Tag: rayshawn jenkins

Chargers’ Alohi Gilman ready if called upon to start at strong safety

The Los Angeles Chargers’ 2020 sixth-round could be the team’s starting strong safety.

Chargers rookie safety Alohi Gilman was strictly seen as a player who would be a special teams player and sub-package defender in Year 1.

But now, Gilman has the opportunity to play a role much larger in his rookie season. After the big loss of Derwin James, there’s a possibility that Gilman could be the starting strong safety for Los Angeles.

“This is a great opportunity for me to step into a role where I can play a little more early on in my career,” Gilman said. I got a lot of room to grow. A lot of room to work at. But that’s a day-by-day process. When my number is called, I’ll be ready for sure.”

Gilman had been working as the backup strong safety the past couple of weeks of training camp prior to James’ injury, while having the luxury of learning from one of the best safeties in the league.

James lauded Gilman as “one of the best athletes that he’s been around.”

Even though it’s always a bit worrisome to throw a rookie into the fire, Gilman has the skillset to do fine at the position.

The former Notre Dame product is stout as run defender and he can blanket tight ends, showing the competitive skills to be disruptive at the catch point.

It remains to be seen if that’s the direction L.A. will go to fill James’ void.

The team could move Rayshawn Jenkins to strong safety, let Nasir Adderley or Desmond King play free safety while Gilman plays the dimebacker role.

They could also sign a free agent like Jahleel Addae.

There isn’t much time to figure out how the Chargers will replace the star safety, but they must act quickly as there is only 13 days until the season opener against the Bengals.

Report: Chargers’ Derwin James to miss significant time with meniscus injury

The Chargers will be without their star safety.

The Chargers will start their regular season without safety Derwin James for the second straight year.

James is likely to miss significant time with a meniscus injury he suffered during today’s practice, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

James was coming up to make a tackle, but stayed on the ground for a little bit. He walked off under his own power and grabbed his hamstring. He walked to the medical tent with trainers with his head down and right before getting there, threw his gloves to the ground.

Last season, the All-Pro safety missed 11 games with a foot injury that he sustained during training camp.

With James out of the action, Los Angeles will now have to figure out how they can replace him in the meantime.

A couple of possibilities include starting his backup, rookie Alohi Gilman. The team could also move down Rayshawn Jenkins from the single-high role while placing Nasir Adderley at free safety.

With exactly two weeks until the season opener against the Bengals, the Chargers will have to act very quickly.

How Chargers can fill Derwin James’ void

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists what Los Angeles can do to replace Derwin James while he misses time.

The Chargers will be without one of their top defensive playmakers for a significant amount of time.

Derwin James sustained a severe meniscus injury at practice on Sunday, and will miss a good chunk of time because of it.

Los Angeles will once again be in a position to fill the void of James. They were forced to do it last season after he suffered a stress fracture in his foot.

Given the fact that he’s one of the best safeties in the league, it won’t be an easy task to get the same amount of production, but the show must go on.

So how will L.A. go about it? There are a few options.

The first is starting sixth-round pick Alohi Gilman. Gilman has been working as the backup strong safety throughout camp after Roderic Teamer was cut from the team.

I wrote about Gilman earlier, stating that he could make an impact in his rookie season. This was before James’ injury, but now the door is open for him to claim a starting role.

The next reasonable option is moving Rayshawn Jenkins from free safety to strong safety, and letting 2019 second-round pick Nasir Adderley play the single-high role.

Jenkins is familiar with the strong safety position, and the coaching staff covets his versatility to be bounced around in the secondary. Prior to the injury, he was a candidate to play the dime linebacker role.

Los Angeles could get Desmond King, who’s the mystery man in the secondary, involved. They could keep Jenkins at strong safety and let King play free safety. King has been working there with the second-team.

If the Bolts aren’t confident with any of these options, they could dip into the free agency pool.

One of the top options is Earl Thomas, who was released by the Ravens last week. Thomas has some familiarity with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, as the two were together with the Seahawks for a few seasons.

