There are still a few LA Chargers players waiting to see if they’ll be in LA this coming season, and one of those is Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy was signed last year to a one-year, $2,250,000 deal and played well the last few games of the season, but was that enough to earn an extension?
Should The Chargers Re-Sign Kyle Van Noy?
The Good
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF) Van Noy ranked eighth in overall defense for the team with a grade of 67.7 by the end of the season. He helped Sebastian Joseph-Day get his first-ever interception during the Week 18 Broncos game, by deflecting a ball right into Joseph-Day’s hands.
Starting in Week 14 against Miami, Van Noy had a sack in every game except the Wild Card game. And most of those sacks were brutal hits. There was the strip sack during the Week 17 game on Baker Mayfield. A week later there was the shoestring sack on Russell Wilson.
Van Noy was everywhere in the final weeks and the gamble the Chargers had taken, by picking someone who could play inside and outside linebacker, was beginning to pay off. But unfortunately, it took Van Noy a while to pick up steam.
The Bad
The Miami game was the first time most of us started to take notice of Van Noy but before that, he was good but not great. By the end of the season, he had five sacks, but that’s on par for his past production. It’s the same number he had in 2021 and 2020.
Van Noy had 26 STOPs while playing a total of 784 snaps, while linebacker Kenneth Murray played the same amount and had 36 STOPs.
But there were also errors. Like during the Week 3 game where Van Noy first stepped in at edge for Joey Bosa, and James Robinson ran right around him (and everyone else) for a long touchdown run. Van Noy had a lukewarm beginning in LA and sometimes you just can’t wait for someone to find his groove.
Will The Chargers Re-Sign Kyle Van Noy?
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What Should the Chargers do?
Brandon Staley reiterated a couple of times during the Annual League Meeting that Kyle was fantastic for them this past season. I too am a believer but I’m also a Van Noy Skeptic. Fingers crossed, Bosa and Khalil Mack stay healthy and that we have enough linebackers in play so that Van Noy won’t have to do so much.
Ultimately I’m conflicted as to if Van Noy is the solution. He’s got the experience but perhaps there’s another veteran or rookie that can do better, keeping a steady momentum going throughout the season.