The Los Angeles Chargers suffered yet another injury setback on Wednesday with news that Pro Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa will go on injured reserve after suffering a torn groin in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bosa is expected to return at some point later this season, but his absence will have wide-ranging ramifications for a Chargers squad that sits at 1-2 and is in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Remember, Los Angeles also lost star left tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending injury and has quarterback Justin Herbert banged up.
As for Bosa’s injury, Los Angeles will rely on fellow veteran Khalil Mack to pack a pass-rush punch moving forward. Outside of that, threre’s not a lot of internal options. Below, we provide you with three ways the Chargres can fix their pass-rush issues following the Bosa injury news.
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Los Angeles Chargers take a chance on Everson Griffen
At 34 years old, it remains to be seen just how much Griffen has left in the tank. It’s also important to note that he’s played primarily in 4-3 defenses throughout his career. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley runs a 3-4. Even then, there’s no other player on the NFL free agent market that has as much previous success as Griffen.
- Everson Griffen stats (2010-21): 200 QB hits, 98 tackles for loss, 85.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles
Last season with Minnesota, Griffen registered 10 QB hits and five sacks in nine games. He can still be a productive situational pass rusher.
Related: Los Angeles Chargers standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings
Los Angeles Chargers’ internal options include Kyle Van Noy
Los Angeles inked this veteran during the offseason to provide depth at both inside and outside linebacker. The former Detroit Lions second-round pick has had some success in both roles throughout his career and could step up. From 2017-21, the BYU product recorded 51 QB hits, 34 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks.
A veteran of seven NFL seasons, Morgan Fox might be asked to step up, too. Back in 2020 with the Los Angeles Rams, he recorded nine QB hits and six sacks. Through the first three games of his Chargers career, Fox has registered two QB hits and a half of sack while playing in roughly 49% of their defensive snaps.
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Robert Quinn returns to Los Angeles, reunites with Khalil Mack
Los Angeles worked out a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bears for Mack this past offseason. Why not kick the tires on this again and see if Chicago general manager Ryan Poles will bite? We already know that Chicago had Quinn on the trade block ahead of Week 1 due to his veteran status and expensive contract. That likely still remains the case.
There’s obviously some financial issues here. Quinn is playing under a five-year, $70 million contract. He would count a pro-rated version of $12.8 million against the cap. Los Angeles is currently $6.50 million under the cap. Mack and Bosa will count a combined $58.4 million against said cap in 2023. You do the math from there.
Even then, this is the most-logical fit to replace Bosa short-term. Quinn, 32, recorded 22 QB hits, 18.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season. Why not pull off this blockbuster and deal with the ramifications at a later date? It just makes too much sense for general manager Tom Telesco and company.