The Chargers have progressively gotten better each season, dating back to 2015. A lot of credit goes to general manager Tom Telesco and the moves that he’s made since he took over in 2013.
An underrated general manager among the others in the league, Telesco has sneakily found ways to get it done. It was no different this offseason where he did what was best for the roster in hopes for a deeper run in the playoffs this upcoming campaign.
With that, here are the four best moves Telesco made this offseason.
Releasing safety Jahleel Addae
The defensive unit finished top-10 overall in 2018, but safety Jahleel Addae wasn’t one of the bigger contributors to their success.
After making the move to free safety due to the arrival of Derwin James who took over the strong safety position, Addae was quite underwhelming. Addae didn’t have the speed, instincts or range to man the single-high position, and tackling was still a problem for him.
Even though he was viewed as a strong locker room player and was credited for his intense style of play, Telesco chose to recognize his below average campaign as a negative and elected to release him in March. The move came as a bit of a surprise, considering most people didn’t think it would happen even though it needed to occur.
With the release, Los Angeles freed up $5 million while creating $1 million in dead money.
Landing the safety of their dreams
With the departure of Jahleel Addae, the hole at the free safety position opened up significantly. There was a slim chance the Chargers were going to open camp up with Rayshawn Jenkins and Jaylen Watkins.
Most people anticipated Los Angeles addressing the position in the first round, but instead they waited until the second round only to have a player that seemed unlikely to be on the clock at pick No. 60 overall.
Former Delaware free safety Nasir Adderley had fallen to their laps, giving them the player at position that they’ve desperately needed for years. Adderley’s high end coverage, ball skills and tenacious ability as a tackler is exactly what they need to create a formidable duo with Derwin James.
Bolstering the defensive line
There was a big question mark surrounding the interior part of the defensive line entering this offseason. Brandon Mebane, Corey Liuget, Darius Philon and Damion Square were all unrestricted free agents. The Chargers opted to bring back Mebane and Square, along with adding two play-making defensive tackles through the draft.
Los Angeles kicked the event off with former Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. Tillery was among our top candidates for the pick at No. 28 overall. His ability to use his length and power to push the pocket and create disruption should be an excellent boost up front.
L.A. waited until the last round of the draft to address the position again. They selected former Cincinnati defensive tackle Cortez Broughton, who has a chance to be the biggest steal. Broughton has a solid all-around skill-set that includes an excellent first step, heavy hands and a high motor to work his way into the backfield.
When looking at the depth chart, this may be the best that the position has looked in quite sometime. It’s not elite by any means, but if someone happens to go down due to an injury, the team finally has the pieces to rely on the next man up.
Solidifying depth at linebacker position
The majority of the injuries that occurred last season were primarily at the linebacker position, which led to Telesco making it clear that he was going to make it a primary focus in the offseason.
He wasted zero time by re-signing Denzel Perryman, hybrid linebacker Adrian Phillips and signing Thomas Davis. Even though some argued that there were better options available than Davis, he supplies the Chargers with a strong locker room presence, a proven veteran and the likely starting Will linebacker.
That wasn’t it all, though. Telesco shored up the position with two capable depth players in former Notre Dame linebacker Drue Tranquill and former Houston linebacker Emeke Egbule. Tranquill can serve as a sub-package linebacker and key special teamer right off the bat, while Egbule will be Uchenna Nwosu’s backup at the Sam linebacker role.
With Kyzir White and Jatavis Brown coming back healthy, Los Angeles will have quality depth. This will allow them to turn to the next man as opposed to relying on eight defensive backs on the field, like what occurred last season in the postseason.
