Final Chargers 53-man roster prediction for the 2022 season
By Jason Reed
Chargers 53-man roster prediction, the defense:
EDGE: Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Chris Rumph, Kyle Van Noy (4)
You could easily put Kyle Van Noy at linebacker on the depth chart and that will probably be where he spends most of his time early in the season. However, Van Noy is versatile and when the Chargers are at full strength, he still adds a lot of value as a rotational edge rusher.
There are some notable names that miss the cut at EDGE. Jamal Davis has played well enough to make the roster but the team is sacrificing depth by making the decisions it is making on offense. When it comes to defense, Staley and co. will likely favor depth elsewhere.
IDL: Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, Jerry Tillery, Otito Ogbonnia, Morgan Fox, Breiden Fehoko (6)
Some fans want to see Jerry Tillery get cut and while he should absolutely have a smaller role on defense, cutting him does not make sense as there is not anyone who would be leaps and bounds better than he would be.
There are quite a few players in this crop that can defend the run and that will allow the team to only put Tillery in positions where he can at least make an impact. It would have been nice if someone like Morgan Fox stepped up during camp but alas, that was not meant to be.
LB: Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Troy Reeder, Nick Niemann (4)
Again, Van Noy fits into this group as it stands right now but in the long term, I think you can put him at EDGE. It doesn't really matter. He makes the roster regardless.
Van Noy makes the roster because this group of linebackers is less than ideal as the team is hoping that someone like Kenneth Murray can take that leap and be more productive than he was last season. At the very least, Troy Reeder has looked better than expected in camp, although he still shouldn't be a massively impactful player.
CB: J.C. Jackson, Asante Samuel Jr., Bryce Callahan, Michael Davis, Ja'Sir Taylor (5)
Ja'Sir Taylor has been the biggest standout corner on the Chargers during the preseason and camp and should make the team more comfortable with the depth behind the top four. This group will get challenged if J.C. Jackson is not playing in Week 1 or Week 2 but it wouldn't really make that much of a difference if someone like Deane Leonard was on the roster.
S: Derwin James, Nasir Adderley, Alohi Gilman, JT Woods, Raheem Layne (5)
Raheem Layne made a name for himself as an undrafted free agent and while he is not perfect, Layne adds special teams value that is going to make it easier to keep him over someone like Deane Leonard.
Layne's hype did die down the longer camp went on but with Mark Webb missing time with injury, and Layne's special teams value, I think it makes more sense to keep him.
This is also where the Chargers choose to add depth instead of EDGE. Brandon Staley's defense is built on having a deep secondary and the team is likely going to trust its stars in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack to hold down the fort at the position. It is hard to see Staley sacrificing a 10th defensive back for a fourth edge rusher, whether that be Layne, Webb, or even Leonard.
Total defensive players: 24