that he got to see NFL greatness again, many years later, through the eyes of his cousin, Chargers safety Nasir Adderley.

Selected in the second round of the 2019 draft out of Delaware, the younger Adderley plays with an aggressive, feisty style that obviously has familial roots, and though he’s been limited this season with hamstring injuries, he’s been a formidable coverage safety when on the field.

Herb Adderley would not have been surprised.

“He played offense in high school, the same as I did,” Herb Adderley told Chargers.com in May, 2019. “And then once he got to Delaware, he called me and said, ‘Guess what happened?’ I said, ‘What?’ And he said they switched him to defense. I said, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter what side of the ball you play on, you have the ability to play.’ I asked him what position (they switched him to) and he said cornerback. I said, ‘Which side?’ He said the left side and I almost fell out of the chair! That was the side I played and the position I could help him most at.”

Herb also helped Nasir with the switch to safety based on his own experience with the Packers.

“When I mentioned [switching to safety] to Coach Lombardi, he said they couldn’t move me because Willie Wood was already playing there and if they moved me in there, he wouldn’t have a job. But Nasir called me after his second year playing corner, where he mentioned having safety being his natural position (with his defensive backs coach). Lo and behold, he moved him to free safety and that’s where he played his last two years. During the time he was playing, I told him he was special because there aren’t many guys who can play all the positions in the secondary. He has the ability to play either corner, free safety [or] strong safety, and he can cover the slot receiver. There are very few guys in the NFL right now who can do that. So in case of emergency, he can switch to any of those positions. All those teams who passed over him, they’re going to find out what a great athlete he is, and how he’s going to make the Chargers a great secondary.”

Nasir Adderley was always grateful for the guidance.

“He told me’ he can’t thank me enough and I said, ‘Well, you’ve already re-paid me by doing the right thing and making it.’ He said without me, it would have been difficult for him making it through college. But he did it. I told him, ‘You did it, Nasir. You had a lot of help and family support, but you’re the one on the field and you had to go out and do it and get recognized by the NFL to show that you are capable of being drafted.”

Greatness helping greatness. It’s a meaningful family story in this case, and it demonstrates another way in which Herb Adderley will be missed.

Chargers’ report card through bye week, Defense

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez breaks down how the Los Angeles Chargers have been on defense.

The start to Chargers’ 2020 season has been littered with games that have went down to the wire. But they’ve been unable to prevail all but one.

Sitting at 1-4, Los Angeles has a lot of reflecting to do and they need to make some changes if they wish to get back to their winning ways.

With that being said, I assess each position group on the defensive side of the ball to see what’s going right and wrong.

Defensive Line: B-

The defensive line was rolling the first couple weeks of the season, generating a ton of pressure on Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. This was all before key members of the defensive line, Melvin Ingram and Justin Jones were placed on the injured reserve, and Joey Bosa was hampered by multiple injuries. The unit has struggled to get home the past three games. The Chargers are 24th in sacks (8) and 27th in adjusted sack rating. They rank middle of the pack in quarterback pressures (22.3%). Even though he was beat up, Bosa has still done what he does best by wreaking havoc, totaling four sacks and 18 quarterback pressures. Uchenna Nwosu has done a fine job filling in for Ingram, both against the pass and run game. Nwosu has shown that he’s capable of being the starting LEO if the team moves on from Ingram after the season. Linval Joseph has been a refreshing addition to the defense, making an impact at rushing the passer and defending the run. Jerry Tillery got off to a hot start, but he has cooled down after being handed a larger role.

Linebackers: B

The Chargers suffered a huge loss to the group in the first game of the season, as the ascending Drue Tranquill sustained a broken ankle and was placed on the injured reserve. The loss to Tranquill led to more playing time for Kyzir White, who leads the team in tackles. However, White has been a liability in coverage. Rookie Kenneth Murray has done a fine job as the man in the middle. Murray still has lapses of being overaggressive which has led to missed tackles here and there, but his speed shows when filling the alley or going sideline to sideline. In coverage, he has shown some promise. Denzel Perryman has been a model of consistency. Not only is he contributing against the run, he’s made some plays in coverage, as well.

Cornerbacks: C

The cornerback position was thought to be one of the stronger areas on the team this season, but the group has produced a mixed bag of results. Casey Hayward has been targeted the most in his career since 2016, and has already allowed double-digit receptions. Michael Davis has made some plays, especially in the run game, but he’s also had a few bad looks in coverage here and there. Chris Harris Jr. has played well, but it has been in a small sample size due to the fact that he’s currently on the injured reserve with a foot injury. The injury led to an increase in Desmond King’s playing time as the starting slot cornerback. From the get go, King didn’t waste time showing why he was worthy of extended snaps, playing with his hair on fire, both in coverage and against the run. The group is getting accustomed to more man coverage looks, which could be the reason for their up and down play.

