One of the biggest surprises of the 2021 season thus far has been the LA Chargers starting with a 4-1 record with two huge wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. While every Charger fan believed in the tandem of Justin Herbert and Brandon Staley, the rest of the league is starting to take notice.
The Chargers as a whole have been a pleasant surprise and there are players on the Chargers roster that have been a pleasant surprise as well. Before every season we talk about potential breakout players and these players have broken out and are putting together a good season thus far.
The 3 biggest pleasant surprises on the LA Chargers thus far this season:
1. Nasir Adderley
The potential was always there with Nasir Adderley. Adderley was viewed as a potential first-round selection for the Bolts back in 2019 and the team managed to snag him in the second round. His ability as a ball hawk next to Derwin James was extremely exciting.
Things did not start as planned for Adderley in his career. He dealt with injuries his rookie season and did not get a normal training camp or preseason in year two (also playing on a team that, let's face it, was dysfunctional).
Many people were willing to write Adderley off and the 2021 season was a huge one for Adderley to prove that he is the exciting prospect that the Chargers picked back in 2019. Thus far, he has proven that assessment correct and is playing some of the best football of his career.
That is not to say that it has been perfect. Adderley had a really bad missed tackle against the Cleveland Browns and had a misjudged interception attempt that resulted in a big play against the Washington Football Team.
That being said, Adderley has shown tremendous improvement as a football player and Brandon Staley has noticeably had a positive impact on his growth as a player. It is only going to get better form here for the 2019 second-round pick.