Thomas has primarily played the free safety position, but Bradley could get creative with the other members of the secondary to still have him on the field.

Other free agents that could garner the attention of the Chargers include Tony Jefferson, Reshad Jones and Eric Reid.

The Chargers will have to act quickly to fill James’ void as they are two weeks away from the season opener against the Bengals. It will be interesting to see how the team goes about it.

Chargers’ Derwin James leaves practice with hamstring injury

This would mark the Pro Bowler’s second consecutive severe injury.

The Chargers present one of the top secondaries heading into the 2020, but they could be without one of their key pieces.

Safety Derwin James left practice on Sunday after suffering a hamstring injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

James came up limping after a play during Los Angeles’ scrimmage, and threw one of his gloves in frustration, according to Sports Illustrated’s Fernando Ramirez.

He stayed in the tent the remainder of the practice, and the severity of the injury remains to be seen.

If he’s out for quite a bit of time, this would mark his second consecutive injury. James suffered a stress fracture in his foot in 2019, limiting him to just five games.

If James is to miss some action, the Chargers could move Rayshawn Jenkins to strong safety while Nasir Adderley plays free safety. Or, the team could roll with rookie Alohi Gilman.

L.A. is already expected to start the season without wide receiver Mike Williams.

We will continue to update as more information rolls out.

Who has the advantage at every key position battle for Chargers?

The position battles are heating up at Chargers training camp.

Training camp is nearing an end for the Chargers as the team just 15 days until the regular season opener against the Bengals.

With only a few practices left, players are working hard to solidify one of the starting spots or simply a spot on the roster.

After two weeks has gone by, let’s take a look and see who has the advantage at every positional battle thus far.

Quarterback

Advantage: Tyrod Taylor

This should come as no surprise. Despite coach Anthony Lynn saying that there would be a quarterback competition between Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert, Taylor was always going to be the starter. The coronavirus pandemic did Herbert no favors, as the first-round pick didn’t have a full spring of practices to work with his teammates. Now, he’s playing catch up. Taylor has developed a great chemistry with his skill players. It will be the 30-year old’s job to lose. If he plays well this season, he will remain the starter. If he fails to win games, the team will likely be forced to throw Herbert into the fire.

Starting left tackle

Advantage: Sam Tevi

The Chargers had the opportunity to fill the void left by Russell Okung this offseason, but chose to roll with their in-house options. According to coach Anthony Lynn, Tevi is “in the driver’s seat,” at the position. Tevi’s experience in the starting role gets the nod. He has been praised by the coaching all camp, highlighting his athleticism and quick feet. Meanwhile, second-year Trey Pipkins was thought to be the projected starter entering camp, but he has been playing with the second-team for the most part.

RB2

Advantage: Joshua Kelley

The Chargers are planning to run the ball more as the team transitions from a pass-heavy offense. Austin Ekeler is slated to be the first running back, but the team plans to use his versatility as a pass-catcher, which is why they need to figure out who is capable of getting a bulk of the carries throughout the season. Kelley, the fourth-round pick, has broken off several long runs against the first team defense, and has shown enough as a runner and a receiver to be a threat in the backfield. Justin Jackson has ran the ball well in practices, but the rookie has strung together more of an eyebrow-raising camp. As Kelley gets more accustomed to the playbook, he could make a significant impact.

Wide receiver

Advantage: Push

The Chargers originally entered training camp with a competition for the third wide receiver spot, but Mike Williams’ injury opened up another spot. Jalen Guyton was the front-runner for WR3, but Tyron Johnson and Darius Jennings have pushed him in practices. Jason Moore is a candidate to replace Williams in the time being due to his 6-foot-3 frame. He started to receive first-team snaps this past week. Rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill have been performing at a high level, too. Reed has seen first-team reps as a running back and been impressive in the role. He is a candidate for the speed role on the outside. Meanwhile, Hill has consistently been making enough plays to warrant playing time. Los Angeles could consider a starting trio with Keenan Allen and Reed on the outside, while Hill plays in the slot. Either way, they need to figure out how they’re going to go about the group.

