LA Chargers: Prospects in rounds 1-3 that could replace Thomas Davis Sr.
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers made a slew of roster moves on Friday, which included cutting veteran linebacker Thomas Davis Sr.
Thomas Davis Sr. did not have a long tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers. Davis signed a two-year contract prior to the 2019 NFL season and was viewed as a very promising signing by Tom Telesco to help anchor the middle of the field.
With all things considered, Thomas did not have a bad season in 2019 in the slightest. The veteran linebacker played all 16 games, recorded 112 total tackles and played in 83 percent of the Chargers’ defensive snaps. He was not perfect, but he did what the Chargers needed him to do.
With Davis entering the last year of his contract and the team recently franchise tagging Hunter Henry, the Chargers released him alongside Brandon Mebane to free up $9.5 million in salary-cap space. The Chargers also restructured Denzel Perryman‘s contract to be incentive-based, which could also help with the cap.
This may be the team preparing for a big showing in free agency, whether it be doing the polarizing move and signing Tom Brady or bringing in various other assets to play alongside a rookie quarterback.
Whichever way the Chargers go, the team is likely going to replace Davis in some capacity, with the cheapest way being the 2020 NFL Draft. The linebacker unit is not a strong point for the Chargers, so it would be foolish to completely ignore the loss of Davis.
With that in mind, here is one prospect in each of the first three rounds that the Chargers could select to replace Davis on the defense.