The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a disappointing 10-7 season that saw them suffer through many key injuries and a blown 27-0 lead that resulted in a playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The team has several areas that need to be improved, and one of them is its defense, which was inconsistent all throughout 2022 and finished 21st in points allowed and 20th in total yards given up.
The Chargers recently signed linebacker Eric Kendricks away from the Minnesota Vikings, and they released a video to get their fans hyped about him.
The video features head coach Brandon Staley talking about Kendricks and calling him “one of the most complete linebackers in the last decade.”
full package pic.twitter.com/QUOKcMuzvs
—Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) March 27, 2023
Kendricks has been a middle/inside linebacker in Minnesota for eight seasons, and in 2022 he registered 137 total tackles (87 solo), eight tackles for loss, and six passes defended.
His best season came in 2019, when he posted 110 tackles (70 solo), 12 passes defended, and four tackles for loss, which earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team honors.
In LA, the central California native and University of California, Los Angeles product will team up with rising star linebacker Drue Tranquill to help shore up the team’s front seven.
However, perhaps the biggest thing the Bolts need on defense is simply good health.
Star pass rusher Joey Bosa and former Pro Bowl cornerback JC Jackson missed a considerable amount of time with injuries, and when healthy, both greatly change the complexion of their defense.
Jackson led the NFL with 23 passes defended in 2021 when he made the Pro Bowl, while Bosa made the Pro Bowl three straight years prior to last season.
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