San Diego Chargers: Dream Linebacking Corps
With the upcoming 2016 season, the San Diego Chargers could break out a new-look defense that starts with changes in the middle.
Denzel Perryman only started in nine games during the 2015 campaign; yet in those nine games, Perryman was able to record 73 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Expanded out into a 16-game season, Perryman was on pace for a season statistical line of 130 tackles, nearly four sacks, and about two forced fumbles. Imagine a scenario where the Chargers were able to have duplicate Perryman and have both play up the middle in the base defense. Now that Tom Telesco recently selected Joshua Perry with the fourth round selection in the draft, this dream linebacking core may become a reality.
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Speaking on stature alone, Joshua Perry is simply put, a larger version of Denzel Perryman. Standing at 6’4 and weighing 254 pounds, Perry is an absolute tank. However, this combination of height and weight by no means affects his athletic ability.
Per Perry himself, he was the third heaviest linebacker attending the 2016 NFL Draft Combine, yet he ran the seventh fastest time (4.68). In his last two years at Ohio State, Perry recorded 229 total tackles along with 16 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and six pass deflections. This is the exact type of production that teams look for in a starting middle linebacker.
Perry showed versatility with greatness against the run as well as stout ability against the pass. Given current middle linebacker Manti Te’o’s lack of consistency, I do not see why Perry cannot come into the locker room and earn a starting job.
Whenever a fan turned on a San Diego Chargers game during last year’s abysmal season, there were few bright spots. Still, while on defense, one could always see #52 (Perryman) constantly around the ball. Having one middle linebacker that plays with Perryman’s intensity and instincts is a terrific asset, having two is rare.
Perry has the opportunity to transcend San Diego’s defense into a defense that is feared. Of course, there are some negatives if the Chargers were to start both Perry and Perryman up the middle. Both Perry and Perryman have been susceptible to being beat by quicker runningbacks while in pass coverage. Perryman especially has been a little shady in coverage, yet he was only a rookie and one can assume he will only improve.
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All in all, fans of this team should hope to see the names of Perry and Perryman alongside each other in the starting lineup. As the two develop together and learn the other’s playing styles, they will only get better.
I see the the impact from the Chargers using Perry and Perryman a little like how impactful the usage of Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis at linebacker is to the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers built from the middle of the defense with those two players as the building blocks, which allowed the rest of the defense to thrive.
Adding two thumpers to the starting defense will create a known identity for this San Diego unit much as the Panthers have built themselves an identity through their linebackers. Indeed, with two run-stuffers up the middle in Perry and Perryman, this will cause teams to throw more and more against San Diego; against Jason Verrett, Brandon Flowers, and Casey Hayward, throwing will prove to be a tough task.