Taken by the Los Angeles Chargers in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Junior Colson never quite found his footing as a rookie.
Nevertheless, many Bolts fans (and pundits alike) feel the 22-year-old is poised for a strong second season, with some even calling for him to be the biggest breakout player for Los Angeles during the upcoming 2025 campaign, much like 2023 third-round pick Daiyan Henley was last year.
Colson, who came to training camp as healthy as he's been since being drafted, could very well take that same path. But he may have to take that journey sitting behind the man who could mentor him, as the 32-year-old Denzel Perryman is back with the Bolts on a second straight one-year deal and, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper, has been crushing it in the early days of practice.
"It is clear through the first four practices that Denzel Perryman is ahead of Junior Colson on the linebacker depth chart," Popper wrote. "Perryman has received all of the first-team reps over Colson, next to Daiyan Henley. This competition will heat up when the pads come on. Said Colson, 'When the pads come on, that’s when the bullets are flying.' On Monday, Colson had a tackle-for-loss on a Hampton run during 11-on-11."
Junior Colson has a lot to prove to crack the Chargers' starting linup
Even if Colson lands behind Perryman on the depth chart to start the season, it won't be the end of the world, as he can still learn a lot from the 11th-year pro, just as Henley did. And if Colson does win the job, he'll have undoubtedly earned it, which would also be a good thing, as would having Perryman as extra depth.
As a rookie, Colson recorded just 29 total tackles en route to earning a dreadful 38.0 overall PFF grade, which ranked 180th among 189 eligible linebackers.
The Michigan alum earned a much more respectable 63.5 pass-rush grade, which ranked 60th, but his 55.6 run defense mark and 34.0 coverage grade knocked down his overall score something fierce.
It is worth noting that Colson missed six games and dealt with several ailments and injuries, including an appendectomy during training camp, which put him behind from the get-go, and an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve in the middle of the season.
Like Colson, Henley had his fair share of struggles as a rookie, making just 16 tackles in 15 games. But under the tutelage of Perryman, who rejoined the Chargers after playing three seasons elsewhere, Henley racked up a team-high 147 tackles in 2024, good for the eighth-most in the NFL.
This is a nice problem for head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to have, and it'll be interesting to see how this battle with Colson and Perryman progresses over the next few weeks.