Every year, there are players on each team who unlock their full potential after being lost in the shuffle. That was the case for the Chargers last season with wide receiver Mike Williams and safety Adrian Phillips.
The team’s current roster features a few players who could enjoy breakout seasons in 2019.
Here are four players who could emerge as key contributors for the Bolts.
LB Uchenna Nwosu
The Chargers really liked the former USC product throughout the pre-draft process, which led them to select him with their second-round pick of the 2018 NFL draft. Nwosu was stuck behind Kyle Emanuel at the SAM linebacker and hardly saw the field.
Despite only playing a little over 25 percent of the snaps as a rookie, Nwosu was a force as an extra pass-rusher. He amassed 27 tackles and 3.5 sacks during the regular season. In the postseason, Nwosu added seven tackles and a critical strip sack on quarterback Lamar Jackson in the AFC Wild Card game.
Heading into the 2019 season, Nwosu has the starting OTTO role locked up. He will be forced to play a little bit more in coverage, but in college he showed that he was adept at doing so, especially at knocking passes down. Expect him to turn it up a notch in his third season and be a big contributor on the defensive side of the ball.
LB Kyzir White
After selecting Nwosu, the Chargers took White two rounds later in the fourth. They made the move to convert him from a safety to a linebacker, given their need and they saw room to grow on his frame, natural strength, speed and physicality to flourish at the position.
The former West Virginia product wasted no time proving his worth to the coaching staff during minicamp, training camp and preseason. His efforts earned his starting WILL linebacker spot over Jatavis Brown. Unfortunately, his spot in the lineup diminished after a knee injury ended his first season prematurely.
During the three regular season that he played, White showed a lot of promise. The former Mountaineer racked up 16 tackles, an interception, and two passes defensed. White, who is now up to 233 pounds and learning the inside linebacker position, has a strong possibility of earning his starting job back. If he does, look for him to only grow on the early success he had from last year.
OL Forrest Lamp
Third time is the charm, right? For offensive lineman Forrest Lamp, that’s exactly what he’s hoping for. Lamp, who was viewed as a first rounder in the 2017 NFL draft, slipped to the Chargers’ laps in the second-round. Unfortunately, Lamp suffered a torn ACL during training camp, which ended his season.
With high expectations entering his sophomore season, Lamp, who was healthy, hardly saw the field. There were some speculations that he still wasn’t healthy despite the fact that he had a full year of recovery under his belt. But coach Anthony Lynn simply said that he was comfortable with the way the offensive line was last season.
Entering Year 3, the former Western Kentucky product is eager to compete for a starting job. He will have every opportunity throughout the next few months to do so, but whether that’s at either guard spot or right tackle is currently unknown.
WR Artavis Scott
Scott, left Clemson with the most catches in school history. He had 245 receptions in his three seasons with the Tigers, 68 more than teammate Mike Williams had at Clemson. The Chargers saw the success he had in college and decided to sign him as an undrafted free agent the same year Williams was the No. 7 overall pick.
He earned a spot on the practice squad as a rookie and spent all of it there. In 2018, He was on his way to making the team’s roster after a phenomenal training camp and preseason, but he injured his ankle in the final preseason game. Scott spent all of last season on injured reserve.
Now, Scott is entering his third season with his eyes on the No. 3 wide receiver spot behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. It won’t be easy as he will have competition that includes Travis Benjamin, Dylan Cantrell and Geremy Davis. If he comes out on top, which is likely, then he should have decent production.
