Tag: Uchenna Nwosu

Projecting the Chargers’ linebacker depth chart

With the addition of rookie Kenneth Murray, Chargers Wire examines the linebacker corps.

The Chargers have steadily looked to enhance the linebacker room over the course of the past few years. The team looked through free agency and the draft, but the results from the positional group were still average at best.

After a couple key additions, they look to boast a promising unit this upcoming season.

Below, I take a crack at projecting Los Angeles’ linebacker depth chart for the 2020 season:

MIKE: Denzel Perryman

Perryman is entering the final year of his contract, and will have to do a lot in order to stay on the roster beyond the 2020 season. 2019 was the first time since Perryman’s rookie campaign in which he played in 14 or more games, finishing with 68 tackles (50 solo), one interception and one forced fumble. However, his playing time decreased due to the emergence of rookie standout Drue Tranquill, who took a significant amount of snaps away from the former Miami product. Going into this year, Perryman will likely see the field first, but him and Tranquill will split snaps. Perryman will play on rushing downs while Tranquill will play on passing downs. By the end of the year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the second-year player with more snaps taken.

Backups: Drue Tranquill, Nick Vigil, Malik Jefferson

WILL: Kenneth Murray

The Chargers weren’t aggressive in trading up for Murray in this year’s draft to serve as a depth player. The team clearly had a role for him and that’s to start in the spot that was played by Thomas Davis last season. Murray needs to needs to clean up his overaggressive tendencies and enhance his ability in coverage, but the combination of his instincts, range and closing speed quickness will translate to remarkable production in the running and passing game. With his leadership and football IQ, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one responsible of handling defensive play calls.

Backups: Nick Vigil, Malik Jefferson

SAM: Kyzir White

White started last season as the starting middle linebacker while Denzel Perryman was nursing an ankle injury for the first two games. White struggled in that role, so Perryman took over. With Thomas Davis serving as the starting WILL, that only left White with one option: SAM. With the Chargers playing a lot of nickel packages, that means the SAM doesn’t see the field as much. Because of that, White didn’t play as much as many were expecting. When White did see the field, he was making plays. The former West Virginia product finished with 40 tackles, two passes defensed and one tackle for loss. Desmond King, Rayshawn Jenkins and Nasir Adderley will likely be the candidates as the team’s sub-package linebacker, which will limit White’s playing time.

Backups: Uchenna Nwosu, Emeke Egbule

Projecting the Chargers’ defensive line depth chart

The Los Angeles Chargers have a sneaky good defensive line heading into the 2020 season.

The Chargers boast a solid defensive front, which consists of arguably one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems and an ascending crop of defensive tackles.

Below, I take a crack at projecting Los Angeles’ defensive line depth chart for the 2020 season:

DE: Joey Bosa

Bosa is entering the final year of his contract eager to become the league’s highest-paid defensive ends. The former Ohio State product earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing tied for second in the conference in sacks (11.5) while also tallying up the fifth-most tackles (67) of any defensive end in the NFL. As long as he stays healthy, he will be on the field wreaking havoc. In certain situations, his backup, Isaac Rochell, will be on. The 24-year old Rochell has been a key contributor as a rotational pass-rusher, playing in all 16 games the last two seasons and posting seven sacks and 46 tackles in his career. Undrafted free agent Joe Gaziano is a name to remember heading into training camp.

Backup: Isaac Rochell, Joe Gaziano

NT Linval Joseph

Brandon Mebane manned this spot the past few seasons, but the Chargers wanted a fresh new start after choosing to replace him earlier this offseason. Joseph joins the team with 10 years of professional football service under his belt. The 32-year old shines in the run defense department, showing the ability to take on doubles teams to allow other members to roam freely. However, Joseph possesses an athletic skillset to rush the passer, which he expects to do more. Behind him is Damion Square, who’s been a key rotational piece, especially the past three seasons, combining for 77 tackles, nine quarterback hits, eight passes defensed, five tackles for loss and three sacks.

Backup: Damion Square

DT: Justin Jones

After experiencing an up-and-down rookie season, Jones took a leap in Year 2 after using the offseason to shed weight and become more quicker and agile. Jones finished the season with 30 tackles, six quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss, one pass deflected and a forced fumble. Jerry Tillery, the 2019 first-round pick, didn’t have a great rookie season, but he did show glimpses of potentially becoming the dominant interior pass-rusher he was drafted to be. With an offseason under his belt to get stronger, bigger and work on his technique to make a jump in 2020.

