Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
One of the most encouraging things that the San Diego Chargers have going for them is the potential of the young defense, particularly along the defensive line. The success of their 3-4 defense will be determined by how the team does in the trenches. The Chargers have three young, talented starters along the defensive line in Corey Liuget, Kendall Reyes and Cam Thomas, but there was clear lack of depth behind them… until now.
The first 53-man roster consisted of the three starters plus Jarius Wynn, Damik Scafe, Kwame Geathers and Brandon Moore. Among the four backups, Wynn was the only one with any NFL experience, making for questionable depth. Knowing this, General Manager Tom Telesco was very active, trading for Sean Lissemore and claiming Drake Nevis off of waivers within a span of 24 hours, while placing Scafe on injured reserve and moving Moore to the practice squad.
The new additions, Lissemore and Nevis, have some NFL experience under the belts, and both have played in the 3-4. At 25 and 24 years of age respectively, Lissemore and Nevis are both very young and have loads of upside at this point in their careers. Meanwhile, Geathers, an undrafted rookie, looked great in preseason and is already looking like a steal. Wynn, the oldest of the group at just 27, has seven sacks over the past three seasons and has plenty of 3-4 experience. Even Moore, another undrafted rookie, looked good in preseason and could be called to the active roster if needed.
For a team that likes to use a rotation along the defensive line to keep their players fresh, the Bolts have the proper depth needed to successfully run their 3-4 defense. Their defensive line has a chance to be something special for years to come if these young players can reach their immense upside.
Kevin Chan is a San Diego Chargers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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