Five reasons the Chargers will retain defensive end Joey Bosa

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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 06: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens gets sacked by Joey Bosa #99 of the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 06, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Chargers reason No. 5: Well, he is pretty good

On a sack-per-game average, Bosa is pretty incredible:

Bosa: 0.81 sacks per game
J.J. Watt: 0.88 sacks per game
Frank Clark: 0.56 sacks per game
Demarcus Lawrence: 0.53 sacks per game
Trey Flowers: 0.46 sacks per game
Melvin Ingram: 0.45 sacks per game

The first four names after Bosa represent the largest NFL contracts for defensive ends. It’s safe to say that on a per-game basis, there aren’t too many who rival the production of Bosa.

Chargers reason No. 4: Melvin Ingram isn’t getting younger

Melvin Ingram is one of the most consistent players the Chargers have had over the last four years. He’s recovered tremendously from his two seasons of missing 19 games in 2013 and 2014, and has played in every game since 2015.

However, it is hard to ignore the truth: Ingram is getting older, and will be 32 in 2021 when Bosa could be extended to a new deal. Bosa, by the way, is incredibly young for a player entering his fourth season in the NFL, and will only be 26 when he looks for his next contract in 2021.

It doesn’t mean the Chargers will look to move on from Ingram, and they clearly don’t have a problem with “older” players on their roster; just look at Thomas Davis, Brandon Mebane, and Philip Rivers. However, to keep on winning, they will ultimately need to retain their younger and more talented players first.