Tag: Will Clapp

Chargers’ Brenden Jaimes readies for first NFL start

The Chargers are down to their third center.

Brenden Jaimes is preparing for his first NFL start this Saturday against the Bills.

Jaimes will be the starting center going forward after Will Clapp was placed on injured reserve this week.

“I would say I’m more anxious just to get out there, play a full game and show what I can do,” Jaimes said, per the team’s official website. “More so excitement than anything. It’s been a dream of mine to do this and now that it’s finally here, I’m super excited for the opportunity.

After Clapp went down last Thursday against the Raiders, Jaimes came in and played 23 snaps. In 11 pass-blocking snaps, he did not allow a single quarterback pressure.

Jaimes, a 2021 fifth-round pick, has appeared in 34 games. He is a former tackle at Nebraska with 40 consecutive starts, and he also has experience at guard.

“It really makes me appreciate every position now that I’ve played pretty much every position on the O-Line,” Jaimes said. “Being able to play center, I kind know what everybody is going through. I know when to help who, when to help someone if they have this look or if this look is happening then I need to give help to this guy because it’s difficult.

“Just gives me a greater appreciation for everybody who’s on the field with me,” Jaimes added. “It’s funny because I started playing center when I was a little kid and now it’s full circle because I’m at the highest-level playing center. Definitely blessed to be in this position and super excited of playing Saturday.”

As Jaimes is set to enter the fourth season of his pro career in 2024, these reps in the final three games will serve him well as he could show that he’s a viable swing option with the ability to start in a pinch.

“It’s something that he’s waited on for a while here,” Kellen Moore said. He’s earned this opportunity just from continuing to be patient, continuing to develop as a center. He hopped in there this past game. He’ll finish this season off the right way.”

Chargers make roster moves on Tuesday

The Chargers made a handful of roster moves on Tuesday.

The Chargers made a handful of roster moves on Tuesday.

Los Angeles signed quarterback Will Grier to the active roster. To make room for Grier, the team waived rookie QB Max Duggan.

Additionally, L.A. signed center Cameron Tom to the active roster from the practice squad and placed Will Clapp on injured reserve.

The Chargers also signed center Brent Laing to the practice squad.

Grier will be the backup to Easton Stick.

With Clapp on IR, Brenden Jaimes will serve as the team’s starting center.

Studs and duds from Chargers’ 27-6 win over the Jets

Let’s look back at the notable performers from the Chargers’ win over Jets.

The Chargers extended their winning streak to two with a dominant 27-6 win against the Jets at Met Life. Traveling to the East Coast is never easy and LA got it done against one of the tougher defenses in the league.

For the second time this season, the Bolts are back at .500 with a chance to get back into playoff contention.

Before diving into Week 10’s Lions matchup, let’s look back at the week’s notable performers.

Stud: EDGE Joey Bosa

It’s a night and day difference when Joey Bosa is healthy in the lineup. Bosa had just six pressures and one sack in the three games that he was dealing with a broken toe on the injury report. In the last two weeks that he’s been in the clear medically, Bosa has 11 pressures, four sacks, and nine stops in the backfield. He’s rushing the passer and stopping the run at a high level.

Bosa just looks a half second faster off of the line initially and is playing with notably more force in front of him. If he’s able to keep up this production with the development of Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack’s bounce-back season relative to last year, LA’s defensive front may be able to give some of the best offensive lines in the league some trouble.

Dud: RB Austin Ekeler

Since his return against the Cowboys in Week 6, Ekeler has yet to have a game where he averages more than 3.4 yards per carry. Against the Jets, he had one carry for 20 yards. The rest of his 13 opportunities went for 27 yards.

Uncharacteristically, Ekeler also had three drops on Monday. In his seven seasons with the Chargers, he had never had a game with more than two.

The offensive line situation hasn’t been optimal, but it’s clear at this point that the Ekeler of years past isn’t here right now. Whether it’s his previous ankle injury this season or just a lack of burst from hitting the running back wall, the running hasn’t been as precise or impactful.

Time will tell if Ekeler maintains his current usage or if the team will feel the need to bump up Joshua Kelley’s usage, but the clock is ticking.

