2. Jerry Tillery
Kenneth Murray is pretty much in the situation that Jerry Tillery was in heading into the 2021 season. Tillery had two years as a pro under his belt and was not good in either year. The hope was that Tillery would have a breakout season under Brandon Staley and that ultimately did not happen.
Tillery did see some marginal improvement but it simply was not enough to warrant him a good player or worth a first-round pick. His pressure numbers went slightly up, which is a good thing, but he struggled to be a big hole against the run.
Unless Tillery becomes an elite pass-rushing defensive tackle then he is always going to be a nuisance. You cannot be decent in the pass rush but be horrible in run defense and call yourself a good player.
At this point in his career, it might be a bit unrealistic to expect Tillery to simply turn it around. Perhaps he can continue to make improvements in his pass-rushing ability but at some point, you are who you are as an NFL player.
Maybe we are wrong and Tillery does make these big improvements that are needed for him to become a well-rounded player. If not, there is still some hope that he can be utilized more effectively next season.
If the Chargers make the proper moves at defensive tackle they could lessen Tillery's workload and really just use him in pass-rushing downs. At this rate, that might be the best-case scenario for Tillery moving forward.