LA Chargers: Ranking the defenses in the AFC West by position
How do the LA Chargers stack up against the rest of the AFC West in terms of defense? Let’s rank the positions after a busy offseason.
After ranking the offenses in the AFC West, it’s time to look at the defenses. The LA Chargers made several key changes to their defense in the offseason. Chris Harris, Linval Joseph, and Nick Vigil were key signings. The addition of Kenneth Murray was a huge surprise after the Chargers traded back into the first round to get him.
While the rest of the AFC West wasn’t as active as the LA Chargers were on defense in the offseason, there were still some pretty big moves. The Chiefs were able to retain star defensive tackle Chris Jones and are looking to extend him. Denver drafted McTelvin Agim to boost their defensive line, while Las Vegas used a first-round pick on cornerback Damon Arnette out of Ohio State.
Defensive End
- Chargers: Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram
- Broncos: Von Miller, Bradley Chubb
- Chiefs: Frank Clark, Alex Okafor
- Raiders: Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby
The LA Chargers have the best edge defenders in the division. Bosa and Ingram might be the best pass-rushing duo in the league, let alone the AFC West. The most talented defensive player on the Chargers is Bosa, who set personal records for tackles for loss and quarterback hits in 2019. Ingram dealt with a hamstring injury in 2019, but other than that, his production was on point as always.
Before 2019, the Broncos might have ranked as having the best defensive ends. Miller continues to be a pain in the neck for all of his division rivals with his production and athleticism. The problem for Denver was the loss of Chubb in 2019.
During the first month of the season, he suffered a torn ACL and could not return. The Broncos will have Chubb back in 2020, but how he bounces back from a major knee injury remains to be seen.
Clark was a huge acquisition for the Chiefs in the 2019 offseason, and he’s been worth the draft capital they gave up. While Okafor and some of the other edge defenders are just OK pairings for him, they do enough to complement Clark’s pass rush.
The Raiders are still developing their exterior line. Crosby had a pretty solid 2019 but still could use some refinement as an all-around line defender. Ferrell played OK last season but certainly didn’t live up to being the fourth selection in the draft.