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Roster Reset: Outside Linebackers

Ryan Watkins · 2025-06-08T18:54:25Z

Good Afternoon Stormcloud! Next up on the defensive side of the ball are the Outside Linebackers, or Edge Defenders as they are otherwise known. The team saw a whole host of exits from this unit, with a big name seeing the end of his time in powder blue. How the team replaces their combined production will be a critical part of this analysis. This evaluation will therefore include: Returning players who signed a new deal with the team External free agents who signed before the May 1st compensation pick exemption deadline Players who were added in any of the seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft Undrafted free agents (UDFA) who signed deals with the team after the draft Unsigned players who are listed as camp invites in media reports Note: If a player has an asterisk after their name (*) this means that they were added during the 2024 season and have been retained Outgoing players Joey Bosa Chris Rumph II Andrew Farmer II Ty Shelby Brevin Allen Chris Collins The new look OLB room Incumbent (2): Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree Returning (3): Khalil Mack, Caleb Murphy*, Tre'mon Morris-Brash Free Agents (0): N/A Draft (1): Kyle Kennard UDFA (2): Garmon Randolph, Kylan Guidry Returning The biggest signing that Chargers made this off-season was keeping future the hall-of-famer, Khalil Mack, in the building. With reported interest from multiple teams the team not only had to offer the right money but they would have had to convince him that their path to a Superbowl was on track and realistically achievable in a time frame that fits his fight against Father Time. Mack signed a fully guaranteed 1 year $18 million deal which was lower than he was projected to get on the open market. This tells us that he chose to be a part of this team once again and that he shared Jim Harbaugh's belief that this team is on an upwards trajectory which should give fans hope. The length of this deal is probably what both teams wanted too, it gives both parties a way out if either Mack or the team regress but with the way Mack is integrated into the fabric of Jim Harbaugh's team, I do not envision 2026 being the end of the road for their partnership. "I told Coach, 'See you Monday' then Khalil was like, 'Why are you not coming in tomorrow?' I said, 'You know what, you're right'. Next morning, I met him in the weight room and we got to work in. After that, it was an every Friday thing. Khalil just showed me how to be intentional every day and taking advantage. Small incremental gains every day to get to where I want to be, to set myself up later." Tarheeb Still on Khalil Mack's influence on him this off-season In my time following the team in 2006 we have seen some incredible leaders; Rivers, LT, Hardwick, Merriman, Gates, Weddle and Allen were all inspirational on the field. However since I started living and breathing everything to do with this team 7 years ago, there have been very few who have had the impact off the field that Khalil Mack has had. Mack and Derwin have set the tone for the defense to build from with their elite work ethic and hard-nosed style of play. Harbaugh has done well to let the pair be part of the player leadership group which is key to any team with championship aspirations. "Bad teams, no one leads. Average teams, coaches lead. But elite teams, players lead."P.J. Fleck, Head coach of minnesota golden gophers The Chargers offered Caleb Murphy a future/reserves contract at the end of last season after they picked him up mid-season after he was released by the Tennessee Titans. Murphy spent two preseasons in Nashville after joining them as a UDFA coming out of Ferris State in 2022. Caleb is not a standout athlete so you can see how he fell out of the bottom of the seventh round however he was one of the best Division II players of all time so you can also see why the Titans took a chance on him. "Murphy was a two-time Division II National Champion who set the NCAA single-season record with 25.5 sacks and tied the standing record of 39 tackles for loss during the 2022 season. He was awarded the Ted Hendricks Award, becoming the first non-FBS player to earn the honor of the nation’s top defensive end." From Bolts From The Blue's analysis of his signing Murphy took off during his first preseason in 2023, he had 7 pressures which led to 4 sacks and 3 hurries across 50 pass rush snaps however his run defense was poor according to PFF and he failed to break into the 53-man roster and spent the season on the practice squad. Unfortunately for Caleb he failed to have the same effect in 2024 and was subsequently released. The Chargers took a chance on his productive traits in late October and he played 12 snaps between Weeks 10 and 11. I see Murphy as a pre-season body that can allow the established players in Bud Dupree, Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu to take a backseat during the games. Tre'Mon Morris-Brash impressed everybody during 2024's preseason and it was a surprise to many that he didn't make the 53-roster aft...

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Apr 21, 2024 12:52 pm

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The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books and the Chargers welcomed 9 new players into the #BoltFam. Join us today as we breakdown each player, hand out our draft grades for the first time in the Harbaugh/Hortiz era, and share some winners & losers from a fantastic weekend of action. Don't miss it!”