Tag: Tevaughn Campbell

Chargers CB Ryan Smith has torn ACL

The Chargers will be without one of their special teams aces for the remainder of the season.

The Chargers will be one less cornerback after Ryan Smith suffered a torn ACL, head coach Brandon Staley announced Monday.

Smith started in place of the injured Michael Davis on Sunday against the Eagles. He sustained the knee injury towards the end of the game, and Kemon Hall took over his spot.

Signed this past offseason, Smith spent nearly all summer on the sideline nursing a core muscle injury. He made his debut for Los Angeles in Week 5 against the Browns.

The loss of Smith is a tough blow, as he supplied the Bolts with a core special teamer and defensive depth in the backend.

In 2021, Smith appeared in four games and recorded five tackles and zero interceptions.

Chargers make roster moves ahead of Week 9 matchup vs. Eagles

The Chargers are very thin in the secondary.

The Los Angeles Chargers made a few roster moves ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wide receiver Maurice Ffrench and cornerback Kiondre Thomas were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.

The moves come after Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. were ruled out, and Alohi Gilman is doubtful.

Furthermore, CB Tevaughn Campbell was added to the injury report with a groin and is now questionable.

If Campbell can’t play, Ryan Smith and Kemon Hall will be the starting outside corners while Chris Harris Jr. starts in the slot.

Ffrench, an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh, never appeared in a regular season game with the Chiefs.

Ffrench finished his collegiate career with 156 catches for 1,637 yards and 14 touchdowns in 45 games, while tallying over 600 yards and two touchdowns between punt and kick returns.

Thomas spent three seasons at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas State for his senior campaign, totaling 100 tackles, 11 passes defensed, two tackles for loss and an interception.

Thomas was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Browns.

Chargers final injury report vs. Eagles: 3 out, 1 doubtful

The Chargers’ secondary will be thin on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Chargers released their final injury report ahead of the Week 9 battle with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Here is a look at the report:

OUT

CB Michael Davis (hamstring)

RB Justin Jackson (quadriceps)

CB Asante Samuel Jr. (concussion)

DOUBTFUL

S Alohi Gilman (ankle)

With Davis and Samuel out, Tevaughn Campbell and Ryan Smith will start alongside Chris Harris Jr.

After an eyebrow-raising performance against the Patriots, Jackson will not play. Instead, Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree will split the carries behind Austin Ekeler.

If Gilman can’t play, rookie Mark Webb should be due for more time on the field.

Raiders’ Hunter Renfrow demolishes Tevaughn Campbell on Chargers fake punt

The Chargers tried a fake punt in the first quarter of their Monday Night Football game against the Raiders, and Hunter Renfrow made them regret it.

With 2:03 left in the first quarter of the Monday Night Football contest between the Raiders and Chargers, the Chargers decided to attempt a fake punt from the Las Vegas 41-yard line. Punter Ty Long had a sideline pass to defensive back Tevaughn Campbell all set up, but Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow was all over the play, coming down from coverage to prevent Campbell from holding onto the ball with a perfect impact hit.

The Raiders went three-and-out on the subsequent drive, in part due to their interesting strategy of allowing rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood to try and handle Chargers edge-rusher Joey Bosa one-on-one (might want to throw that out right away), but Renfrow made a very impressive play here. Given his combination of speed to the target and aggressiveness when he got there, perhaps the Raiders should consider subbing him in at defensive back once in a while.

Watch: Chargers get back-to-back-to-back turnovers vs. Chiefs

The Chargers defense came to play.

The Chargers have held the Chiefs scoreless through two quarters due to three great defensive stands that resulted in turnovers.

After notching an interception last Sunday against the Cowboys, cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. followed that up with another one.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, in a no-look fashion, targeted tight end Marcus Kemp. It was tipped, only to fall in the hands of Samuel who dove a few feet for the football.

On their second stand, Kansas City was knocking on the door until CB Tevaughn Campbell stripped the ball out of wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s hands. CB Michael Davis was there with the recovery.

On their third one, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire carried the football and was met by a jarring hit from Campbell to force the ball out. Davis was there to recover.

The Chargers turned the second and third turnovers into touchdowns. They lead the Chiefs heading into the half, 14-0.

Chargers’ 53-man roster shows a strong commitment to fixing shaky special teams

After finishing with the worst special teams in 2020, the Chargers are expecting a major turnaround.

A combination of poor coverage and return skills, bone-headed penalties and  kicking woes led to the Chargers having the worst special teams in the NFL last season.

The first step to fixing the department came with the hiring of Derius Swinton II, who is entering his 14th season as a special teams coach.

While the change in the coaching staff was one thing, the players that make up the 53-man roster shows how a great of an emphasis head coach Brandon Staley and company put on the unit.

