On Monday Night Football, LA Chargers’ star edge rusher Khalil Mack suffered a dislocated elbow that forced the Chargers to place him on IR, sidelining him for at least the next four weeks.
This opens up a unique opportunity for 2025 fourth-round draft pick Kyle Kennard to prove why teams shouldn’t have passed up his name in the draft.
The Chargers added more depth after the Khalil Mack injury with the signings of former Las Vegas Raiders defensive end, and fourth overall pick in 2019, Clelin Ferrell and former Tennessee Titans defensive end Rashad Weaver.
This makes you wonder if the Chargers aren’t high on Kennard at the moment, or they just don’t want to rely on a rookie to take the reigns of Khalil Mack.
Despite the additions, the stars are aligned for Kyle Kennard to make noise for the Chargers
Kennard played for South Carolina last season, was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, and led the SEC with 11.5 sacks.
During the first two weeks of the 2025 regular season, Kennard has been inactive after reports suggest he had a slow start to NFL training camp.
With an overall PFF rating of 36.1 during the Chargers' preseason, Kennard played 51 total snaps, had 0 sacks, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, and 1 pressure. Unfortunately, Kennard's preseason performance didn't help his case to become a starter immediately for the Chargers' edge rushing unit.
This doesn't mean Kennard is never going to pan out at the position in the NFL, he's 23 years old with time to figure out his craft at the highest level. Chargers fans shouldn't write Kennard off anytime soon, we all know the coaching staff the Chargers have.
If there’s anyone who can turn a defensive rookie into a prominent force in the pass rush, it would be Jesse Minter. We've seen the growth in the Chargers defense since the addition of Minter last season, and how special that unit has become. I don't doubt the same breakout can happen for Kennard under the guidance around him.
Whether or not Kennard will be active for the Sunday’s upcoming divisional game vs the Broncos is unknown, but it’s only a matter of time before he gets a chance to shine.