Prior to the regular season, general manager Tom Telesco made it clear that he wanted to add more talent at the linebacker position.
One of the ways that Telesco was hoping to fulfill that was by selecting Drue Tranquill with their fourth-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft.
Telesco was taking a bit of gamble because while the talent and football intelligence were there, Tranquill had two season-ending knee injuries throughout his collegiate career.
With expectations not that high for the former Notre Dame product entering camp, it wasn’t long until he started to raise eyebrows.
The coaching staff was pleased with how quickly he was getting adjusted to the playbook, and from that point it was clear that the team knew they might’ve had something with Tranquill.
Tranquill entered the season as a key special teamer and sub-package linebacker.
Tranquill’s presence was evident, as he was making tackles over the field, whether that be rallying to the football on special teams or shooting through gaps and blowing ball carriers in the backfield.
BLOCKED ‼️@DTranquill | #BoltUp pic.twitter.com/TCsbswicNd
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) November 3, 2019
He was playing like he had been in the league for years and with that came the reward of receiving more snaps with the first-team defense.
Tranquill was given the starting role at middle linebacker over Denzel Perryman, and Sunday’s victory over the Jaguars marked his third start this season.
Tranquill finished the game with a team-high eight tackles, including five on the first defensive drive where he played a large contribution in holding the Jaguars to less than 100 rushing yards.
The run defense department had been shaky for the Chargers over the past few years and he has certainly helped with shoring that up, posting four tackles for loss. But his previous safety skills show in pass coverage, where he’s held his own against running backs and tight ends.
There’s no doubt that Tranquill has shown that he’s capable of managing the full load as the team’s starting middle linebacker role, which is why it could make out to be something to watch for this offseason.
Denzel Perryman, who signed a two-year contract extension this past offseason, could be a candidate to be cut in favor of Tranquill. The team has a lot of key players to re-sign and releasing him would free up some cap space to do so.
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