In 2019 the Chargers sent six guys to the NFL’s Top 100 list. After going 12-4 in 2018 the Chargers struggled as a team last season and went 5-11. Philip Rivers was in his final season with the Bolts, Melvin Gordon held out, Derwin James was hurt, and Melvin Ingram took a small step back last season.
That leaves Keenan Allen who we saw fall from 38 to 77 overall, and the all-worldly Joey Bosa who went up from 56 last year to 34. Let’s take a look back at what made these guys some of the best in the league last season, and determine if the rankings they were given were fair or not.
77. Kennan Allen — Wide Receiver
Down 39 spots from last year, Keenan Allen had nearly an identical season to his Pro Bowl efforts. He played all 16 games, had about 1,200 yards, and caught six touchdowns. Where exactly was his digression then, especially if he was a Pro Bowler this year too?
Mostly the reason that Allen fell is because he isn’t a flashy player with the gaudy stats, big plays, or even off-the-chart physical attributes. But what Allen is, is one of the best route runners in the entire league. Seemingly always open, Allen has twisted and turned his way to a 68% catch rate over the last three seasons, best in the NFL, with a lot of opposing defenders saying that there are only a few guys as good at getting off the line and making defenders miss in open space. While Allen is one of the best receivers in the NFL, with the Chargers mediocre play last season and losing Philip Rivers, it’s easy to see why Allen dipped a bit.
34. Joey Bosa — Defensive End
Bosa just signed a 5 year/135 million dollar deal, keeping him in powder blue for the near future. And with damn good reason too, as Bosa is set to become a superstar in the NFL if he isn’t already one.
A guy that his peers described as fluid, fast, powerful, and having an array of moves, there is nothing that Bosa can’t do well. As demonstrated by the fact that he has had three seasons with 10+ sacks in his four years in the league. If he can stay healthy, and keep playing the game at this level it will only be a matter of time before Bosa is the best defensive end in football.
If anything, Bosa deserves to be ranked higher than this already at this stage of his career, with only Nick Bosa and Aaron Donald earning higher honors than Joey in the top 100. It’s hard to believe that little brother is supposedly already ahead of Joey after just one season, but it also goes without saying that Aaron Donal is the best at what he does. A proven winner, the future is bright for Joey Bosa.
The Chargers are growing as a team, and are definitely poised to bust past the poor season they had last year. With that said though, it is hard to say that more guys from this squad deserved to be in the top 100 when their division rival won a Super Bowl last year. The Chargers had a rough 2019, but clearly showed what type of squad they can put together with stars like Allen and Bosa leading the helm.