TE3

Advantage: Stephen Anderson

Hunter Henry is the starter and Virgil Green is the backup because of his ability as a run-blocker. Anderson, who was picked up last season and primarily served as a practice squad player, has raised some eyebrows as a pass-catcher, showing some chemistry with rookie Justin Herbert. Meanwhile, former XFL star, Donald Parham, has also stood out in the passing game. But Anderson earned some reps with the first team on special teams this past week, which gives him the slight advantage. This will be a tough decision for the coaching staff.

Linebacker

Advantage: Kenneth Murray & Drue Tranquill

The future is now. The Chargers made it clear that they envisioned a starting linebacker duo with Tranquill and Murray after the team traded up for the former Oklahoma product in this year’s draft. Tranquill has been working as the starting weakside linebacker (WILL), while Murray surpassed Perryman as the starting middle linebacker (MIKE) this past week in practice after returning joining the team after he sat out the first week due to a hamstring injury. This may suggest that Perryman will serve as a depth piece after being a starter the past few years. He will be a free agent after this season.

Dimebacker

Advantage: Push

A key role on defense is the dimebacker role, which is a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker, formerly played by Adrian Phillips. Nasir Adderley, the second-year player, who was hurt the majority of his rookie season, has been making plays all over the field. The team is eager to get him on the field, whether it’s there or at free safety, which could then force Rayshawn Jenkins moving from free safety to dime backer at times. Desmond King is also a candidate for the job. King has look solid in coverage, against the run and as a pass-rusher. There’s a possibility of King sliding into the slot at times, but it may be difficult as Chris Harris Jr. has been playing in the slot, while Casey Hayward and Michael Davis have been on the outside with the first-team. I expect Gus Bradley to move his defensive backs all over the place early in the season to decide what’s his best secondary rotations. Rookie Alohi Gilman has also looked good in practices.

4 Chargers whose ‘Madden NFL 21’ ratings EA got wrong

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out the four Chargers players whose ‘Madden 21’ ratings were too low.

Here are four Chargers players whose ratings seem off in “Madden NFL 21.”

WR Mike Williams – Rating: 81

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Keenan Allen was given a 91 overall rating, which seems just about right considering he is one of the best wide receivers in the game. But his partner in crime’s rating of 81 seems to be a bit off. He’s stacked up with wideouts like A.J. Brown and Michael Gallup when he should be in the same tier as Courtland Sutton, Jarvis Landry and D.J. Moore. His rookie season was riddled by an injury, but he has been the model of consistency since then. In 2018, the big-bodied target reeled in 10 touchdowns. He scored just twice in 2019, but he averaged 20.4 yards per reception, which was No. 1 in the league, and topped 1,000 yards for the first time. While Tyrod Taylor might not have the biggest arm, Justin Herbert does. If Herbert is under center, Williams will become a go-to target for the former Clemson product.

What it should have been: 85

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Chargers’ Michael Davis tabbed as one of NFL’s top zone coverage cornerbacks

Surprisingly, Casey Hayward did not make the cut.

A cornerback for the Chargers is being hailed as one of the league’s best, and his name isn’t Casey Hayward.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar sought out the NFL’s 11 best cornerbacks in zone coverage. After some extensive evaluation, CB Michael Davis was among the crop, being named the 11th-best in a zone coverage role.

According to Farrar, Davis allowed 19 receptions on 34 targets for 254 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 50% when playing zone coverage.

From Farrar’s breakdown:

The Chargers may go into 2020 with the NFL’s most loaded secondary that’s not based in Foxboro. When you have cornerbacks Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr., and safeties Derwin James and Nasir Adderley, that’s a potential nightmare for any enemy quarterback. But the guy who performed best in the Chargers’ league-high zone coverages in 2019 was also the least-known. Davis, an undrafted free agent from BYU who joined the team in 2017, can do everything from taking speed receivers up the chute, to breaking up screens, to deflecting quick slants and drags over the middle. In 2019, Davis allowed 19 receptions on 34 targets for 254 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 50% when playing zone coverage.

