Chargers defensive tackle Brandon Mebane was brought back for two more seasons.
Prior to being re-signed, Mebane was thinking about hanging up his cleats after 12 seasons in the NFL. He had interest from other clubs, but he couldn’t see himself starting up with a brand new team and instead, was considering retirement, according to Orange County Register’s Gilbert Manzano.
He said he received interest from the Rams, Seahawks and Saints, according to Los Angeles Times’ Jeff Miller.
Despite his age (34), having Mebane back with Los Angeles was a no-brainer for the front office and coaching staff. A valuable leader in the locker room, he remained a prominent part of the defensive-line rotation the past few seasons since being signed after starting his career with the Seahawks.
Mebane started all 12 regular season games in 2018. He missed four games, dealing with the terrible loss of his daughter. The Los Angeles native was still a valuable asset up front when he was on the field, amassing 53 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack.
The decision to have Mebane back came as no surprise. The Bolts added a couple new pieces in Jerry Tillery and Cortez Broughton and Justin Jones is entering his sophomore season, so Mebane will serve as a mentor to the young players the next two years.
He will likely retain his role as the team’s starting nose tackle but he could see a downtick of snaps, as L.A. will be rotating their interior defensive linemen quite a bit. Nonetheless, he should be a key contributor this upcoming season.
Mebane will be dedicating this upcoming season to his daughter, Makenna, who passed away last year.
