The Chargers defense played some of its strongest football in years during a four-game winning streak that pushed the Chargers into the playoffs late last season, but that won’t be the lasting memory of the unit’s play.
Jacksonville rallied back from a 27-0 deficit for a 31-30 win in the Wild Card round of the playoffs and that ineffective defense was all too reminiscent of what the typical defensive performance has been in recent years. Linebacker Eric Kendricks and defensive tackle Nick Williams were signed as part of an offseason effort to build a better group and the Chargers hope to have players like defensive end Joey Bosa and cornerback J.C. Jackson on the field more often this year.
Safety Derwin James said he’s seen “a bunch of grown men coming together” over the last few months and believes that the Chargers have all they need to push things in a better direction.
“We definitely want to be that dominating group that we all know we can be,” James said, via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times. “We’ve got the pieces to do it. We’ve got the guys to change that narrative.”
There are high hopes for what the partnership between quarterback Justin Herbert and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will mean for the Chargers offense, but any production on that side of the ball will have to be matched with defensive growth for the Chargers to take a full step forward this season.
