2. Uchenna Nwosu does not have a long track record of success
Uchenna Nwosu is going to get paid a decent amount this offseason as an edge rusher who had a really good second half of the 2021 season. Edge rushers already make good money and a team that is desperate for pressure on the edge is going to see what Nwosu did in the second half of 2021 and bet high on him.
There is no taking away from what Nwosu did in the second half of the season. Nwosu really struggled in the first half of the season but then something clicked and he turned it around in Week 10. In the last nine games of the season, Nwosu generated 26 pressures. In the first eight games, he generated just 14 pressures.
That is the problem, though. The Chargers would be paying Nwosu for a great second half. While some would argue that he took the leap in the second half and reached a new level, it is hard to be 100% confident that Nwosu will keep up that level of play.
He was a rotational edge rusher in his first three seasons that never played more than a third of the defensive snaps. He finally got the starting chance in 2021 and really struggled to generate pressure in the first half of the season. That should not go out the window. Plus, Nwosu was not the most dynamic run defender, either.
And while those second-half numbers are great, Nwosu was not coming up against the toughest competition. Heck, over a fourth of his pressures in the last nine games came against the Bengals in Week 13, who were starting Isaiah Prince and Jonah Williams at tackle.
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Nwosu is a solid player but the LA Chargers should be looking at the overall body of work, not just a hot stretch in the second half of the season that was heavily carried by a few big games. You cannot blame the Bolts for having some potential concerns about paying Nwosu when there are other solid options.