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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Chargers, Denzel Perryman Agree To Deal

March 8th, 2019 at 2:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Denzel Perryman‘s injury trouble over the past two seasons, the Chargers plan to give him another chance. They are re-signing the inside linebacker to a two-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

A former second-round pick, Perryman has had stretches of quality play but has also been known for the time he’s missed. The Bolts’ top middle linebacker has been unavailable for 22 games during his career, 32 of which coming in the past two seasons.

But when he was healthy in 2018, Perryman was productive. Pro Football Focus graded the second-level defender as its No. 32 linebacker. The Chargers had to get creative at linebacker in the playoffs, using defensive backs in that role against the Ravens and Patriots. The strategy had mixed results, but the Bolts are hoping Perryman’s return can help stabilize the unit.

Following the New England defeat, Tom Telesco said he would make a point to address the team’s linebacker situation this offseason.

Perryman started 11 games during the 2016 season but underwent ankle surgery during the 2017 offseason before suffering a hamstring injury after returning late that season. Perryman’s 2018 campaign ended early because of an LCL injury. He will return to a promising Chargers team, albeit one that has experienced persistent injury trouble on both sides of the ball in recent years.

Chargers Working To Re-Sign Denzel Perryman

March 6th, 2019 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers are working to retain linebacker Denzel Perryman before he hits free agency, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). Perryman has dealt with injuries in the past, but he has been a real difference-maker when healthy.

Last year, Perryman suffered LCL and hamstring injuries and had to be shut down in November. Before that, the 26-year-old tallied 51 total tackles and an interception across nine games. The inside linebacker didn’t log any sacks, but, at the time of his injury, he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd best linebacker on the strength of his pass rush pressure.

Perryman, a second-round pick in 2015, is no stranger to the injury bug. In 2017, Perryman started the year on IR and went right back after seven games. Still, the Chargers are hopeful that he can stay on the field and provide the team with continuity in the front seven.

If Perryman is re-signed, the Bolts will more or less have the band back together, though defensive tackle Corey Liuget could be out after the club declined his 2019 option.

Chargers Lose Assistant Defensive Line Coach

February 22nd, 2019 at 9:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • The Rams are making another change to their coaching staff. So far this offseason they’ve lost Zac Taylor to the Bengals, promoted Jedd Fisch and Shane Waldron, and hired Wade Phillips’ son Wes to be their tight ends coach. Now, they’re hiring away Eric Henderson from the Chargers to be their new defensive line coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Henderson had been serving as an assistant defensive line coach with the Chargers. Before that, he had been an assistant with Oklahoma State. The Rams haven’t made any announcement, but Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic was able to confirm that their incumbent defensive line coach, Bill Johnson, won’t be back with the team next year (Twitter link).

Chargers Re-Sign DB Jaylen Watkins

February 15th, 2019 at 4:18pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chargers are re-signing defensive back Jaylen Watkins to a one-year deal, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

Watkins, who can play both cornerback and safety, had signed with the Chargers last Spring, but went down with a torn ACL in Los Angeles’ second preseason game that ended his season. Rapoport notes in his tweet that Watkins was having a “very promising preseason” before getting hurt. He was originally drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round back in 2014.

The Florida product spent most of the next four years in Philadelphia, and was a part of the team that won Super Bowl LII. For his career, Watkins has tallied 56 tackles and eight passes defended, and was a major part of the Eagles’ secondary in 2016 and 2017, starting games each year. The Chargers already have a very talented secondary, so he’ll likely be little more than depth assuming he makes the team. Watkins is also the older half-brother of Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Charges Decline DT Corey Liuget’s Option

February 13th, 2019 at 6:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers have declined their 2019 option on defensive tackle Corey Liuget, the club announced tonight. However, Los Angeles also indicated it would be open to re-signing Liuget at a reduced rate.

Liuget, 28, agreed to a reworked contract in advance of the 2018 campaign that changed his 2019 season to an option year. Under the terms of that deal, Liuget was scheduled to collect a $4MM roster bonus on March 15. Instead, Liuget will now hit the free agent market two days earlier on March 13. Because the Chargers opted not to exercise his option (and didn’t outright release him), Liuget will still factor into the NFL’s compensatory pick calculations.

Had the Chargers picked up Liuget’s option, he would’ve been under contract in 2019 with a base salary of $4MM. That total, plus his $4MM roster bonus and $1.5MM of prorated bonus money would’ve given him a cap charge of $9.5MM. Los Angeles likely viewed that as an untenable figure given that Liguet played in only six games a year ago.

Liguet missed the first four games of the 2018 season after being handed a four-game performance enhancing-drug suspension. That ban essentially forced Liuget to accept his aforementioned pay cut, and ensured he didn’t appear in a game until Week 5. After coming back, Liuget five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while earning a 66.9 grade from Pro Football Focus, a mark that would have ranked him as a middling defensive tackle if he had enough snaps to qualify.

The Chargers will now have now have a vacancy along the interior of their defensive line, especially given that fellow defensive tackles Brandon Mebane, Darius Philon, and Damion Square are all free agents. Liuget, meanwhile, will join a free agent class that includes not only those fellow 2018 Chargers, but options such as Grady Jarrett, Sheldon Richardson, and Ndamukong Suh.

Colts’ Matt Slauson Announces Retirement

February 6th, 2019 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts guard Matt Slauson is hanging ’em up. On Wednesday, the veteran took to Instagram to announce his retirement from the NFL. 

