Even though it wasn’t the season the Los Angeles Chargers were hoping for, there were several players on the team who were bright spots at their perspective position.
This week, Pro Football Focus released its list of the top 101 players for the 2019 season, and it listed three players from L.A. who made an impact throughout the year.
Here’s a look at the trio:
29. Joey Bosa, DE
“The elder Bosa brother makes it a tandem of Bosas inside the top 30 of the PFF Top 101, a feat I’m sure the Watts will have a good chance to emulate going forward. The elder Bosa was back to his best play this season after injury affected his 2018. He notched 71 total pressures and had an overall PFF grade of 89.6, the best mark of his career, while the 49 defensive stops he tallied also set a career-high and were eight clear of the figure he recorded in 2017. Nick Bosa may have taken the league by storm as a rookie, but he’s hasn’t left his brother in the dust just yet.”
43. Austin Ekeler, RB
“Austin Ekeler saw a rare opportunity to carry a load when Melvin Gordon held out to start the year, and while he performed well as a ball-carrier with an expanded load, he excelled all year as a receiver. Only George Kittle ended the year with a higher PFF receiving grade than Ekeler across all positions, and the Charger caught 92 passes, coming up just seven yards short of 1,000 receiving yards while scoring eight times. Ekeler was one of the league’s leaders in yards per reception after the catch, as he gained more than 10 yards after the catch every time the ball arrived in his hands.”
58. Casey Hayward, Jr., CB
“Cornerback is one of the most volatile positions in football in terms of being able to maintain consistently elite play year to year, and it speaks to Hayward’s quality that he has yet to earn a coverage grade lower than 73.0. This season, his 84.4 mark represents just 329 receiving yards surrendered all season and 11 games in which he allowed 25 or fewer yards. Hayward is one of the game’s best corners, and he has been since he first entered the league.”
