Former Chargers veteran has become the biggest steal in the NFL for the Ravens

With how poorly the LA Chargers have drafted in recent years there are not many former players who are excelling on other teams. Even the veterans who left the team this past offseason — Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler — have not done much for their news teams in 2024.

It is not all bad for players who once suited up in the powder blue, though. Drue Tranquill and Kyzir White, for example, have both been productive players for their teams since leaving Los Angeles. And unfortunately, the Chargers could have (and should have) re-signed both of them.

But they are not the former Chargers who are standing out the most, though. Instead, that honor goes to veteran edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, who is turning in the best season of his entire career for the Baltimore Ravens this season. After such a great September, Van Noy has earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors.

Kyle Van Noy has Chargers to thank for career resurgence

Van Noy played for the Chargers back in 2022 and his one-year stint with the team is really what led him down this path to be a productive member of the Ravens. He is obviously the one who did all the work and deserves praise for it, but without his stint in LA none of this might have happened.

Van Noy's stock was at an all-time low before he signed with the Chargers. Van Noy returned to the New England Patriots in 2021 after burning out in Miami and was miscast as an inside backer. While he still had a fine season, at 31 years old, he was viewed as someone who was past his prime.

That is why the Chargers were able to sign Van Noy for only $1.5 million on a one-year deal. That is where his value was at and even the Chargers were not expecting much, as he was meant to be a depth piece that played both inside backer and on the edge for the Bolts.

However, injuries forced Van Noy into a bigger role with the team and that is where he thrived. Van Noy did not record a single sack in the first 12 games of the season but rallied to record a sack in each of the last five games of the year. This hot streak netted Van Noy a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

And that is where Van Noy firmly established himself as a productive player. The veteran edge rusher thrived in a rotational role for Baltimore, recording nine sacks in 2023 despite only starting three games. With yet another productive season behind him, Van Noy earned a two-year deal from the Baltimore Ravens heading into 2024.

That two-year deal has already paid off for Baltimore as Van Noy has not only been the best defensive player on the team, but in the entire AFC. All because he spent one season with the LA Chargers.