Tag: rayshawn jenkins

Chargers’ Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa among players likely to be out vs. Chiefs

The Chargers don’t have anything to play for.

The Chargers have nothing to play for in the season finale this weekend against the Chiefs, which means that it’s not worth letting key players go out and worsen an injury that they’re dealing with.

Therefore, Los Angeles is likely to be without wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring) and edge defender Joey Bosa (concussion) and safety Rayshawn Jenkins (ankle), according to coach Anthony Lynn.

If Allen doesn’t play, he will be eight receiving yards shy from the 1,000-yard mark. The 28-year old has surpassed that the past three seasons, all of which he was named to the Pro Bowl.

Meanwhile, Bosa, another Pro Bowler, will finish with 39 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 15 tackles for loss.

Other notable players that likely will be unavailable this weekend are tight end Hunter Henry (COVID-19 list) and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (foot).

Chargers CBs Casey Hayward, Chris Harris Jr’s best days could be behind them

The Chargers need to be in the market for corners after this season.

While the Chargers had a pair of defenders that had solid performances in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, the team also had two defensive backs that struggled.

Wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage combined for 13 receptions, 206 yards and a touchdown, which were allowed primarily by cornerbacks Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr.

Harris got beat by Ridley on a touchdown, which came from Gage on a trick play while Hayward was beat on multiple occasions. The two were also poor as tacklers, one of which was attempted by Harris that led to a touchdown by wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.

Ridley and Gage ran freely for the majority of the contest. This was all without Julio Jones, who was out with an injury. If Jones was active, I can only imagine what the outcome would have been.

This season Hayward has allowed 32 catches on 67 targets for 547 yards while Harris has allowed 17 receptions on 25 targets for 291 yards, in just six games.

Both players have dealt with their perspective injuries this season even though Harris experienced one much longer. Nonetheless, Los Angeles isn’t getting great production out of these players, who they expected to be key contributors this season.

Whether it’s due to injuries, the bottom line is that L.A. needs to be in the market for more reliable cornerbacks, whether that be through free agency or the early rounds of the draft.

If signs regression continue to be evident with Hayward, the Chargers could elect to release him before he becomes a free agent after the 2021 season. With Harris, they could choose to restructure his contract.

Chargers’ Michael Davis, Rayshawn Jenkins making cases to be re-signed

The Chargers have a handful of key pending free agents.

The Chargers aren’t playing for the playoffs anymore, but players are playing to decide the fate of their futures.

Los Angeles has a handful of members that will be free agents after this season, and a couple of them showed that they’re worthy of another contract in yesterday’s victory over the Falcons.

L.A. tied their season high with three takeaways Sunday, all interceptions, two of which were made by cornerback Michael Davis and Rayshawn Jenkins.

Jenkins’ pick in the end zone in the third quarter set up the Chargers’ tying touchdown drive while Davis capitalized on a poor throw made by quarterback Matt Ryan, marking his third interception of the season.

This season, Jenkins has shown to be a key contributor at both safety spots and as the team’s dime backer. The gradual growth with Jenkins has been evident and with a healthy Derwin James in 2021, the two would make a solid safety tandem.

Davis has arguably been the team’s best cornerbacks and one of their best defenders. While you rarely hear his name called, he’s taken out some of the league’s best wide receivers and coming up with big plays in critical situations. His tackling has improved significantly, too.

The secondary has been one of the weaker spots this season, but Davis and Jenkins have both been the bright spots, exemplifying that they need to be back in the blue and gold next season.

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.

Chargers sign safety Jahleel Addae to practice squad

The Los Angeles Chargers are bringing back a familiar face.

The Los Angeles Chargers have signed safety Jahleel Addae to their practice squad.

Addae spent his first six seasons with the Chargers after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan in 2013. In six seasons with the Bolts, he compiled 372 tackles, 21 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions.

Addae was released by L.A. last offseason, and was then signed by the Texans afterwards, where he started three games. In 16 contests, he amassed 45 tackles, three passes defensed and two interceptions.

