How Have San Diego Chargers Addressed Biggest Weaknesses from 2014?
The San Diego Chargers of 2014, weaknesses and all, nearly made it to the postseason for the second year in a row, so who's to say they can't be a playoff team in 2015 now that those weaknesses have been addressed.
Making changes to the roster was essential in strengthening those weak points, and the Chargers were successful in their approach to that during the offseason. The five biggest weaknesses from last season have been laid out in the slides to come along with how the team addressed them.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com and cfbstats.com.
Weakness No. 1: Kick Returns
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San Diego's return game, or lack thereof, finished in the bottom five in both kicks and punts last season. Cornerback Chris Davis handled the majority of the kick returns, while receiver Eddie Royal, who has since moved on to Chicago, was responsible for running back punts.
In an effort to add some more juice to the return game, the Chargers went out and got one of the league's most dangerous return specialists in former Baltimore Raven Jacoby Jones, who has run back five scores in the past three seasons (four kicks, one punt). He and Davis will most likely share the duties, as GM Tom Telesco was pleased by the effort shown by his first-year corner in 2014, per Ricky Henne of Chargers.com.
Weakness No. 2: Offensive Line
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Getting better up front was a must for the Chargers, and the front office delivered in free agency with the addition of former Denver Broncos guard/tackle Orlando Franklin. The 6'7", 320-pound behemoth was among the top free-agent guards available, according to Pro Football Focus. He joins fellow big man King Dunlap on the left side of the offensive line in place of Chad Rinehart, who was released shortly after Franklin was acquired.
As important as it was to provide Philip Rivers with better pass protection, the Chargers also needed someone they could depend on to open up running lanes. It doesn't hurt either that Franklin can play multiple spots on the O-line.
Weakness No. 3: Running the Ball
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Injuries played a big role in diminishing the Chargers' ground game last season, but with Ryan Mathews now in Philadelphia, they needed to do something drastic to replace him in the offseason. And that is exactly what the Chargers did when they traded up two spots in the first round of the draft to select former Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.
The Doak Walker award winner rushed for 2,587 yards in 2014, becoming the second all-time single-season rusher in FBS history behind Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders. Gordon steps in as the favorite to be San Diego's workhorse, and he is one of the top six offensive rookie of the year candidates, according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com.
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Weakness No. 4: Rush Defense
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San Diego's defense took a pounding on the ground, as opposing offenses managed to pick up 4.5 yards per carry last season. While most would have predicted a defensive lineman as the obvious solution in the draft, the Chargers went the alternative route with an inside linebacker.
Denzel Perryman punished ball-carriers at the collegiate level with bone-jarring hits in his time at Miami, and he will bring that same physicality to the Chargers defense. Wrapping up will be the least of his struggles, as more than 70 percent of his tackles in 2014 were solo stops.
Weakness No. 5: Pass Rush
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Losing Dwight Freeney and Jarret Johnson in the offseason heavily impacts what the Chargers are able to accomplish in terms of their pass rush and setting the edge, which is why they drafted a player potentially capable of doing both in Kyle Emanuel. Though North Dakota State isn't known for pumping out NFL talent, Emanuel did more than enough in his four years there to get a look from pro teams.
This past season, he led the FCS in both sacks (19.5) and tackles for loss (32.5) en route to winning the Buck Buchanan award, given to the top defensive player. And while Emanuel is facing the challenge of learning a new position this summer, it's a transition he feels fully confident in making, per Henne of Chargers.com.
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