“We want to elevate the standard of performance,” Staley said. We’re looking for guys to separate and create roles for themselves. We expect them to do things a certain way.”

The first act of service was finding a starter kicker, which they did by keeping Tristan Vizcaino over Michael Badgley. Staley highlighted Vizcaino as a player who they believe has “real talent,” lauding his leg strength.

The next came when the team established one of their return specialists. Instead of keeping the talented Tyron Johnson, it was K.J. Hill who they decided to roll with as the fifth and final receiver because of his ability to return punts.

Keeping guys that they felt would make an impact on the coverage units was also strongly taken in consideration, which is why bubble players like undrafted rookie Amen Ogbongbemiga, Kemon Hall, Tevaughn Campbell and Stephen Anderson made the cut.

Like the puzzling decision to move on from Johnson, the Chargers didn’t shy away from letting notable names go that they felt didn’t bring much special teams value. That includes Brandon Facyson, who was released on Wednesday in favor of Trey Marshall and eventually Ryan Smith.

The reasoning? Staley called Marshall an “outstanding special teams player.”

Los Angeles wants to be a playoff team in 2021, but they need to see improvement in their special teams unit to make that happen. With the staff and players the team boasts, there is hope this department will be much more competent.

Chargers CB Tevaughn Campbell impressing coaches

Tevaughn Campbell is looking to solidify a spot on the Chargers 53-man roster.

The Chargers are stacked at the top of the cornerback depth, with Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr. and Asante Samuel Jr. paving the way.

But given how defensive backs are essential in head coach Brandon Staley’s defense, there are still voids that will need to be filled.

One player that has been making his case to earn one of those spots and be a contributor is Tevaughn Campbell.

Primarily working with the second team defense, Campbell has shined in coverage. Not only is he utilizing his size, speed and movement skills to his advantage, the field intelligence and the technical standpoint are starting to click, especially this past Sunday at practice.

“I thought that he was connected on a lot of the routes,” defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill said. “I thought that he was in great position all day. He played calm and at peace. He wasn’t rushed. He knows that he has a big engine. He knows that he has good size.”

Campbell has also drawn the attention of Staley throughout camp.

“He’s really talented. This guy has real movement. He has really good size,” Staley said.

Signed onto the practice squad 2019, Campbell appeared in 14 games – including four starts – in his first season on the active roster in 2020, totaling 22 tackles, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and his first career interception.

Assuming the starters won’t see the field all that much this preseason, Campbell will have plenty of opportunities to carry his momentum into the three-game slate and solidify a spot on the 53-man roster and possibly garner some snaps during the regular season.

Chargers’ Players of the Game in Week 11 vs. Jets

There were a few standout players in the Chargers’ victory over the Jets.

The Chargers took care of business against the Jets, picking up their third win by the score of 34-28.

There were a few players who contributed to the Week 11 victory. Let’s take a look at who’s deserving of this week’s awards.

Offensive Player of the Game: QB Justin Herbert

Going into the contest, there was a good opportunity for a bounce back game for Herbert, as he was set to face a depleted secondary. The rookie put the team on his back, finishing 37-of-49 passing for 366 yards and three touchdowns. He was composed, in control and had a few highlight reel throws. It won’t come as a surprise if and when we see Herbert win the Offensive Rookie of the Week.

Defensive Player of the Game: CB Tevaughn Campbell

This was a toss up between Campbell, linebacker Denzel Perryman and edge defender Joey Bosa. Perryman made a few energetic plays against the pass and run, showing that he should be retained after this season. Bosa was called for a few penalties, including a questionable roughing the passer call, but his presence was felt against the pass. Campbell, however, made two clutch plays that had a big impact, an interception returned for a touchdown and the game-ensuing pass deflection.

Special Teams Player of the Game: K Michael Badgley

The special teams woes continued today. But Badgley continued to overcome his blunders from earlier this season, finishing perfect on all six of his kicks, including a long of 44 yards. One of these days, it will be someone other than Badgley, hopefully.

Watch: Jets’ Joe Flacco throws pick-six on first pass attempt

Joe Flacco threw an interception to Tevaughn Campbell and it turned into a pick-six.

The New York Jets recovered a fumble deep in their territory by the Los Angeles Chargers’ Keenan Allen in the first quarter on Sunday.

Momentum for the winless wanderers, who already up 6-0. Game-changer.

It lasted less than a minute as Joe Flacco threw his first pass and it found Tevaughn Campbell. Unfortunately, he plays for the Bolts and Campbell sauntered into the end zone. The 6-yard return that became a pick-6 had Los Angeles up 7-6 after the PAT.

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.