Why Kyzir White is the only player the Chargers cannot afford to lose this offseason

2. The linebacker group is not talented enough to succeed without Kyzir White.

Despite recent investment in the group over the last few years, the Chargers linebacker room is subpar and unproven at this point in time, and would become a huge need if Kyzir White is to leave in free agency.

Even in Brandon Staley's system which often sees no more than two linebackers on the field at one time, the linebacker depth has been proven to be suspect.

Drue Tranquill is a decent player that can make for a competent partner alongside White, but he's nothing more than solid. After Telesco traded back up into the first round for Kenneth Murray in the 2020 NFL Draft, 'K9' has been a massive liability in the heart of the defense as illustrated by his performance against the Raiders in week 18. Murray is terrible in pass coverage and struggles massively reading the field against the run.

The Chargers have tried Murray on the edge in hopes of finding him a role he can be successful in, however that experiment went worse than his time at middle linebacker. Nick Niemann is a 6th round pick who has excelled on special teams, yet is an unknown as he has not been given the chance to play regular snaps with the first-team defense. To round out the position group, UDFA Amen Ogbongbemiga is an extremely raw prospect who has not excelled in the small opportunities he has been given.

In short, having to go with this group of players into next season without Kyzir White would equal disaster, whilst simultaneously ensuring the Bolts continue to struggle on the defensive side of the ball. Keeping White around to shore up the middle of the defense is a must for the Chargers front office, and failure to do so would be incompetence at the highest level.