SAN DIEGO – Jatavis Brown and Korey Toomer were surprise performers at linebacker for the Chargers last season, giving them more depth at this position heading into the 2017 campaign.
Lock: Denzel Perryman, Jatavis Brown, Kyle Emanuel
On the bubble: Nick Dzubnar, Joshua Perry, Chris McCain
Free agents: Carlos Fields, Manti Te'o, Korey Toomer, Tourek Williams
The good: Brown, a fifth-round selection for the Chargers out of Akron last year, led the team with 79 tackles in his rookie season. The speedy Brown also flashed playmaking ability, recording 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. A midseason signing off the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad, Toomer was productive, finishing with 75 tackles and three forced fumbles in his first extensive playing time in the league. Perryman finished with 72 tackles and an interception in his second season.
The bad: After finishing with a team-high 83 tackles in 2016, Te’o suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts. The former Notre Dame star was playing well before the injury and had hoped for a breakout season as a defensive co-captain and playcaller. However, Te’o has not played a full, 16-game season in four years with the Chargers, missing a combined 26 games. The leader in special teams tackles in 2015, Dzubnar finished the season on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Brown and Perryman also missed a combined eight games as the Chargers had trouble keeping their inside linebackers on the field.
The money: Perryman is scheduled to make close to $1 million in the third year of his rookie year; Brown, Emanuel, Dzubnar and Perry will make about a half million in 2017 if they are on the final roster. Te’o is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. Toomer will be a restricted free agent and Fields and exclusive rights free agent. Both likely will be back with the Chargers on the initial, 90-man roster.
Draft priority: A second-round selection by the Chargers in the 2013 draft, Te’o was considered a leader on defense because of his knowledge of John Pagano’s 3-4 scheme and his ability to put players in the right position before the snap. But he’s struggled to stay healthy and out of the training room. With new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley switching to a 4-3 scheme, it will be interesting to see what the organization’s evaluation will be of Te’o. Bradley had some success early in his career as a defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks with a middle linebacker who had similar to skills in Lofa Tatupu. The Chargers should bring Te’o back on a one-year, prove-it deal if the price is reasonable. With Pagano now in Oakland, the Raiders might consider adding Te’o. At 6-4 and 253 pounds, Perry could move to strongside outside linebacker in Bradley’s 4-3 scheme because of his length and athleticism. The Chargers should look to add a couple more athletic bodies to the position group later in the draft and in the second wave of free agency.