“It has been ten amazing years,” Slauson wrote. “Four organizations and countless friendships. What an amazing dream this has all been. Thanks to all my teammates who have gone into battle with me, the group of coaches that have made me better on and off the field, the fans that were there no matter what, and especially my wife and kids who supported me through it all. It has been a very difficult decision but we are excited for what the next chapter holds.”

Over the course of nine seasons, Slauson suited up for the Jets, Bears, Chargers, and Colts. Last year, he appeared in five games – all starts – for Indianapolis. His season ended in October when he suffered a scary back injury.

Somehow, even without Slauson, the Colts’ offensive line was exceptional in 2018. The Colts went five straight games in the fall without allowing Andrew Luck to get sacked even once. The streak lasted until Week 12 when Dolphins pass rusher Cameron Wake got to the QB.

The Colts signed Slauson to a one-year, $3MM deal last offseason. He moved into their starting lineup opposite first-rounder Quenton Nelson and played well: both guards graded as top-30 players, in the view of Pro Football Focus, through the first five games of the year.

Cardinals Claim Tanner Vallejo Off Waivers

February 5th, 2019 at 7:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Tanner Vallejo has found a new team. After being waived by the Browns yesterday, the linebacker has been claimed by the Cardinals (via the team’s website).

While the 24-year-old has been waived twice over past five months, there were still plenty of teams lining up to make a claim. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Jets, Giants, Bengals, Vikings, and Chargers also made an attempt to claim Vallejo off waivers. Thanks to Arizona’s league-worst 3-13 record, they got first dibs on the player.

The Boise State product was selected by the Bills in the sixth-round of the 2017 draft, and he proceeded to appear in 15 games as a rookie. Vallejo was waived by Buffalo prior to this past season before landing on the Browns. In fact, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo points out (via Twitter) that the Cardinals made an unsuccessful claim on the linebacker at that time, so their interest in the linebacker isn’t anything new.

Vallejo ended up being relatively productive in Cleveland, compiling 27 tackles and one forced fumble in 13 games (one start). He ultimately finished the season on IR due to a hamstring injury. The Cardinals will now pick up the two years remaining on his rookie contract.

Melvin Gordon To Wait On Le’Veon Bell Deal

January 31st, 2019 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two of Melvin Gordon‘s peers reset the stagnant running back market in 2018, but the Chargers back will wait to see what happens with a unique free agent before entering into extension talks with his own team.

By virtue of hitting the open market, Le’Veon Bell may land a deal which could conceivably surpass those of Todd Gurley and David Johnson. Or Bell’s workload and injury history compared to those two may prevent his deal from breaking records.

Either way, the running back market will look different after the soon-to-be ex-Steelers back signs his long-sought-after contract. And Gordon, going into his fifth season, will not commit to a Chargers long-term pact until this happens.

“I’m waiting. I’m sitting back waiting, waiting on Bell,” Gordon said during an appearance on NFL Media’s Around The NFL podcast (via the Orange County Register). “I’m glad it’s changing because we (running backs) were getting devalued for a little bit. But me, David Johnson, Todd Gurley, I can go down a whole list, Bell, you name it, ‘Zeke,’ just game-changers, Alvin Kamara, all those guys.”

Entering the 2019 offseason, the running back market is vastly improved from where it rested the previous few years. After Adrian Peterson‘s contract came off the Vikings’ books, LeSean McCoy‘s $8MM-per-year deal led the way, before Devonta Freeman‘s $8.25MM-AAV accord — a lower percentage of the cap when the Falcons back signed, compared to McCoy’s pact — raised it. Gurley pushed that to $14.38MM per year, with Johnson settling in at $13MM.

With no other backs signing for between the new top tier (Gurley and Johnson) and the second tier (topped by McCoy and Freeman’s contracts) since last year, a sizable gulf exists. Averaging a career-high 114.6 yards from scrimmage per game last season, Gordon seemingly would be in line to land a deal in between the Gurley-Freeman gap. Bell may help determine what Gordon’s next deal’s numbers look like, with Ezekiel Elliott surely monitoring the proceedings closely as well.

Like Bell, Gordon’s injury history (December IR trips in each of his first two seasons and four missed games in 2018) may come into play, only the latter likely will not have the luxury of hitting the market. The Chargers have Gordon locked down via team-friendly $5.61MM fifth-year option next season.

Chargers’ Tyrell Williams: I’m A No. 1 WR

January 30th, 2019 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams is set to hit free agency in March. Based on his own self-evaluation, it sounds like he’ll be looking to make big bucks on the open market. 

“I definitely feel like I’m a No. 1 receiver,” Williams said while exiting the Chargers’ facility earlier this month (via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com). “So I want to make sure that I clean up all of the little things in route running and blocking, to make sure I solidify myself as a No. 1.”

Frankly speaking, Williams did not put up WR1 numbers in 2018 – he finished out with 41 catches for 653 yards and five touchdowns. However, he did show serious promise in 2016 when he caught 69 passes for 1,059 yards and seven scores as an NFL sophomore.

The Chargers, meanwhile, are interested in a new deal, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll be close on terms.

“This past year, his game had already been solid, and he kind of took it to the next level this year,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said. “He’s certainly earned his second contract. Those are discussions we have to have, but I just don’t have hard answers at this point in the offseason.”

The WR market at large will dictate Williams’ asking price. In the 2017 offseason, wide receivers like Terrelle Pryor were met with disappointment in free agency. But, last year, players like Sammy Watkins and Paul Richardson found free agent riches. Williams is not expected to approach Watkins’ $16MM AAV, but he could be in line for a solid multi-year payday.

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