As we all know the 2024 Los Angeles Chargers are going to be a team with a new coaching staff, general manager, and plenty of new players in the locker room at every position, from linebackers to wide receivers. With that being said, plenty of problems will occur during this offseason, and none of them are more pressing than the money issue. The Chargers enter this offseason with over 30 million overall the cap, which means that each position could look remarkably different next year.
One of these groupings will be the Chargers linebackers, a group that will be imperative to this 2024 Chargers defense. The Bolts will be losing Kenneth Murray to free agency, and will likely be cutting Eric Kendricks as he is expensive next season and has not been overly impressive in his time in the powder blues. That would leave the Chargers with Nick Niemann, Daiyan Henley, and Blake Lynch as the only linebackers left in the room.
Using the Linebacker Room to Remedy the Chargers Cap Situation – By Doing Nothing
The Chargers’ largest issue this offseason is the cap situation and the obvious loss of plenty of players due to cuts to ensure they meet the cap regulations. The Chargers can remedy the cap situation by using their linebackers. The next regime just needs to continue to play out the blueprint laid out by the former general manager, Tom Telesco by cutting Eric Kendricks and saving $6,750,000, whilst taking on a $2,750,000 dead cap hit. This would save the Chargers money, helping them get closer to positive in the cap room situation.
After that, the next thing they need to do is nothing. Let Kenneth Murray walk in free agency, as Murray has been underwhelming his entire career, but has finally had a solid season in a contract year. Hopefully, a team will overpay for a former first-round selection who has shown growth, talent, and ability to call plays for a defense. Then, the Chargers collect a compensatory pick, which will give the Chargers an extra selection in 2025 to give more youth to the locker room.
The cutting of Eric Kendricks as well as not bringing back Murray will automatically lead to more playing time for the Chargers young linebackers. These selections would be the 2023 third-round selection, Daiyan Henley, and the 2021 sixth-round selection, Nick Niemann. Even though both have received little playing time on defense, Henley has been strictly on special teams but was highly touted in college for his ability range, instincts, and ability to tackle. Niemann was also touted for the same things, whilst having an amazing RAS score during his combined performance.
Concluding Benefits of This Approach
Giving your young players a chance to develop will give the Chargers options for the long-term answers at linebacker, and if they do not work, you still have experienced depth on rookie deals and another year for your new regime to find “their guy” in the draft in the future. Overall, doing next to nothing in the linebacker room, gives a strong remedy to the cap space issue, gives the new regime time for selections of their choice, and young guys their chance to prove that they were worth their selections during the previous tenure’s process.
Main Photo: Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports
