LA Chargers: The 4 most important role players in 2021

3. Matt Feiler

Quite frankly, we could have included any of the starting offensive linemen on this list. Protecting Justin Herbert is the most important thing for the Chargers this season and that starts with a quality offensive line.

We could have picked Rashawn Slater, Oday Aboushi or Bryan Bulaga (Corey Linsley is considered a star). Instead, Feiler is considered the most important of the role players as his performance could be the most volatile.

Feiler was really solid as a guard last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers but his career has not been as great as last season indicates. He certainly has had some bad years in his career, particularly when the team tasked him to primarily play tackle.

He might be underrated by most NFL pundits but that does not make him a guaranteed success.

Luckily that shouldn’t be asked of him in 2021 but I would still be wary of expecting a slam-dunk season for Feiler. This is not to say we should be expecting him to be awful, but there is a reality where at the end of the season we are talking about Feiler as a disappointment, not a standout.

It will be really hard to not be an upgrade from last year’s guards but the Chargers need much better than last year.