With two signings this week, the Chargers have put the finishing touches on a sweeping defensive overhaul. The meat of the roster is set. And now the focus will turn to the only thing that matters for this organization in 2022: Contending for a championship.
The Chargers emerged from the draft last weekend with two major depth holes remaining: cornerback and edge rusher. They filled both in a span of two days. On Wednesday, they signed corner Bryce Callahan, who has played his entire career in Vic Fangio’s defensive system and crossed paths with Chargers coach Brandon Staley with the Bears in 2018 and Broncos in 2019. And on Thursday, the Chargers signed edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots.
Staley, of course, coached under Fangio for three seasons as an outside linebackers coach and runs a very similar scheme with the Chargers. Callahan’s scheme familiarity made this a sensible singing. With Van Noy, I go back to something Staley said over draft weekend, which he has touched on repeatedly this offseason: “We want to bring people from winning environments in.” Van Noy, who turned 31 in March, fits that mold and has 17 1/2 sacks over his last three seasons.
Callahan, 30, has battled injuries over the last three seasons. He missed all of 2019 because of foot-surgery complications, finished 2020 on injured reserve because of an injury to his other foot and landed on IR again for five games in 2021 due to a knee injury. Still, this is a low-risk move for the Chargers. They do not need Callahan to start. He can come into training camp and compete for a spot with Michael Davis, Tevaughn Campbell and their two Day 3 draft picks, Ja’Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard. Callahan has been primarily a slot corner in his career, but can play outside as well. Staley values that position flexibility. If Callahan can stay healthy, he will provide valuable depth at multiple positions.
Von Noy fits in as a rotational edge rusher behind Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, but he also provides some flex as an off-ball linebacker.
After trading for Mack, the Chargers saved $9 million in cap space by restructuring his contract. That added room has allowed them to be relatively aggressive in the later stages of free agency, adding tight end Gerald Everett, punter JK Scott, returner DeAndre Carter, linebacker Troy Reeder, backup center Will Clapp and now Van Noy and Callahan.
The Chargers had 24 defensive players on their 53-man roster last season when they broke training camp. There should be at least nine new players in that group in 2022 — Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, Mack, J.C. Jackson, Otito Ogbonnia, JT Woods, Callahan, Van Noy and Reeder. Throw Taylor and Leonard into the mix, and the amount of turnover could only grow.
The Chargers finished 26th in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA and 28th in TruMedia’s defensive EPA/play last season. The clear and stated goal was to get better on that side of the ball this offseason. Part of that process was finding players who were fluent in Staley’s scheme. No more square pegs in round holes. Joseph-Day, Mack, Callahan and Reeder have all played in this defense before. Those additions, coupled with improvement and more comfortability from returning players, is the recipe the Chargers hope will lead to a better defense in 2022.
Those returning players are already feeling the benefits of having a full season in Staley’s system. As Drue Tranquill said earlier this week, the offseason program meetings are markedly different from this time last year.
“We were able to really move past just installing and doing everyday verbiage,” Tranquill said of Monday’s meeting with inside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite. “We all know the install by now and we were really able to dig into the techniques. Where are we aligning here and what are we trying to get the offensive line to do so that we can then make this play? Going into that second and third level, you’re able to do that in the second year of the defense. The first year of the defense, you’re just trying to learn how to communicate, what to say to each other on the field. I think diving into those layers, to me, has been something.”
The Chargers certainly wanted to address their corner and edge rushing depth in the draft, but the opportunity did not materialize with their big board.
They passed on Washington corner Trent McDuffie in the first round at No. 17 and instead fortified their offensive line with plug-and-play guard Zion Johnson. They traded their second-round pick to the Bears for Mack. In the third round, the Chargers could have drafted a corner or an edge rusher at 79 in the third round, like Houston corner Marcus Jones, Western Kentucky edge rusher DeAngelo Malone or San Diego State edge rusher Cameron Thomas. But Staley had a vision for Woods and felt like adding a third deep-field safety would allow him to move Derwin James Jr. around more without exposing his back end.
The fourth round, at pick 123, would have been an ideal spot for a corner or edge rusher, but all the Chargers’ options came off the board. Cincinnati edge rusher Myjai Sanders went late in the third round to the Cardinals. Cincinnati corner Coby Bryant went 109 to the Seahawks. Pittsburgh corner Damarri Mathis went 115 to the Broncos. Missouri corner Akayleb Evans went 118 to the Vikings. Alabama corner Jalyn Armour-Davis went 119 to the Ravens.
Sometimes the draft gods are in your favor and you end up with an All-Pro tackle at pick 13. Sometimes you’re just unlucky.
“There are always some drafts that you come out of and that you wish some things would have broken differently,” Telesco said. “This is the second year in a row in the fourth round that we had some guys go off that were tough ones, but you can’t get everybody. It is what it is.”
The Chargers had a backup plan — Callahan and Von Noy.
They are now at 86 rostered players. The max for training camp is 90. I would not expect the Chargers to get to that number. The first deadline of camp forces teams to trim their rosters from 90 to 85 after the first preseason game. That is a limited evaluation window, and adding four more players just to cut them after just one live game is not entirely fair or productive. That is how the Chargers have operated in recent seasons.
This is your 2022 Chargers roster.
Have they done enough?
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