Backup: Jerry Tillery

DE Melvin Ingram

Like Bosa, Ingram is chasing a big contract. Ingram failed to play a full season in 2019, but he still managed to tally 39 tackles, seven sacks, five passes defended and an interception in 13 games. Since making the conversion to a full-time defensive end, Ingram has been a consistent anchor. His backup – Uchenna Nwosu – has made noise in a limited capacity. In two seasons, the former USC product has totaled 59 tackles, 17 quarterback hits, eight tackle for loss and 5.5 sacks. If Ingram isn’t re-signed after this season, Nwosu should be the next man up.

Backup: Uchenna Nwosu, Joe Gaziano

Chargers players react to the death of Kobe Bryant

Players of the Los Angeles Chargers react after the heartbreaking news.

The sports world was absolutely heartbroken when news broke of Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The five-time NBA champion was 41 years old.

Los Angeles Chargers players took to Twitter and expressed their shock and sorrow after hearing about the passing of one of the best players to play the game.

Watch: Chargers’ Uchenna Nwosu hooks up teen with special gift

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu continues to do great things on and off the field.

Even though Christmas is over that doesn’t mean that it stops the season of giving.

That’s exactly what Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu did on Saturday for a teenager in Burbank, CA who has been dealing with type 1 diabetes since he was a toddler.

Nwosu, a nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, showed up to Providence High School to surprise 14-year old Charlie Wehrenberz with Super Bowl tickets.

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During the regular season, Nwosu wore cleats during the “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign to support the Children’s Diabetes Foundation.

Since joining the team in 2018, Nwosu has dedicated a lot of his time to give back to the community such as participating in events like Bikes for Kids, the annual food distribution event with Tyson, and Play 60 camps.

Shining Sophomore or Sophomore Slump? Grading Chargers’ 2018 draft class’ second season

Chargers Wire grades the Los Angeles Chargers’ 2018 draft class’ second season to determine if the sophomores slumped or shined.

When evaluating the previous season as a whole, it’s easy to make quick judgements on the rookie class. Yet, we forget about the group that was brought in the year prior.

In 2018, general manager Tom Telesco made the point to load up on the defensive side of the ball, as well as bring in some offensive players later on that were thought to make some contributions.

With that, let’s take a look at whether the second-year players shined or slumped:

Round 1, Safety Derwin James

Coming off an outstanding rookie season, the expectations were at an all-time high for James. Unfortunately, his campaign was put to a halt as he sustained a foot injury which required surgery that kept him out for the majority of the year. Though the defense were relatively solid, his absence was evident. Upon returning in Week 13, his impact was felt immediately. James, the chess piece on the defensive side of the ball, made plays in coverage, against the run and as an additional blitzer. In five games, he posted 34 tackles, three tackles for loss and one pass deflected.

Grade: A, but incomplete

Round 2, LB Uchenna Nwosu

Entering this season, it was expected that Nwosu was going to take over as the full-time SAM after the team elected to move on from Kyle Emanuel. But that’s not how it turned out after all. Nwosu primarily backed up defensive end Melvin Ingram at LEO, getting snaps when Ingram would come off the field, which was not very often. He received almost 100 more snaps than he did last year, but his production took a bit of a dip in the pass-rushing department. Nwosu only posted two sacks after finishing with 3.5 in 2018, and he only had seven quarterback hits this season compared to last season where he had 10. Nwosu did make more of an impact as a run defender, finishing with five tackles for loss. The jury is still out whether or not Nwosu will take on more of an expanded role next season.

Grade: B-

Round 3, DT Justin Jones

It wasn’t until near the end of the 2018 season when Jones really started to come into his own. Jones used the offseason to shed some weight to get quicker and more agile. From how his sophomore season went, the tactic that he used paid dividends. Even though he missed four games due to an injury, Jones was arguably one of the team’s best interior defenders, making an impact as a pass-rusher and run defender. The former North Carolina State product finished 30 tackles, six quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss, one pass deflected and a forced fumble.

