Post by frozendisc on Nov 12, 2022 7:43:37 GMT -7
Tillery and the Chargers coaching staff and front office had philosophical differences about his role on the team. Tillery’s role had diminished significantly after the Chargers made several moves on the interior of the defensive line this offseason, signing Johnson, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Morgan Fox in free agency and drafting Otito Ogbonnia in the fifth round.
Tillery was no longer a featured player on run downs. Instead, the Chargers were trying to elevate his skill set by using him in more passing situations. Tillery is a decent pass rusher. He’s a liability in run defense. This was a logical way to get the most out of the player.
But a byproduct of that was decreased playing time. Tillery played 79 percent of the defensive snaps last season. Through nine games this year, Tillery — who missed the Week 9 win over the Falcons with a back injury — had played 43 percent of the defensive snaps.
“Competing visions for the role moving forward,” Staley said Friday when asked about the decision to move on from Tillery. “It just became clear that it wasn’t going to be a fit anymore. Where we’re headed as a team wasn’t going to be compatible with Jerry and where he is trying to go. So we felt like it was best to move forward.”
Why didn’t those visions align?
“He probably expects more for himself,” Staley said. “I think that where we’re at as a team and what we see, they’re two different places. That happens sometimes in the NFL. When you get to that point, you got to do what’s best for the team and what’s best for the player. That’s what we did here.”
As recently as Sunday in Atlanta, the Chargers still had plans for Tillery as a depth piece on their defensive line. That is why they didn’t actively try to trade Tillery before the deadline earlier this month. Defensive line depth is key for a team down the homestretch and into the postseason.
But Tillery was not happy with that role. After Johnson was placed on injured reserve, the Chargers signed defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko to their active roster. They expect to elevate defensive lineman Joe Gaziano to the active roster Saturday. Staley said Friday that Tillery was “not necessarily” going to take on a bigger role with Johnson out. The Chargers trust Fehoko and Gaziano more as run defenders, and Tillery’s role was unlikely to change much in Johnson’s absence.
Tillery’s response this week forced the Chargers to make a move. There was friction with teammates. There was friction with the coaching staff. The situation became unsalvageable in the early part of this week. Tillery did not practice Wednesday or Thursday because of what the team called “personal reasons.” The Chargers informed Tillery of his release Thursday afternoon.
“We felt like we were going to give Bre and Joe G a chance to compete,” Staley said. “Where we’re at and what we’re trying to do with our team on the defensive line, our defense, our whole team, we’re trying to create competition and have guys earn their roles. That’s what we want to be here. That’s what we want to do. When those things didn’t line up, we had to make a change.”
The Chargers declined Tillery’s fifth-year option in May, meaning 2022 was the final year of his rookie deal. That decision set this deterioration in motion. Tillery could have gone one of two ways. He could have played well in his role and earned an extension. Instead, he went the other way, handling the declined option and diminished role in a way that precluded the Chargers from keeping him on the roster and in the building.
“A lot of it is how you approach it,” Staley said when asked about a player handling a declined fifth-year option. “You try to approach it that way that, hey, when business decisions happen, you’re still pouring into each other, you’re still trying to make things work and create a vision for someone’s role. But sometimes it happens like that, and sometimes it happens like this. At the end of the day, you got to do what’s best for your team, and that’s what we did.”
theathletic.com/3846441/2022/11/11/chargers-jerry-tillery-49ers/
