{"id":91285,"date":"2020-07-11T20:39:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-12T00:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=91285"},"modified":"2020-07-11T20:39:07","modified_gmt":"2020-07-12T00:39:07","slug":"2020-los-angeles-chargers-linebackers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/07\/11\/2020-los-angeles-chargers-linebackers\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking at the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers Linebackers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The linebacker position has not been one of the strong suits of the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> for a while. Just to give you an idea, the last Pro Bowler linebacker they had was Shaun Phillips<\/a><\/strong> back in 2010. In that time period, there\u2019s been at least one Pro Bowler from all the other main defensive positions (save for defensive tackle). This has been due in part to injuries \u2013 some of the linebackers they\u2019ve picked up have had trouble staying healthy. In the 2018 postseason, we even saw defensive backs get put in the linebacker spot. Ironically, some of them did better than the actual linebackers. However, the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers may finally mark a turning point for the linebacker squad \u2013 or at worst, the beginning of that turning point.<\/p>\n

Looking at the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers Linebackers Squad<\/h2>\n

Middle Linebackers<\/h3>\n

This in particular is where the Chargers have things pretty well ironed out. They\u2019ve got a couple returning players in Denzel Perryman<\/a><\/strong> and Drue Tranquill<\/a><\/strong>, the latter being in his second year. Tranquill had the best year of any Chargers rookie last year. He be able to deliver some more in his sophomore campaign. Then there\u2019s the first-round pick Kenneth Murray<\/strong>. The Chargers clearly have a lot of confidence in him, seeing what they gave up to get him.<\/p>\n

Perryman\u2019s been one of the bigger anchors on this defense for a while \u2013 when he\u2019s been healthy, which has been a major problem. But with a couple of other young promising inside linebackers, the outlook won\u2019t be as grim for that group whenever Perryman goes down. However, Perryman did only miss two games in 2019, which is a marked improvement.<\/p>\n

Outside Linebackers<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s less depth on this side of the linebacker position, but there are still a couple of promising players. The main one is Uchenna Nwosu<\/a><\/strong>, who may be best remembered for forcing the game-winning fumble in the Wildcard playoff win over the Baltimore Ravens<\/a>. While he didn\u2019t have another play as huge as that in 2019, he still finished with 31 tackles (five for a loss), two sacks, and a forced fumble. He\u2019s probably the best outside linebacker on this team right now.<\/p>\n

The other interesting player here is Nick Vigil<\/a><\/strong>, an off-season free agent signing from the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>. He had a nice 2019 season with 111 combined tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, and an interception. He\u2019ll be another solid addition to the group.<\/p>\n

There are some other folks further down on the depth chart with Malik Jefferson<\/strong><\/a>, Kyzir White<\/strong><\/a>, and Emeke Egbule<\/strong><\/a>. Based on prior history, White is the only one of those that should be expected to make any sort of noticeable contribution. Even then, White is still further down on the depth chart.<\/p>\n

The Rotation<\/h3>\n

Something to keep in mind is that under Gus Bradley<\/strong>, the Chargers run a 4-3 defense. However, they do a fair amount of rotating with their linebackers. For example, that\u2019s how Drue Tranquill, who only had three starts in 15 games last year, ended up with 75 tackles. Same for the now-former Charger Jatavis Brown<\/a><\/strong>, who wasn\u2019t always one of the main starters but still racked up a lot of tackles.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s safe to assume that Murray will be one of the main starters at linebacker going forward. However, Perryman will still likely get rotated in a fair amount. Nwosu and Vigil should be the primary players on the outside. Tranquill should get rotated in at times as well. That\u2019s part of the thing with this linebacker group; main starters aside, when where they play on the field isn\u2019t necessarily cut and dry. All of these players will have their chances to shine, even with only three linebackers on the field at a time as opposed to four.<\/p>\n

Last Word on the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers Linebackers<\/h3>\n

While it remains to be seen just how good they\u2019ll be, the bottom line is that the Chargers linebacker group looks to be very much on the road to improvement. They\u2019ve finally got some proper depth at the position and some young promising talent. It\u2019s possible that the change may not be as noticeable this season as the next one. But it should be there regardless (unless Murray turns out to be a total bust). The linebacker corps of the Chargers are on the right trajectory.<\/p>\n

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