Stud: S Alohi Gilman

Alohi Gilman received his second elite PFF grade of the season with a 90.8, leading the Chargers’ defense in teams’ weekly scores. Gilman forced a fumble, returned a fumble recovery and had a pass breakup. On pace to play the most coverage snaps of his career, Gilman has given up just seven completions.

He has a clear nose for the football in being around turnovers and lays hits hard. While Gilman’s presence in previous seasons had seemed more incidental to the Chargers’ success, he’s been the engine of the secondary when it has been at its’ most potent and aggressive this year.

In a contract year, Gilman is balling when it matters.

Dud: TE Gerald Everett

Coming back from a hip injury certainly isn’t easy, but Gerald Everett has largely had a side role in the Chargers’ offense this year. After six straight seasons of increasing receiving production from the vet, Everett is on pace for his lowest yardage total since 2020. Week 2 against the Titans was the only game in which he produced more than 30 receiving yards this season.

The lack of pass-catching productivity from the Bolts’ receiving room is particularly felt at a time when the team is missing Joshua Palmer and Mike Williams. Everett also fumbled despite the Chargers’ recovering the ball. He’s had two fumbles on the season after having zero last season.

Stud: WR Keenan Allen

The Vikings game will likely remain Keenan Allen’s best of the season from a production standpoint throughout the year, but there’s an argument for his game against the Jets being high up on a list of his best performances.

Eight receptions on 77 yards may not seem that impressive on the box score but consider the circumstances. Absolutely no one else on the Chargers’ offense was able to produce consistently on Monday night. Four of Allen’s eight catches came against the elite Jets’ secondary trio of Sauce Gardner, Michael Carter II, and D.J. Reed.

It was Allen’s second-highest PFF offensive grade of the season. The route running prowess, the big-time catches to extend drives when the Chargers had to have them, and the insanity of the spinning around near the sideline catch…it’s hard to believe it’s year 11 for Slayer.

Dud: The offensive line

One step forward last week, two big steps back this week. After the Chargers allowed just eight pressures on Justin Herbert last week, the offensive line allowed 22 against the Jets.

Rashawn Slater and Trey Pipkins combined to allow 15 pressures, 3 QB hits and a sack. The days weren’t much better for Will Clapp, Zion Johnson and Jamaree Salyer.

In fairness to the Chargers, the Jets’ defensive front is an absolute struggle to play with the amount of pressure they’re able to get on three and four-man rush looks. But it would’ve been nice to see some progression for the Chargers after the Bears game. Instead, the line looked just as overwhelmed as it did against Kansas City and Dallas.

From Slater’s ankle injury to the absence of Corey Linsley, the Chargers have a lot of confounding factors for why the offensive line performance has been poor. But they’re running out of time to figure it out.

5 Chargers players who need to step up vs. Cowboys

The Chargers could use a push from these five players when they face the Cowboys.

Following the bye week, the Chargers will now face the Cowboys with a chance to go over .500 on the season. 3-2 would certainly feel like a step in the right direction after the team’s 0-2 start.

Winning against Dallas will not be easy, though. After a 42-10 loss to the 49ers on Sunday night, the Cowboys will be under intense pressure to get back on track offensively and defensively. Here are some players who need to perform to prevent a rebound game for Big D.

CB Michael Davis

The story that dominated Chargers headlines during the bye was cornerback J.C. Jackson being traded to the Patriots. With that trade completed, Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. are officially locked in as the outside corners for the rest of the year. Unlike Weeks 1 and 2, there is no more three-man rotation to deal with on the outside.

That’s why there’s even more pressure on him to perform. To this point, the former BYU product has struggled. Davis has allowed 286 receiving yards and a 71% completion percentage when targeted, both on pace to shatter records for a single season in his career. The most penalties he has given up in a season is six. He’s already at five penalties committed in 2023.

Quarterbacks are throwing for a 138.8 passer rating on Davis targets. The sledding does not get any easier for this defense with Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes coming up in their next games. As he nurses an ankle injury, Davis will need to find a way to get back to his form from the end of the 2022 season in order to stabilize the secondary.

C Will Clapp

Corey Linsley remains on the NFI list with a non-emergent heart condition. Until there are more details on the situation, it should probably be assumed that Linsley is out for the foreseeable future with the Chargers not giving him a four-week injured reserve distinction.

Linsley coming back feels much more like an if than a when at this point. Clapp had a decent game against the Raiders in relief. He only allowed one pass pressure on 68 snaps played. There will likely be some communications and tweaks on the offensive line that need to be ironed out, but so far Clapp is off to a good start.

The Dallas defensive line will bring its own set of challenges. They have been the best front in the league when it comes to creating pressure and have the third-highest sack percentage. A lot of the offensive lines’ responsibilities in pass and run blocking will fall on Clapp without Linsley.

WR Joshua Palmer

Palmer will enter the last 13 games of the season in the team’s WR2 spot. The three main sets will likely be Keenan Allen, Palmer, and Quentin Johnston for the rest of the season (barring injury).

He’s been in this position before. Last year, Palmer was effectively the team’s first receiver on the depth chart in several games that Allen and Mike Williams missed.

If this Chargers’ offense is to remain a potent threat, they cannot lose the efficiency they’ve had on the field this year with both Williams and Allen in the lineup. Palmer doesn’t necessarily have to replace Williams’ production by himself, but the Chargers have to hope that he and Johnston can at least come close on a per-game basis.

The tight end room

Gerald Everett has not had the receiving production that most expected this year. He stands at 107 yards over four games. That puts him almost 10 yards per game behind his 2023 pace. In filling the Williams’ load this offense will be missing, Everett probably has to be one of the more consistent sources of offense for the team.

Donald Parham has a wrist injury that will likely take a few weeks to heal in terms of using him as a red-zone scoring threat. What really concerns me with this unit though is the below-average blocking. Stone Smartt and Tre’ McKitty both have PFF run-blocking grades under 35.

The tight end group needs to get a little more resolved from a receiving standpoint, but the blocking is the more important aspect that needs to get better in running Moore’s multi-tight end formations.

EDGE Khalil Mack

Mack had his best game as a Charger which earned him a 92.3 PFF grade against the Raiders. A six-sack, nine-pressure game was an effort that was much needed after an underwhelming first three weeks of the season.

Mack will need to have premium performances against good offensive lines as well, and that starts with Dallas. The former Bear is also increasingly more important with how banged up Joey Bosa is. It’s likely that Bosa will be able to return against Dallas in Week 5, but who knows how many snaps he’ll be able to play after dealing with nagging toe and hamstring injuries.

Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Bosa continuing to rack up pressures would put the Chargers’ in a really solid position with their EDGE room. But Mack regressing a bit to his average level in his LA career would be tough considering the state of the secondary behind him.

Chargers’ Corey Linsley to be placed on injured reserve

The Chargers will be without Corey Linsley for at least the next four games.

The Chargers will be without starting center Corey Linsley for at least the next four games.

According to multiple reports, Linsley is going to be placed on injured reserve with a non-emergent heart-related medical issue.

Linsley will continue working with doctors and specialists in the coming days.

With Linsley out, L.A. will turn to Will Clapp to resume the duties as the starter at center.

Signed last offseason, Clapp started three games while Linsley was out with a knee injury, food poisoning and a concussion in 2022. He was strong in pass protection, allowing just four pressures on 252 pass-block snaps.

Signed in 2021, Linsley has appeared in 33 games. In his first season with the Bolts, he was named second-team All-Pro and made his first Pro Bowl.

Projecting the Chargers’ offensive line depth chart in 2023

Projecting the nine players to make up the offensive line room to open the 2023 season.

Over the next couple of weeks leading up to training camp, I will be breaking down the depth chart for each Chargers position.

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Next up, I project what the offensive line room will look like heading into the 2023 season.

Report: Chargers re-sign Will Clapp

The Chargers locked up their backup center.

The Chargers re-signed center Will Clapp on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Clapp was signed by Los Angeles last offseason after four seasons with the Saints. A seventh-round pick of the 2018 NFL draft out of LSU, Clapp appeared in 34 games, seven being starts.

