There are high expectations surrounding the LA Chargers as the team heads in the 2022 season. Tom Telesco and the front office just had the biggest offseason in franchise history and fans are hoping that the results follow on the field in 2022.
The biggest emphasis for the Chargers this offseason was the defensive side of the ball as the defense held the team back last season. The result is a new-look defense with new star players as well as depth in areas that were thin last season.
Los Angeles already has one of the best offenses in the league and if the defense can blossom as well the team is going to be in great shape to make a deep Super Bowl run. But what should fans expect from this defense in 2022?
Here are 3 bold predictions for the LA Chargers defense in 2022:
1. Kenneth Murray turns it around and shows value as an NFL linebacker
A lot of fans are selling their Kenneth Murray stock after last season and I do not blame them. Murray was really bad last year and it is seeming more and more like a mistake that the Chargers traded back into the first round in 2020 to draft him.
That being said, Murray had to deal with a new defense in just his second year in the league and was likely hindered by a unique rookie season with bad coaching and weird parameters around the pandemic. Add in the fact that Murray hurt his ankle in Week 2 and it never seemed to fully recover and there are reasons for his poor play.
With a healed ankle and an entire offseason to study the defense and become more comfortable with his role in the defense, Murray should be able to turn it around and blossom as a player. He is not going to be a Pro Bowl linebacker but he has the athleticism and the raw talent to at least be a serviceable starting NFL linebacker.
Murray is far too young to completely abandon faith in him. Like Nasir Adderley last year, I am hopeful that he will turn it around in year three.
2. Joey Bosa sets a career-high in sacks, is in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year
Fans are clamoring about a secondary with Derwin James and J.C. Jackson and rightfully so. While James is the quarterback of the defense and Jackson is going to add a much-needed presence in the secondary, the Chargers' best defensive player in 2022 is going to be Joey Bosa.
Bosa has consistently been one of the best edge rushers in the league since coming into the NFL but it still feels like he has not peaked as a player. While he has always had great seasons for the Chargers, he has not had that massive breakout season that puts him in the Defensive Player of the Year mix.
This is that year for Bosa. Despite this being his seventh season already, Bosa is still only 27 years old and should be hitting his athletic peak. Not only that, but Bosa has more help this season than he ever has in his entire career.
That is no slight to Melvin Ingram, who was great alongside Bosa for several years. But Khalil Mack is another animal. While Mack is no longer the prime version of himself, he is still a fantastic edge rusher and is going to have a ripple effect on this defense.
The interior defensive line is also much better than it has been in years past, which will take some of the pressure off of Bosa. The result will be more one-on-ones for Bosa, which will result in more quarterback pressures and more sacks.
Last year fans had to watch teams target Bosa and essentially challenge someone else on the defensive line to get to the quarterback and they never could. Bosa still had a great year. It is much harder to do that this year and Bosa's production is going to reflect that.
Bosa's career-high in sacks is 12.5 and with this new-look defense, the floor for Bosa (as long as he stays healthy) is 15 sacks in 2022.
3. The LA Chargers are top 10 in points and yards allowed in 2022
This might not seem like that bold of a prediction as the Chargers could finish ninth or 10th in yards and points allowed and barely be in the top third of the league. While that is true, finishing in the top 10 in both yards and points allowed would reflect a massive improvement for the Bolts compared to last year.
The 2021 Chargers had massive problems on defense that piled up with every injury, big or small, the team suffered. An already thin defense was tested and it was ultimately the reason why the team missed the playoffs. When the dust settled, the Chargers ranked 29th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed.
They were a bottom-10 defense in both stats while also being the worst team in the entire league when it came to making stops on third down. Despite that, the Chargers went 9-8 and were one barely-dropped Mike Williams pass in Week 18 from making a playoff run.
The Chargers had a top-five offense in the league last season and that is not going to change. In fact, the Bolts might end up with the best offense in the sport with the improvements that were made on that side of the ball. If Brandon Staley's squad can follow that up with being a top-10 defense in the league then they are going to win a lot of games in 2022.
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The mix of a better run defense, a deeper secondary and a defense that can force more takeaways is going to result in great things for the Bolts in 2022.