For many, Davis being on the list and Hayward not being among the crop, will be quite surprising. However, Farrar creates his list by logging specific data points, tracking player assignments, and creating deep-dive statistical analyses from it all.

Davis, the undrafted free agent out of BYU, has been overshadowed by premiere defensive backs the past couple of seasons. But he has still managed to play at a high level in 21 starts, notching 89 tackles, 17 passes defensed and two interceptions.

Davis’ play has been scrutinized due to inconsistency in coverage and as a tackler, but Farrar’s breakdown and the coaching staff’s confidence in him in the starting role suggests otherwise.

Los Angeles has the opportunity to boast one of the league’s best defenses in 2020, and Davis will be a critical piece in a secondary that features Hayward, Chris Harris Jr., Desmond King, Derwin James, Nasir Adderley and Rayshawn Jenkins.

Projecting the Chargers’ safety depth chart

The Los Angeles Chargers will have a healthy Derwin James back for the 2020 regular season.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been breaking down the depth chart at each position for the Chargers.

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive line

Defensive line

Linebacker

Cornerback

Today, we examine and project the safety room for Los Angeles heading into the 2020 season.

FS: Rayshawn Jenkins

The battle for the free safety job last season was between Jenkins and 2019 second-round pick Nasir Adderley. Adderley showed some immense flashes of earning the starting role. However, injuries kept him off the field, which left Jenkins as the starter.

In his first season as a full-time starter after making the transition from strong safety to the single-high role, Jenkins had an up-and-down season. Even though he led the team in interceptions (3), blown coverages and missed tackles were scattered throughout Jenkins’ campaign.

According to Pro Football Focus, among safeties that played at least 80% of their team’s snaps in 2019, Jenkins was 30th among 37 safeties with a 63.1 overall grade.

Despite the inconsistent results, Jenkins was still highly praised by the coaching staff. Earlier this offseason, coach Anthony Lynn said that he believes Jenkins will breakout in 2020.

Since Jenkins earned the trust of the coaching staff, it may seem like an uphill climb for Adderley earn snaps, but a systematical change might make it easier than originally expected.

The Chargers are expected to show more two-deep looks and man coverage and less Cover 3. This will mean that both Adderley and Jenkins would be on the field. But Jenkins will get the majority of the snaps.

According to defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, Adderley, Jenkins, along with Desmond King are candidates for the dime linebacker role, the position formerly played by Adrian Phillips, which is the sixth defensive back in dime packages.

Backup(s): Nasir Adderley

SS: Derwin James

The Chargers are getting the dynamic defender back for a full state after his sophomore season was short lived to a foot injury that he sustained prior to the regular season.

James is not only being inked as a prime Comeback Player of the Year candidate in 2020, but projected as Defensive Player of the Year.

The former Florida State product will go back to being a difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball, where he will resume his duties as a coverage player, run defender and additional blitzer.

James should see the field for nearly every snap, which will make it extremely difficult for his backups to earn playing time.

Roderic Teamer, who started in James’ absence last season, should make the roster. He will primarily serve as a special teamer, but he could earn some playing time as the dime linebacker.

The Chargers’ sixth-round pick Alohi Gilman should also be among the final 55, but nearly all of his playing time will be on special teams, where he will have to prove his worth in order to draw consideration of being on the field as a dimebacker.

Backup(s): Roderic Teamer, Alohi Gilman

Gregg Rosenthal predicts Chargers’ 2020 starters

NFL Media’s Gregg Rosenthal makes his starting lineup predictions for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers have boasted a talented roster for years now. The results may have not reflected from that, but the issues arise from injuries and in-game woes that haunted them.

Los Angeles has shown that they can compete with the league’s best, and they’re hopeful that they can make a postseason run, like they managed to do two years.

