Tag: New Orleans Saints news

PFF: Chargers’ top defensive players in preseason loss vs. Saints

Here are the top 10 Chargers defensive players and what their grades were in the preseason loss to the Saints.

The Chargers lost to the Saints in the second preseason game of 2023 on Sunday, 22-17.

Despite the loss, they still had some key contributors on defense. Here are the top players on that side of the ball, per Pro Football Focus.

Chargers LB Daiyan Henley shines in preseason loss to Saints, flashes playmaking skills

Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley was all over the field on Sunday.

The Chargers needed to bolster their linebacker corps this offseason. They did so with the signing of veteran Eric Kendricks and the selection of Daiyan Henley in the third round.

Henley, the former Washington State product, showcased why he was one of the best linebackers in this year’s draft class with an impressive performance in the preseason loss to the Saints on Sunday.

With Kendricks, Kenneth Murray, Nick Niemann and Amen Ogbongbemiga all sitting, Henley got the start in the middle of the defense and wore the green dot as head coach Brandon Staley’s primary play-caller.

It didn’t take long to notice Henley. He showcased his speed to consistently make one-on-one tackles on running backs in the open field.

He did make a mistake in coverage early in the second quarter when he lost running back Kendre Miller on a wheel route up the sideline for a 27-yard gain.

Nonetheless, nine times out of ten, the former wide receiver and defensive back is making a play on the football in the air, with coverage being one of his primary strengths.

Against the run, Henley made a great play in the second quarter. Winston handed off to Miller and Henley read it well, using his quickness to knife the gap and make a good wrap-up tackle at the line of scrimmage.

Henley also made an eye-popping play as a pass rusher. He blitzed in between the left tackle and guard with no blocker in the backfield and with his acceleration coming downhill, Winston had no time to react, resulting in a combined sack with edge defender Carlo Kemp.

Henley led the team with nine tackles.

“I liked the way Daiyan played,” Staley said. “I thought he was aggressive. I think you see what an outstanding tackler he is. He can really feel the run game. He’s physical, outstanding in the blitz game. He just needs to keep improving because he’ll learn a lot from it.”

Henley will start the season as a core special teamer and continue to develop his game at the position, considering he’s only been playing linebacker for three years. But with his coverage chops and prolific blitzing skills, Henley could see some playing time on defense.

Looking ahead, Henley has the necessary traits and makeup to become a starter for the Bolts in his second season, especially after the presumed departure of Kenneth Murray, who is a free agent after the upcoming season.

Studs and duds from Chargers’ 22-17 loss to the Saints

After they dominated the Rams last week, the Chargers just couldn’t keep up with the Saints this time out. Still, it wasn’t all bad.

The Chargers did get a chance to play some preseason football despite some initial fears about the weather. After they dominated the Rams last week, the team just couldn’t keep up quite the same pace this time out. Still, it wasn’t all bad.

Let’s start with a stud of the game first:

Stud: S JT Woods

After good reports out of camp for JT Woods’ performance in joint practices, I was excited to see if he could back that progress up in a preseason game. He did. Woods had good quality coverage that resulted in a few pass breakups and was generally a good tackler.

Woods did miss one tackle on the big play to Lynn Bowden, but he kept his composure and kept playing with good intensity.

Dud: QB Easton Stick

Easton Stick landed in my studs category last week after his effort against the Rams. This outing was not as favorable for the Chargers’ backup. Stick went 21/41 with two interceptions and a sub-50 passer rating.

There were some good moments for him. His two-minute drive toward the end of the first half did show off some legitimate improvisation and creativity. But the moments of occasional improvisational brilliance were outweighed by the decision-making. Stick became a little overly reliant on using his legs to bail him out of plays and just made some perplexing throws. Why was a two-yard pass thrown to Stone Smartt on 3rd and 9?

The scanning of the field through his reads was poor and it felt like he was still sailing the ball wide even when he did make a good read.

Stud: LB Daiyan Henley

It felt like Henley was active from the get-go in this one. He ended up leading the team in tackles with nine and had an explosive sack where he shot the gap to clean up with Carlo Kemp. Henley also blew up some runs in the backfield.

While Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray will be the starting duo, today was the first time that Henley’s overall athleticism won me over on the field. He has to get some defensive playing time early. The speed and motor he has could be used in an almost Drue Tranquill gadget-like way in spots during the season.

Dud: RB Elijah Dotson

Elijah Dotson honestly started the game off pretty well. There weren’t any huge runs early, but it felt like he was running downhill and physical with some confidence. But the production tapered off during the game. Dotson finished the game averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.

More important than the rushing production was the situational football from the Northern Colorado product. Two bad drops from Dotson on the last drive of the game would almost immediately lead to Easton Stick throwing his final interception.

Stud: WR Quentin Johnston

Tonight’s effort from Quentin Johnston was exactly what fans wanted to see in Week 1. Johnston had three catches for 37 yards with no drops. In terms of a skill that was demonstrated in this game, the route running was what really stuck out.

Overall, it felt like the game slowed down a lot for Johnston after he caught that touchdown against the Rams last week. The route-running fluidity and body control were a few strides better tonight.

Dud: Austen Pleasants and Foster Sarell

Both of them deserve a dishonorable mention tonight. Part of why Stick had so much trouble early on in the game was the nonstop pressure he was getting. The interior offensive line shares its role in the blame as well, but Pleasants was especially bad tonight. He was slow off of the line and got beat in the backfield.

And from Sarell, it’s more of the same as last week. This game may have been *slightly* better for him from a pressure standpoint, but it’s of no matter. They’ve both thoroughly proven that neither of them can be trusted to be the swing tackle.

A 41-year-old free agent tackle Jason Peters doesn’t seem that bad now actually.

NFL monitoring Chargers vs. Saints status as Hurricane Hilary approaches

The NFL is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Hilary’s forecast.

The Chargers are set to host the Saints in a preseason game on Sunday, but the NFL is monitoring the situation with Hurricane Hilary as it approaches the West Coast.

“We continue to monitor the weather and will (update the situation) if anything changes,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday, per NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan.

There are no plans to cancel or move the game as of now.

The storm has intensified to Category 4, and Southern California is under a tropical storm watch for the first time ever. No tropical storm has made landfall in So Cal since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service.

Kickoff is slated for 4:05 pm PT at SoFi Stadium.