Los Angeles Chargers players with most to prove before season starts

Denzel Perryman

Perryman has the tools to be one of the league’s top linebackers. That’s always been obvious. What has also been obvious, unfortunately, is the fact that he’s prone to the injury bug.

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As a result, he has played in only 42 of a possible 64 games. That is simply too much time to miss. In fact, it’s somewhat of a surprise that the team chose to bring him back this offseason as there was more than enough reason to move on.

The Chargers chose to look at Perryman’s glass as half full and go into the 2019 season with him as a key piece of the defense. Thomas Davis was brought in and the hope will be that the veteran can lend the same kind of advice he did to a young Luke Kuechly in Carolina.

If Perryman ca be the hard-nosed tackling machine that wrecks games by making plays all over the field, then the Chargers will have one of the league’s most ferocious defenses.

Of course, all of this hinges on No. 52 being healthy. His mission is to prove that he can stay on the field as one more major injury will likely be one too many.

That’s what you call pressure.