San Diego Chargers veteran edge rusher Dwight Freeney has been a revelation since signing with the team last season in what was, at the time, a smart desperation move to add some pass rushing help after young pass rusher Melvin Ingram suffered a major injury. Freeney seemed washed-up at the time after struggling in his final year with the Indianapolis Colts, but he wasn’t as bad as some thought, and he also came on a cheap, two-year contract.
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Despite suffering a season-ending quad injury in his fourth game of the season, Freeney made a profound impact on the Chargers defense by consistently getting to the quarterback. The rate at which he put pressure on the QB was one of the best in the league to that early point in the season, and he quickly established himself as one of the Chargers most valuable players on either side of the ball.
With better health this season, Freeney has picked up where he left off by replicating that high degree of success, and the Chargers are wisely prolonging his career, health, and optimizing his play by restricting his snap count. The results have been terrific, as Freeney has two sacked, a fumble recovered, and a hoard of plays in which he’s made the opposing quarterback quite uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, it looks like injuries could continue to be an issue for Freeney, as Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego reports did not practice today after being limited at practice yesterday with a knee injury. This is not a good sign at all, as mid-week downgrades usually lead to gameday inactives, especially if a player was downgraded to a “did not practice”. Thankfully, the New York Jets shouldn’t pose a formidable threat to the Chargers, even if Freeney ends up sitting out.