The decision to bring back Addae comes after Rayshawn Jenkins suffered an injury last Sunday against the Chiefs, and the playing time this weekend for Desmond King looms after he voiced his displeasure in his playing time from the past couple of weeks.

Addae supplies depth at both safety positions, but he is geared more for the strong safety spot.

Chargers bringing in safety Jahleel Addae for visit

The Los Angeles Chargers team could be eyeing a reunion with safety Jahleel Addae.

The Chargers are looking to bring back a familiar face.

According to Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, safety Jahleel Addae is visiting Los Angeles.

Coach Anthony Lynn was asked at Monday’s availability to see if it was true, and he confirmed, adding that he will be visiting at some point this week.

The decision to bring Addae in for a visit comes after Rayshawn Jenkins left Sunday’s game with an injury, and defensive back Desmond King voiced his displeasure with his lack of playing time.

Los Angeles is already without star safety Derwin James, who was placed on the injured before the regular season.

L.A. could be seeking to sign Addae to a short-term deal for depth purposes, and familiarity is key when it comes to their evaluation process.

Addae spent six seasons with the Bolts before being released last offseason. He spent last season with the Texans, posting 45 tackles and two interceptions

Injury updates on Chargers’ Bryan Bulaga, Rayshawn Jenkins, Justin Jones

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn gave injury updates for three players that left Sunday’s contest with an injury.

Throughout the course of the Chargers’ Week 2 loss to the Chiefs, they lost a few players due to their perspective injuries.

Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga was the first to go down, with a knee injury. Bulaga didn’t return to the action and was replaced by Trey Pipkins.

Coach Anthony Lynn said that Bulaga is day-to-day.

Another player that is day-to-day is safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who suffered a groin injury. Jenkins was replaced by Desmond King.

Those two will likely be back in action very soon, but that may not be the case for defensive tackle Justin Jones.

Jones left the game with a shoulder injury, and Lynn said that it could be worst one out of the bunch. If Jones is unable to go, Tillery’s playing time will increase.

We will monitor these injuries as the Chargers start their preparation on Wednesday for the Week 3 matchup with the Panthers.

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.

Chargers don’t make any waiver claims after roster cuts

The Los Angeles Chargers appear to be confident with their players after making roster cuts.

After NFL roster cuts, the Chargers elected to not claim any available players off waivers.

Los Angeles is looking pretty with their 53-man roster after cutdown day. However, the team could afford to add one more safety after the loss of Derwin James, who was placed on the injured reserve.

General manager Tom Telesco reiterated that they chose not to make any claims, signifying their confidence in the safeties that they have on the roster right now.

This isn’t to say the safety group of Rayshawn Jenkins, Nasir Adderley, Desmond King and Alohi Gilman isn’t reliable. But for the sake of depth, the Bolts could have added one with experience.

The most notable free agent safeties are Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Tony Jefferson, among others. But for a team that covets scheme familiarity, I thought Jaylen Watkins and Jahleel Addae, who are both free agents, would’ve garnered attention.

Other positions that could afford to have depth added are at wide receiver and left tackle.

We will monitor to see if Los Angeles makes any roster moves ahead of the season opener against the Bengals.

Chargers’ Nasir Adderley set up for strong sophomore season

Chargers safety Nasir Adderley is looking to make an impact in Year 2.

The Chargers are maneuvering some of the pieces in their secondary after the big loss of Derwin James, who is expected to be out for the entire 2020 season due to a torn meniscus.

One of the most reasonable options is sliding Rayshawn Jenkins from the free safety position to strong safety, and letting second-year Nasir Adderley play the single-high role.

Prior to James’ injury, Adderley had been practicing at multiple spots. But now, the former Delaware product could be set up to start at the position that he was originally drafted to play.

Adderley, who missed the majority of his rookie season with a hamstring injury, is now healthy and is practicing with the same energy that he brought to the preseason finale last year where he posted three passes defensed and an interception.

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said that Adderley has caught the coaching staff’s attention, and mentioned he’s taken a big step from this time last year to now.

The team is looking at all options on how their secondary will shape up without their star safety. But it appears that Adderley will be involved one way or another, and he could be due for a impactful season in Year 2, if he stays healthy.