The majority of the NFL lies in new faces and players constantly being shuffled in and out of lineups. This leads to a lot of former star players becoming forgotten and lost in the shuffle. Injuries play a major role in this aspect of the game, and the Los Angeles Chargers have a secret weapon that is just itching to play like he used to. The Chargers biggest addition has actually been on the team since 2016.
Joey Bosa: The Current Narrative
As it stands currently, Joey Bosa is the “other Bosa” brother. He is injury-prone and has not performed in over two seasons. The 2016 third overall selection is a tale that is soon to come to an end, as he is close to hitting his age 30 season. The 2024 season will be his age-29 season. Even when on the field, the technician has not performed like he once did, especially looking back on his utterly dominant 2017 season.
The hope of Joey Bosa returning to form and not being injured for the majority of the year seems like a fading light. However, the Chargers were willing to keep him around rather than cutting him to save enough money and keep Chargers legend Keenan Allen. The Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz regime seem to think very highly of Bosa, so there has to be something left in the tank right?
His lackadaisical attitude and dry sense of humor rub some fans the wrong way. They question his love for football. If you combine this with missing a bunch of games, the narrative runs rampant throughout the fanbase. However, the noise is as quiet as ever currently. Bosa came out and said he took a pay cut because he wants to win. He wants to be on the Los Angeles Chargers.
#Chargers star pass rusher Joey Bosa says he took a paycut because he cares more about winning than making as much money as possible, he told reporters.
"I want to win. I want to be on this team. I want another shot with the guys in this room, especially [Khalil Mack] Winning… pic.twitter.com/odaPkNQqpD— RAC FOOTBALL (@RacFootball) June 24, 2024
How Good Was Bosa in 2023, When Healthy?
The very negative and “downer” narrative around Joey Bosa completely undermines his near-elite 2023 season. The injuries he sustained in 2023 were no joke, and he even played through some injuries that an everyday person would refuse to walk around with. The injuries he suffered are as follows: An unnamed Hamstring Injury, a Broken Toe, and a Pedal Foot Sprain. This was all throughout the 2023 season, leaving Joey Bosa with very little health to work with. His season was eventually ended early in week 11 against the Green Bay Packers.
With the little health remaining for the extremely tough Bosa, he had a five-week stretch of complete health, at least according to the Chargers injury report for those weeks. That five-week stretch yielded 201 snaps of elite play. 16 pressures, four sacks, nine hurries, and 13 run stops. Across a season, this would yield a season of 54 pressures, 13.5 sacks, 31 hurries, and 44 run stops. This would be a very strong season for any EDGE defender and would be one of Bosa’s best seasons yet.
Many consider the former first-round pick’s peak to be his 2017 campaign. To compare the hypothetical statistics he would have above if he stayed healthy in 2023 to his best season, his stats from 2017 are as follows: 75 pressures, 13 sacks, 51 hurries, and 41 run stops. His hypothetical healthy 2023 season would be pretty close to the peak of what we have seen of Big Bear Bosa. There is definitely gas left in the tank, and his 2024 season could very well be his best yet.
Joey Bosa 2024 Outlook
As mentioned before, the Chargers very well had a reason to bring back the injury-prone, aging EDGE with a massive cap hit. This was because, in the Jesse Minter defensive system, Bosa could very well explode back on the scene like it’s 2017 all over again. Exotic defenses and pressure packages will lead to confused and late-to-their-assignment offensive linemen. Bosa is coming off plenty of injuries, yes, but he has shown to bounce back from anything. It’s just a matter of not getting hurt again. The odds of such is not very high, unfortunately. Per DraftShark, Bosa has a 78.9% chance of injury in 2024 and is a “very high-risk” player. However, the new strength and condition staff led by Ben Herbert could be the remedy that #97 could be looking for.
Beyond the defensive scheme fit and the strength and conditioning staff trending in the right direction, the depth behind Joey Bosa is immense. He won’t have to play every single defensive snap for this team to win. He won’t have to put on as much mileage on his body as he used to. Whether it’s the young, 2023 rookie-of-the-year caliber Tuli Tuipulotu rotating in for his sophomore season or the wiley veteran addition of Bud Dupree, Bosa will have more than enough time to rest on the bench while playing impactful football.
Expecting Joey Bosa to break all of his former season-high records would be a gamble I wouldn’t recommend taking. However, his efficiency and impact on the defense, being as high as it once was, is something to bet on. The Los Angeles Chargers may have just got their big off-season addition from simply keeping around the injured Bosa.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