After a slew of acquisitions this offseason, L.A. is once again equipped with talent from top to bottom. But how will the starting lineup shake up in order to get the best players on the field?

NFL Media’s Gregg Rosenthal recently took a crack at projecting the Chargers’ starters for the upcoming season.

Here is a look:

Notes

  • By no surprise, Tyrod Taylor is listed as the starting quarterback. Barring any injury, I expect Taylor to be the Week 1 starter. For how long remains to be seen. If he gets hurt or the team isn’t having any success with him under center, then that’s when we can expect rookie Justin Herbert to take over.
  • Andre Patton is listed as WR3. While Patton will be among the competitors for the job, I expect either rookie Joe Reed or K.J. Hill to earn it when all is said and done.
  • In Rosenthal’s eyes, Sam Tevi wins the starting left tackle job. Many are expecting this to be Trey Pipkins’ role, including myself. However, the team could favor Tevi’s experience in the starting position.
  • I would be surprised if Kenneth Murray didn’t open up as the starting Will linebacker and Drue Tranquill didn’t start as the Mike linebacker.
  • The reason for their not being a third linebacker listed is because given the amount of nickel and dime packages the Chargers go in, that would normally be Adrian Phillips’ role. But not that he is no longer on the team, Desmond King is the frontrunner.
  • Rayshawn Jenkins is listed as the starting free safety. If and when the Chargers go into their two-deep looks, Nasir Adderley will be on the field at the same time.

What Chargers’ Gus Bradley said at media availability

Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley touched on handful of topics.

Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley spoke to the media on Wednesday via Zoom teleconference.

Going into the 2020 season, Bradley will have more pieces to utilize which include cornerback Chris Harris Jr, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Harris, the four-time Pro Bowl selection, brings a proven veteran presence to the cornerback room. Bradley said he met him at the Pro Bowl in 2019, and loves how competitive he is and feels like he will be a good addition to the defense.

To fill the void after Thomas Davis released earlier this offseason, Los Angeles traded up 14 spots to snag Murray with the No. 23 overall selection in this year’s draft. Bradley said his intensity, leadership, and length were some of the reasons why they picked him.

The Bolts released Brandon Mebane, too. To fill the nose tackle spot, the team signed Joseph. Bradley hasn’t met Joseph yet, but said that he has heard a lot about the leadership he brings, highlighting his spirited nature and feels like has a chip on his shoulder.

Bradley said that he wants to be more active at the position as a whole.

He believes Justin Jones will benefit from the changes that the team is making with the defensive scheme. As for Jerry Tillery, who didn’t wow as many people in his rookie season, Bradley highlighted his flashes. But the one thing needed to be improved upon was his strength and simply getting bigger. He said Tillery has been working hard this offseason.

A couple of the bigger questions heading into training camp is what role is Desmond King going to play after the signing of Harris, and how will Nasir Adderley see the field more as he showed a lot of promise before having his season come to an end after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Bradley said that King could play safety in their dime package. He said they may move him to the outside. King is going to have a lot on his plate heading into the final year of his contract, but he is a versatile player that they could move around.

Adderley was in the mix for the starting free safety spot, but the injury kept him off the field nearly the entire season. Heading into Year 2, Adderley could earn a job at the position, especially because Bradley said he wants to implement more two-deep safety looks and man coverage this season as opposed to just his Cover 3 system that relies heavily on zone coverage.

Rayshawn Jenkins, the team’s starting free safety from last season, showed have the same role. But Bradley thinks Jenkins might play more linebacker and strong safety this season to help with the dime linebacker void after Adrian Phillips left in free agency.

Bradley said that he could see Adderley, Jenkins or rookie Alohi Gilman in that spot.

One of the biggest goals this season is creating more takeaways. He said the defense didn’t do a good enough job of taking the ball away last season. The unit ranked second-worst in the league with a -17 turnover differential.

The bottom line is that we can expect the majority of the players on the defensive side of the ball to be moved around quite a bit this upcoming season, and a possible change to the scheme could benefit the group as a whole.