D Line status

[Formula 21]

Chargers position outlook 2018: Young talent needed on D-lineJoey Bosa and Melvin Ingram at defensive end, the Los Angeles Chargers consistently got after the quarterback in 2017. However, the Chargers had the second-worst defense in the NFL against the run (131.1 yards per game) and need to play more consistent up front.
Lock: Bosa, Ingram, Darius Philon, Isaac Rochell
Looking good: Brandon Mebane, Whitney Richardson, Damion Square
On the bubble: Corey Liuget
Free agents: Jerry Attaochu, Chris McCain, Tenny Palepoi, Kaleb Eulls

The Chargers had the NFL's second-worst run defense, allowing 131 yards per game. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel The good:The bad: The Chargers allowed 131 rushing yards and a league-worst 4.88 yards per rush. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Chargers allowed a league-worst 4.79 yards on first-down runs. The Chargers allowed a league-worst 18 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. NFL leading rusher Kareem Hunt averaged 164 rushing yards a contest in two wins for the Kansas City Chiefs over the Chargers.


The money: Liuget is scheduled to make $8 million in non-guaranteed salary for the upcoming season while Mebane is scheduled to make $4.5 million in non-guaranteed salary. Liuget turns 28 in March, and Mebane just turned 33 in January. Bosa will earn $2.8 million in the third year of his rookie deal. Ingram will earn $11.25 million in guaranteed money in the second year of a four-year, $66 million deal. Square is scheduled to make $2 million in the final year of his deal, while Philon is scheduled to earn $705,000 in the final year of his rookie contract. Attaochu and Palepoi are unrestricted free agents, while McCain is a restricted free agent. Eulls is an exclusive rights free agent.
Draft priority: Chargers defensive line coach Giff Smith has done a nice job of developing talent at the position, with players such as Rochell and Richardson possibly emerging as contributors in 2018. However, the Chargers probably will look to add another big body to the mix in 2018 through the draft, possibly in the top three rounds. At 6-4 and 346 pounds, University of Washington defensive tackle Vita VeaHarrison Phillips is active and provides some versatility.

[bonehead]

I think the Chargers are getting better value from Liugets. $8 millionThan Mebanes $4.5 million. Nothing against the big guy but Mebane is done / not very effective

[blueman]

Expecting TT to keep Philon, and dude is deserving of big money. But that would mean Mebane and Luiget are gone/restructured (especially if we somehow land Vea).

[Formula 21]

I have a tough time remembering any plays Mebane made.

[OhioBolt]

I have a tough time remembering any plays Mebane made.

Mebane who? We got gashed up the middle running plays.

[Formula 21]

And I was very pleased with Rochell's play, the few times I saw him in there.

As for Attaochu, bye, we never got to see you.

And if Liuget's deal is non-guaranteed, I have to bring him back too. At least until the end of training camp to see if he can be adequately replaced.

[Formula 21]

The guy I most often see mocked to SD is Vita Vea. He's not my first choice, but guys with his size and skills don't grow on trees, so it would be a solid, if uninspiring, choice. But you have to build your lines to win.

[WindsorUK]

Or we could spend our top free agent money on a DT and use our number 1 on another position of need i.e. LB, S, C.
There must be an FA DL out there that could step in day 1 and have an impact( sorry, I've not seen the list of available DL's)

[blueman]

Is there a FA DT/NT better than who we have who won’t cost a fortune to sign? Same question, Oline dudes? TT just has to nail this draft to help these areas (plus S plus RB..).

[Fleet]

Philon might be our best DT. And hes young. He will probably start at 3T. Id like to bring in a guy that can replace Mebane or rotate with him. Ive mentioned upgrading with Poe. Or we can draft a 1T and let Philon start next to him.

Maybe even draft a pass rusher and let Bosa wreak havok inside. He would demand multiple OL and it frees up Ingram and say a guy like Davenport. Im not opposed to drafting a pass rusher in the 1st since we have the versatility of Bosa. He can play many positions.

[Steve]

I think the Chargers are getting better value from Liugets. $8 millionThan Mebanes $4.5 million. Nothing against the big guy but Mebane is done / not very effective

If you go off of production, then neither of them is any good. Both have the same stats as our backup DL with more playing time and a ton of money invested.

If you are going to adjust for the true value of their play, Mebane is the better player, because he controls his gaps better. But at 33, that is getting to be on the old side. His real value is as a locker room guy, but with the salary cap pretty tight, it may be more important to cut him to free up some space.

As far as Liuget goes, he is playing a position that is designed to penetrate and make plays. Mebane is deliberately being placed were teams have their blocking rules double team him. Liuget has the 1 on 1 situations and doesn't do anything with them. He is doing his usual flash just enough ability to get by, but now that he has a cap number around $10 mill, is that enough? Liuget has the tools to be an elite 3 tech, but we need to get the more productive player on the field with Phillon. Maybe Liuget will take a big pay cut and move to compete for a job at NT, which at this point fits his actual skills better. But he is getting top player money at a production position.

The big knock is that with elite edge guys like Bosa and Ingram, we need more push up the middle. .How many times did the QB escape by just stepping up in the pocket? Rochelle and Phillon had some good pass rush moments late in the year, getting some penetration up the middle, but by that point I think Ingram and Bosa had worn down, and they certainly were getting extra attention from chiping backs and TE. The interior DL is in position to have the 1 on 1's, but they are not winning the matchups often enough. Certainly not enough for their salaries.

The DL weren't the big issue with the run D. The LB initally had horrible run fits and the LB tackling was inconsistent all year. Liuget and Mebane were OK vs the run. They don't make big plays, but they get in their holes and stay there. Liuget should probably make some more plays in the backfield, given how quick he is, but he is much better than he was before we hired Giff Smith. Bosa and Ingram need to improve their run fits too, but I think their problems are more about them getting impatient and trying to make plays that were not there. They both play good run D when the guys around them are up to the task. We played much better run D out of our dime than we did the base 43. Plus, other teams just don't spend much time in their base personnel, so how much do we even want the base D on the field?

[foreigner]

We just need a good tackling LB... stop jerking off at the big guys.

[blueman]

No kidding, if Smith somehow drops that would be awesome.

[Classic]

We just need a good tackling LB... stop jerking off at the big guys.

We need like 2 or 3 of them with Perryman's injury issues and Emmanuel being and awful starter. Wilkins, Vea, Payne, or Maurice Hurst all have higher grades than any LBs not named Edmunds or Smith.

[blueman]

Jefferson is rising while Vea and Hurst are falling. Just saying.

[Steve]

LB always do well this time of year. They will jump some more after the combine and during pro days. Then the DL and OL get back and you find out what people really thought. This happens every year.

[Steve]

Hurst is the kind of player who can make a ton of plays at a position that made few if any. if he is there, he would represent a huge upgrade at a position that plays a lot. He would really flush the QB to the DE. He just isn't going to be there.

Perryman is the starting LB, not sure why we would waste a high draft pick to be his backup?

[blueman]

Cuz Perryman missed 13 games the last two years? Not a reason?

[Steve]

so you saying we should get rid of him?