{"id":109311,"date":"2021-04-03T21:31:09","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T01:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=109311"},"modified":"2021-04-03T21:32:10","modified_gmt":"2021-04-04T01:32:10","slug":"chargers-players-that-need-breakout-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/04\/03\/chargers-players-that-need-breakout-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Chargers Players That Need a Breakout Season in 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> are heading towards the 2021 season with higher hopes than the previous season, having found an absolute gem at quarterback that they\u2019re trying to build around. While there are still some pieces of the roster that need to be filled out, there\u2019s some general hope that with a new coach and Year Two of Justin Herbert<\/a>, they\u2019ll be able to fight their way back into contention. There are some players on the roster that haven\u2019t lived up to expectations yet, but still may be expected to play a rotational role at the very least, if not still starting. If these Chargers players don\u2019t take the next step forward, it could potentially hurt the team down the road.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Chargers Players Needing a Breakout 2021 Season<\/h2>\n

Jerry Tillery<\/a><\/h3>\n

Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery has been one of the more underwhelming first-round picks of the Tom Telesco era so far. The issue is not that he\u2019s been bad \u2013 in fact, he already did show some improvement in his second year \u2013 but he has not lived up to his first-round billing at all. And with Melvin Ingram<\/a> on the way out, his stepping up on the defensive line may be needed even more. There\u2019s even a small possibility that \u2013 with the Chargers switching to a 3-4 defense \u2013 he could get moved to defensive end, in which case more would probably be expected of him, even if pass-rushing wasn\u2019t in his job description.<\/p>\n

Tillery did do a better job of getting to the quarterback in 2020, with 14 quarterback hits and three sacks. He also had a strip-sack and a fumble recovery. But part of the problem has been consistency. For every game it looks like he\u2019s turning a corner, there\u2019s another game where he struggles to contribute and\/or makes mistakes. He may not be worthy of the \u201cbust\u201d label at this point, but he needs to show some further improvement in Year Three \u2013 and the team may need that from him more than before, too.<\/p>\n

Nasir Adderley<\/a><\/h3>\n

In Adderley\u2019s defense, he spent most of his rookie year on injured reserve \u2013 so to a degree, his second year was a de facto rookie year of sorts. Still, having had the time to learn the defense with the same staff two off-seasons in a row and getting some playing time, one would hope there would be something to show from it. But when he was forced into action due to injuries at the safety position, he struggled with taking bad angles and defending the pass. His tackling numbers were certainly acceptable (69 total, 58 solo), but that doesn\u2019t tell the story of his struggles in coverage. He finished in 2020 with only one interception and three pass deflections.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still possible that Adderley breaks out in 2021 in his second full year of playing. The Chargers may certainly need it, given that Rayshawn Jenkins<\/a> walked in free agency and Adderley may have to start at free safety as a result. If that does occur, this season may prove to be do-or-die for Adderley.<\/p>\n

Brandon Facyson<\/a> \/ Tevaughn Campbell<\/a><\/h3>\n

With Casey Hayward<\/a> gone, there are only two clear starting cornerbacks on the team right now (Chris Harris<\/a> and Michael Davis<\/a>). They could still draft another one, but in the event that they don\u2019t, the next guys in line are Facyson and Campbell. (The team also signed Ryan Smith, but he\u2019s primarily a special teams player, so don\u2019t expect much contribution out of him otherwise.)<\/p>\n

Neither of these players has done particularly well so far. Facyson has zero interceptions and only one career pass deflection in three years. He struggled heavily in 2019 when forced into action, and spent most of 2020 behind the main three starters. Hopefully, he\u2019ll have learned a thing or two if he gets a bigger role again.<\/p>\n

Campbell at least has shown a little promise. With four starts in 2020, he managed to have three pass deflections, one forced fumble, and a six-yard pick-six. Just based on that, it feels like he should have the edge over Facyson. Still, he hasn\u2019t shown that he\u2019s reliable in coverage yet either. But unless someone else gets added later or unexpectedly jumps out in training camp, he or Facyson will have to step up at the third corner spot.<\/p>\n

Last Word<\/p>\n

Notice how all of these names are on defense. That is where the majority of the unknowns or uncertainties remain on the roster (left tackle being the biggest exception<\/a>). The general mindset of the fanbase right now seems to be along the lines of \u201cin Brandon Staley we trust,\u201d but the Chargers players will still have to do the work \u2013 and these ones in particular need to do better. Particularly in the case of Tillery and Adderley \u2013 the fans don\u2019t want to see those higher picks turn out to be busts.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>