Clapp started three games while Corey Linsley was out with a knee injury and a concussion. He was strong in pass protection, allowing just four pressures on 252 pass-blocking snaps.

With Clapp staying in the blue and gold, the Chargers have their backup center to Linsley locked up through the upcoming season.

Remaining Chargers free agents still on the open market

Here’s a full list of Chargers players that currently remain free agents.

It has been two weeks since the free agency period opened up, and the Chargers have been steady with their roster reconstruction. They added linebacker Eric Kendricks and re-signed a few of their own.

With that being said, several players that were on Los Angeles’ roster in 2022 are still available to sign.

Here’s a full list of Chargers players that currently remain free agents:

Chargers’ depleted offensive line outmatched in loss to Raiders

Justin Herbert did all he could.

The magic ran out on Sunday in the Chargers’ loss to the Raiders, as Justin Herbert and company could not produce any in the final minutes, like they did the week before in their victory over the Cardinals.

Herbert found little time to operate in the pocket, getting swarmed by the Raiders’ defensive front all game. He was sacked five times, hit 14 times and pressured 22 times.

“Yeah, they were getting after us today,” running back Austin Ekeler said. “We were trying to adjust, change some things up. We were able to give ourselves a chance at the end. But we knew it was going to be a battle and it was.”

L.A. was missing three starters from its offensive line, including Corey Linsley, Rashawn Slater, and Trey Pipkins, all dealing with injuries. This left Herbert vulnerable, and Las Vegas took advantage. 

“I thought they did a great job of battling,” Herbert said. “It’s never easy going up against a front seven like that. I think they’re very talented, very well coached on that side of the ball. It was a tough day for us, but those guys stepped up, battled and I really respect that from them.”

Despite the constant pressure he faced, Herbert still performed well, throwing for 335 yards and a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. However, his coaches and supporting cast failed to help him in the must-win game. 

The nightmare of a game has further complicated the Bolts’ playoff hopes, as Los Angeles is now 6-6 and has a 33.3% chance of making the postseason, down from 50.8% heading into Week 13.

Studs and duds from Chargers’ Week 2 loss to Chiefs

Here’s who showed out and who was quiet in the Chargers’ loss to the Chiefs in Week 2.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”7Z6Cq9rGrx-2241008-7498″]

Despite a 27-24 loss to the Chiefs, the Chargers played well on Thursday night in Arrowhead Stadium.

However, as always, a few players did more to stand out, whether in good or bad ways.

Here are Los Angeles’ studs and duds from Week 2:

Stud: WR Mike Williams

There was a lot of concern about Williams’ involvement, or lack thereof, in Week 1. But without Keenan Allen and in Arrowhead Stadium, a place Williams has historically thrived, the 27-year-old showed why LA paid him $20 million a year this offseason. With eight catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, Williams was Herbert’s favorite target all game, even late in the game with Kansas City dedicating two defenders to him. It’s the third time Williams has had at least six catches and 100 yards against the Chiefs in his last four matchups with them. The touchdown in the third quarter was Williams’ 7th at Arrowhead, the most by a visiting player in stadium history.

Dud: OC Joe Lombardi

Lombardi once again got stuck in a rut as a play-caller, relying on short passing concepts like stick far too often for a team with a QB as physically gifted as Justin Herbert. The Chargers refused to get Austin Ekeler going early for the second straight game, giving Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo the go-ahead to adjust out of his normal Cover 0 and Cover 1-heavy scheme and play further back to keep things in front of his Chiefs defense. Lombardi never adjusted and kept calling short concepts – their first pass of over 30 air yards came late in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles tried to come back. Kansas City also jumped the stick concept at the goal line for rookie Jaylen Watson’s pick-six that turned the tide for good. Lombardi has received a lot of criticism during his tenure, a lot of it unfairly so. But tonight, his refusal to adjust the game plan and attack the Chiefs’ defense lost the Bolts’ the game.

Stud: LB Drue Tranquill

Tranquill was all over the field, especially in the first half. In the first quarter, Tranquill instantly beat right tackle Andrew Wylie while Khalil Mack came into the pocket unblocked, giving Patrick Mahomes nowhere to escape and leading to a Mack sack. In the second, Tranquill had a key run fit on third and one that forced the Chiefs to punt from around midfield. He and Kenneth Murray Jr. have looked like better players than they were a season ago. Whether that’s because the defensive line is keeping them cleaner or because they feel freer in year two of the defense is unclear, but Tranquill looked like someone the Chargers need to re-sign beyond this season.

Dud: CB J.C. Jackson

It wasn’t the greatest Chargers debut for Jackson in his first game back since undergoing surgery to remove an extra bone from his ankle. Without a verifiable threat on the outside, Los Angeles tried to move Jackson around, but he was less effective on Travis Kelce than Derwin James was. Jackson was also beat by Chiefs receiver Justin Watson for a touchdown on Watson’s first play of the game after he entered for banged-up receiver Mecole Hardman. Los Angeles has always said that the surgery would not affect Jackson’s athleticism and explosiveness, and that didn’t look to be the problem on Thursday. For LA’s sake, hopefully, the problem is just a bit of rust that needed knocking off.

Stud: G Zion Johnson

I wrote earlier today that one of the keys to the game for the offense would be how Johnson performed against Chiefs DT Chris Jones, one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. Perform Johnson did, stonewalling Jones for two and a half quarters before Kansas City adjusted and matched Jones up with left guard Matt Feiler. Jones proceeded to beat Feiler multiple times throughout the second half. Considering how solid Feiler was last season and how often he got beat by Jones, it’s an insane performance by Johnson in just his second career game. It’s still early, but it looks like LA may have hit on another first-round offensive line selection.

Dud: Offensive line depth

The Chargers better hope Johnson keeps it up and stays healthy because the depth looked rough on Thursday. Both Corey Linsley and Trey Pipkins left the game with injuries, which brought Will Clapp and Storm Norton into the game. Clapp was never going to be the same level conductor as Linsley is, but it looked to me like the miscommunications spiked as soon as Linsley left the game. Norton’s first drive was the one on which Justin Herbert faced pressure on three straight drives before going three and out. Later in the game, as the pressure continued getting to Herbert, the losses on the offensive line left Chiefs rusher Mike Danna free to deliver a clean hit on Herbert that caused the rib injury that visibly limited the face of the franchise for the remainder of the game. Linsley and Pipkins proved they were key cogs through their absence on Thursday, and if Herbert can’t go for any length of time, the loss of those two linemen may be what costs LA their season.

Stud: CB Asante Samuel Jr.

I don’t care that Samuel dropped an interception in the end zone that likely would have been a 99-yard pick-six. I especially don’t care that the referees overturned another potential Samuel pick in the third quarter. I don’t care about that because Samuel looked like the Chargers’ best corner on Thursday. After Samuel’s stellar game against Davante Adams and the Chiefs, continuing that momentum against a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes is a hugely positive sign for the second-year player. Samuel has an uncanny ability to stay in phase with receivers and the quick twitch athleticism to jump every route on earth. All that’s left to do now is get his hands right.

Dud: Turnover luck

Yeah, I’m gonna cop out by naming two non-players as duds. Sue me! Most of the Chargers played exceptionally well given the circumstances, especially on defense, for most of the game. But I wrote this morning that the defense would have to capitalize on their chances to force turnovers if they wanted to hang with Mahomes. They failed to do that – two interceptions were called back due to pass interference penalties, Samuel had a pick overturned on review and the dropped INT in the red zone, and Kyle Van Noy should have had one in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Kansas City capitalized on their only turnover of the game immediately. Gerald Everett was gassed on that goal line play, with the Chargers yet again running stick. Rookie corner Jaylen Watson showed outside leverage before the snap but shaded back inside as soon as he recognized Everett’s route. Herbert didn’t see him come back inside because Willie Gay Jr. was bearing down on him, forcing the quarterback into a rare mistake. Watson made a great play on the ball and took it back the other way for six. That was the difference.