Grade: B+

Round 4, LB Kyzir White

After flashing very early on in his rookie season, White’s year was cut short after sustaining a knee injury. White used the time off to get healthier, stronger and bigger as he was up 13 pounds entering the offseason. He started the season as the starting middle linebacker while Denzel Perryman was nursing an ankle injury for the first two games. White struggled in that role, so Perryman took over. With Thomas Davis serving as the starting WILL, that only left White with one option: SAM. With the Chargers playing a lot of nickel packages, that means the SAM doesn’t see the field as much. Because of that, White didn’t play as much as many were expecting. When White did see the field, he was making plays. The former West Virginia product finished with 40 tackles, two passes defensed and one tackle for loss. The expectation is that when Davis is no longer with the team, then White will likely take over that role full-time.

Grade: B

Round 5, C Scott Quessenberry

The offensive line wasn’t particularly a bright spot for the Chargers due to injuries that occurred throughout the season. But when one man (Pouncey) went down, another stepped up. Quessenberry made an impact early on that many may have not been expecting from him when handing him the starting duties. But you could tell that he benefited from learning from a four-time Pro Bowler. The former UCLA product was consistent in pass protection and in the run blocking department. Depending on what happens with Pouncey, Quessenberry could be in line to start as early as next season.

Grade: A-

Round 6, WR Dylan Cantrell

After dealing with a shoulder injury in his rookie season, Cantrell, the summer standout, was expected to take a big leap in Year 2. Unfortunately, the injury reoccured and was he ultimately waived by the team in July. He cleared waivers and reverted to the injured reserve. He never made an appearance this past season and his future with Los Angeles remains to be seen.

Grade: N/A

Round 7, RB Justin Jackson

While RB Melvin Gordon dealt with an injury in 2018, it didn’t take long for Jackson to raise some eyebrows with his play. Fast forward to 2019 when Gordon held out for a quarter of the season, Jackson still maintained the model of consistency, flashing as a runner. In the first three games of the season while serving as the complimentary back to Austin Ekeler, Jackson rushed for 142 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. From that point on, he was banged up by a hamstring injury, and he didn’t benefit from Gordon’s return. Should the Chargers choose to move on from Gordon, Jackson is likely going to be due for a huge uptick in snaps moving forward.

Grade: B+

Chargers final injury report vs. Vikings

The Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings released their final injury reports ahead of the Week 15 matchup.

The Los Angeles Chargers had their last practice of the week before taking on the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.

Here is a look at the final injury report for both teams:

Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is the only player whose game-time status is up in the air. Nwosu is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. He was limited all three practices.

For the Vikings, running back Alexander Mattison and safety Jayron Kearse are out. Wide receiver Bisi Johnson and cornerback Xavier Rhodes are both questionable.

Wide receiver Adam Thielen is expected to play after missing the past four games.

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Chargers LB Uchenna Nwosu nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

For his hard work on and off the field, Los Angeles Chargers’ Uchenna Nwosu is a nominee for the prestigious award.

The Los Angeles Chargers selected linebacker Uchenna Nwosu as their nominee for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for community service and other off the field areas, as well as performance on the field.

“It means a lot to be the nominee this year. This award’s very prestigious (and) very hard to win. There’s only one nominee on every team, and I’m sure a lot of these guys in this locker room do a lot of things in the community. For me to be chosen and recognized, it’s an honor,” Nwosu said.

Nwosu has been involved in a handful of team events like Bikes for Kids, the annual food distribution event with Tyson, Play 60 camps and visited high school players at the Chargers’ Coach of the Week.

Along with that, Nwosu has honored the Children’s Diabetes Foundation on his cleats during the league’s “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign.

As a nominee, Nwosu will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.

The 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, on Feb. 1, the day before Super Bowl LIV on FOX.

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First injury report for Chargers ahead of matchup vs. Vikings

Here is a look at the first injury report of the week for the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings.

The Los Angeles Chargers concluded their first practice ahead of their matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday.

Here is a look at today’s injury report:

There were zero non-participants, which is a very good sign for a team that was banged up earlier on in the season.

Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (ankle) and wide receiver Mike Williams (knee) were the only players that practiced in a limited capacity.

Here’s a look at the Vikings’ injury report:

Wide receiver Adam Thielen is expected to return to the lineup this weekend after missing the past four games with a hamstring injury.

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