While much of the world has been focused on how the Los Angeles Chargers can improve their offense this season, and for very good reason, the defense has taken a big hit this offseason, particularly the defensive line.
The Chargers lost Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, and Joey Bosa. Regardless of the reason, they will need to replace them and hopefully improve their 26th-ranked pressure rate along the way.
ESPN’s Ben Solak attempted to dissect what the team must do to fix its roster ahead of the season, particularly in the fast-approaching NFL draft.
“The Chargers were one of the losers in free agency,” Solak starts. He named several positions in which they whiffed on so far in the offseason. He started with pass catcher, both tight end and wide receiver, but also mentioned the need for an edge rusher to replace Bosa.
“The return of pass rusher Khalil Mack for his age-34 season is exciting — he’s a leader in the room and still playing well — but his age and the departure of Joey Bosa make developing a starting edge rusher a big priority.”
Late Round Pass Rushers For The Los Angeles Chargers
Recognizing the team’s top priorities will likely land on the opposite side of the ball, Solak focused on finding fits for the Chargers in the later rounds, where they have significant draft capital.
JT Tuimoloau (Ohio State) reminded me of Tuli Tuipulotu on film and would be able to find early-down work as a rookie. Still, the Chargers can swing higher on pass-rush upside given the year of development their rookie will have. Oluwafemi Oladejo (UCLA) and Nic Scourton (Texas A&M) are two high-caliber athletes who should be available in late Round 2/early Round 3, and L.A. has plenty of capital (four sixth-round picks!) to trade up for one.
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