Los Angeles Chargers: Early roster predictions for the 2020 season
By Samuel Teets
Defensive Linemen (8): Joey Bosa, Cortez Broughton, Joe Gaziano, Melvin Ingram, Justin Jones, Linval Joseph, Isaac Rochell, Jerry Tillery
The Chargers could field one of the best defensive lines in the NFL this year. Joey Bosa returns for his fifth season to finally cracking into the All-Pro ranks. He’s joined by running mate Melvin Ingram, who is looking for his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. Bosa and Ingram combined for 18.5 sacks and 43 quarterback hits last year.
Besides hoping that Bosa takes the next step in his rise to stardom, Los Angeles can also look forward to the arrival of Linval Joseph. The former Pro Bowl defensive tackle takes over for Brandon Mebane, who the team cut in March. Joseph should start alongside Justin Jones. The 2018 third-round pick started 15 games at defensive tackle for Los Angeles last year.
If the Chargers keep the same scheme from last season, Joseph will officially play the nose tackle role. It’s a fitting spot for the 31-year-old, who always specialized in stopping the run anyway.
Los Angeles used the 28th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Jerry Tillery. However, he only played 36% of the team’s defensive snaps as a rookie. Look for he and Joseph to rotate in and out of the lineup, giving Tillery a more consistent role on the defense.
Isaac Rochell should also find a way onto Los Angeles’ final roster. Rochell joined the team as a seventh-round pick in 2017 and appeared in all of Los Angeles’ previous 32 games. Cortez Broughton, a seventh-round selection from 2019, should also make the team.
That leaves undrafted rookie defensive end, Joe Gaziano as the team’s final defensive lineman. Over the past three years at Northwestern, Gaziano amassed 25.5 sacks and 42.5 tackles for loss.