Safeties: B-

Keep everything in front is the name of the game. The Chargers have been susceptible to explosive plays this season, which have come in critical moments. Rayshawn Jenkins has been reliable when coming downhill as a run defender and blitzer, but he’s been beat a few occasions in coverage. After missing nearly all of last season, Nasir Adderley is coming into his own as the centerfielder. Adderley has had a few lapses here and there, but he’s done some good things both in coverage and against the run. Adderley posted his first career interception last Monday. If only Derwin James was healthy…

The good, the bad and the ugly from Chargers’ 30-27 loss to Saints

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out the good, the bad and the ugly from the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Chargers lost to the Saints in overtime on Monday Night Football in typical fashion, leading by 17 points and letting it slip away. Los Angeles will have plenty of reflecting heading into their bye week.

But before that, here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 5:

The Good

QB Justin Herbert: What more could you ask for from Herbert? The rookie went toe to toe with future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees, finishing 20-of-34 passing for 264 yards and four touchdowns, which marks the most in MNF history. Herbert did this all while being in the face of pressure all night, and missing some of his top skill players (Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler). The future is bright.

WR Mike Williams: We knew it was a matter of time until Herbert started taking more deep shots to Williams. After Allen went down, Williams became Herbert’s go-to target. He turned eight targets into five catches for 109 yards and two scores, including an outstanding grab in the fourth quarter that put the Chargers in position for the go-ahead field goal (which was missed).

Run defense: Before the game, I said that the Chargers must find a way to minimize Saints running back Alvin Kamara’s effect on the game. While Kamara made some splash days through the air, him and RB Latavius Murray struggled to get anything going on the ground, failing to go over 100 yards. Credit goes to defensive tackle Linval Joseph, edge defender Uchenna Nwosu, linebackers Kenneth Murray, Kyzir White and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, all of whom played vital roles in the run game.

The Bad

Offensive line: The offensive line had no answer for the Saints pass rush. Herbert was sacked three times and was pressured 14 times (37.8% pressure rate, the defense’s highest in a game this season), per Next Gen Stats. The offense managed managed to go over 100 yards on the ground, but the guys up front failed to get push more often than not.

Conservative play-calling in the second half: Roll with what’s working. The Chargers failed to do so out of the locker room when they had the lead. They took the conservative route rather than being aggressive on early downs by choosing to run the ball on nine of their 14 first-down plays in the second half and overtime. The result? They averaged only 1.11 yards per carry on their first-down rush attempts. While it speaks to the lack of trust they had in the offensive line in pass protection, Herbert showed that he was capable of overcoming the copious amount of pressure.

Punt coverage: Special teams isn’t talked about often, but the Chargers have the worst special teams rating in the NFL, per Football Outsiders. Ty Long was close to having a few of his punts blocked, which speaks to the poor punt protection. Meanwhile, the Saints were set up in ideal field position all night (barring a couple called back due to penalties) due to the lackluster coverage.

The Ugly

Second-half defense: There were some positives on the defensive side of the ball, including the run defense, which was mentioned above. Along with that, free safety Nasir Adderley picked up his first career interception. But other than that, the unit fell apart when they had a commanding lead. Soft/busted coverages and lack of pressure led to quarterback Drew Brees’ comeback after being down 17 points. The unit is banged up, and the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time to get healthy.

Michael Badgley: The Chargers could’ve sworn that the kicking nightmares were behind them. But last night was a flashback to a couple of seasons ago when they had their kicker carousel. Badgley missed an extra point on the team’s first touchdown and the go-ahead 50-yard field goal, leaving four points on the field, which would’ve enough to give them the victory. Last week, Badgley missed a field goal, too. His seat is getting warm.

Watch: Chargers’ Nasir Adderley picks off Drew Brees

Nasir Adderley picked off Drew Brees to set up an LA Chargers TD

The Los Angeles Chargers’ Nasir Adderley comes from great DB genes. His grandfather, Herb, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, a six-time NFL champion and three-time Super Bowl champion who had 48 interceptions as a pro.

Adderley showed off some of his ability against a future Pro Football Hall of Famer in Drew Brees Monday night against the Saints.

Adderley picked off Brees and returned it to within inches of the goal line, setting up Justin Herbert’s third TD pass of the first half that gave the Bolts a 20-3 lead.

Herbert found Hunter Henry for the score.

 

Chargers CB Desmond King voices displeasure over lack of playing time

Chargers cornerback Desmond King is not seeing the field as much as he would like.

After the Chargers signed cornerback Chris Harris Jr. this past offseason, there was a chance that Desmond King would see his playing time take a bit of a decline.

Through two games, King hasn’t seen the field nearly as much as he did in the first three seasons of his professional career, and he isn’t too happy about it.

Following the loss to the Chiefs, King went to his personal Twitter account to let his frustration out.

 

King played 44 of 77 defensive snaps Sunday. Nasir Adderley played 76. Rayshawn Jenkins played 34 before getting hurt. King wasn’t a part of the rotation before the injury to Jenkins occurred.

King has played 85 of 145 defensive snaps in two games, which is 59% of the snaps.

It wasn’t long when King was named All-Pro in 2018 after being a valuable asset on the defensive side of the ball and on special teams.

However, the former Iowa product’s play took a bit of a decline in 2019. He fell out of the graces of the coaching staff, and he was effectively suspended for a game in Week 14 last season for a reason that wasn’t explained.

King’s not happy about his lack of playing time, and surely, coach Anthony Lynn won’t be either after stumbling upon his tweets.

King is slated to become a free agent after the 2020 season.