The primary storyline of the Los Angeles Chargers' 0-6 start to this season has, of course, been the offense. The Chargers are currently 32nd in the league in EPA/play, and there's been very few signs of this being a unit that can even reach semi-competitiveness before the end of the campaign.
But the defense, apart from a lackluster performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, has found a rhythm under new coordinator Chris O'Leary, consistently creating pressure and finding some semblance of constancy in the secondary even with a pair of key pieces out in Derwin James Jr. and Donte Jackson. It's not yet the dominant unit it was under Jesse Minter over the past two seasons, but there's at least been some signs of life on that side of the ball.
A significant portion of those signs have come from the interior defensive line. With a rotation of Teair Tart, Jamaree Caldwell, Justin Eboigbe, and Nick Barrett, Los Angeles has found ways to consistently strain the protection plans of opposing offensive lines, and that level of production has made life at least moderately easier for the pass rush as a whole.
But six games into the season, it seems as though Eboigbe's role in that production has stalled. It could open a door for rookie DT Nick Barrett—who's quietly been one of the most promising contributors from this Chargers rookie class.
Nick Barrett deserves a shot to earn a larger role over the course of the season
Although both Otito Ogbonnia and Da'Shawn Hand departed in free agency this offseason, it didn't seem like Barrett, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, really had a path to major snaps in his first campaign. Both Caldwell and Eboigbe were seen as breakout candidates, and through the first few weeks of the season, they looked the part as well.
Caldwell has recorded a pressure in each of his six games, and although he's without a sack to this point in the season, he's consistently provided production in the pass rush and has maintained his role as a viable run defender. Tart, for his part, has been his usual dominant self—he's posted seven pressures and 11 tackles across the first six games of this campaign.
While Eboigbe started on a similar pace, though, his production has since slowed. In Weeks 1 through 3, the Alabama product posted three pressures, two QB hits, and six tackles. In Weeks 4 through 6, he's posted zero pressures and just three tackles. His snap share, meanwhile, saw a major drop in Weeks 5 and 6—he played just 36.6% of Los Angeles' defensive snaps between the two weeks compared to 70% in Week 4.
Barrett hasn't yet burst onto the scene as a major contributor. But the Chargers were willing to take a flyer on him in the draft because of his well-rounded skill set, and that has allowed him to steadily carve out more responsibility in O'Leary's scheme. He saw a career-high 14 pass rush snaps in Week 6, and although he hasn't posted a pressure since Week 3, he's looked solid as both a run and pass defender in the opportunities he's gotten.
His snap share, meanwhile, took a major leap up to 45.9% in the Week 6 matchup. If the Chargers are looking to maximize their pass-rush production along the interior, perhaps that's a trend we see continue after the bye week.
Granted, this is a minor storyline to monitor given the way the Chargers' season has gone to this point. Who cares about the defensive tackle rotation when this team looks, right now, like it might go 0-17?
But almost any silver linings Los Angeles will be able to take away from this abysmal campaign depend upon the continued development of its young pieces. If Barrett can turn into a true contributor along the interior defensive line, that's at least a minor victory for the Chargers in the midst of this season.
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