Chargers Defensive Line On 2025 Season | LA Chargers

How are the offseason workouts going? Uh, they're pretty good. Shoot.

Just getting to it like always. Anything different this year? Anything different?

I mean, I wasn't here last year around this time, so it's all a little bit new to me, but you know, uh, yeah, this is all a little bit new to me, but I mean, we just getting after it, so you know what I'm saying. Nick, I was just saying that you were giving him the full recruiting pitch to get him here. Is that accurate calling everything?

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they call him my boy anyway.

I played with him in Tennessee for three years before this. Uh, you know, that was my boy. But, yeah, I I definitely gave him a nice little spill.

I gave him I really told him the truth, man. And I told him from my perspective. I can't tell from anybody else perspective, but I told him how I viewed the team.

Uh, I told him how the coach was and I told him he I think he have a really good opportunity to play here. I mean, I mean, he could play too. So, man, for sure.

You wouldn't have done it if you could like, huh? I mean, I like I like to be honest. So, what made you want to come back?

What made me want to come back? I mean, like, I like the culture here. I love the team.

I mean, I and and I think one of the one of the biggest reasons was like, you know, uh I've been in a couple teams, as probably some of y'all know, I was in uh I was in Miami, Tennessee, and Houston. And, you know, uh it feels really good to be to be wanted somewhere. You know what I'm saying?

and somebody embracing uh well organization embracing not just part of you but all of you and and accepting you for you and appreciative to appreciative to for the things you bring to the table and not uh banging on your default. So that was one of the biggest reasons. Do you feel like last year was one of the best years you've had or this year?

I mean I feel like there's a lot to improve on from last year but I feel like it was one of my better years. Um, I mean I I definitely feel like it was one of my better years, but uh but yeah, I mean last year was a pretty good year, bro. I definitely was a step up from the previous year energies and stuff, but yeah.

When you say you for your, you know, strengths and not your defaults, what do you mean by that? How did they welcome you? I mean, uh, like, you know, every players has their up and downs, uh, their battles.

Some players got strength in the run game. Some players got strength in the pass game. Some players are better at working out.

Some players are better at running. And you know, just trying to find ways to to to be able to cope all my all my pluses and just in the right areas, you know, to you. What are some of those things that you think the coaching staff work with you to emphasize in your own game to make your strengths even better?

Say it again. What are some of the things like that you consider are strengths for yourself that you think that happens? Uh I mean I feel like just my athletic ability I would say I mean I don't want to toot my own horn here but I want to say to my but yeah just like uh just like things I do on the field and things I do in the classroom you know uh I just felt like they they just they were persistent and they were it was really positive.

Positivity is is infectious around here man for sure. I think said, "Were you on finally sign? " I called him immediately.

We was turned up and shoot, we was we all got the same mission around here. So, we was all turned up and he was really excited. I was really excited for him because I know he gonna help this team for sure.

What do you look forward to the most about playing? Oh, celebrations. How much more comfortable is it just you mentioned like not being here this part of last year.

just how much more comfortable is it knowing that you know you don't you're not drafting like right in the middle of camp and and now having like a full offseason man I think it's I think it's miles is different man uh I ain't got to I'm not getting loaded with the whole playbook in in two three days trying to gather all that information and then go out there and process it I think I got here on like a Thursday and I think we played like Saturday so uh in a preseason game and the whole playbook is brand new to me so now I get to actually slow it down, install the playbook, you know, understand everything into detail like a, you know, like a vet should, you know what I'm saying? Like safety coverages and stuff. I don't want to get into that, but like just like it just install like the small details that that really make a play a play.

You know what I'm saying? Do you think that will help you just show who show your own game better instead of kind of coming in and even though you had a great season last year or a good season last year, how much better this whole offseason? Well, it's going to be miles different.

Well, because I'm going to be able to process the play faster. Uh I'm going to be I'm obviously processing and play faster. I'm not going to be sitting there constantly thinking thinking.

So, I'm going to be able to move faster and play faster. So that's why it'll be a big difference and not just sitting there overthinking things. What do you think of his pick bringing Javari to the defense line?

I mean I just met him today. He seemed like a great kid. I already like him as a rook.

So he listened. So I mean we going to see what he could do. But I like him already.

When you get rookies in, does it kind of remind you of like what you were like? I was a great rookie. Nquin was a bad rookie.

Bad rookie. No, but uh but it it kind of does it does make you nostalgic because you know you go back and remember when you remember the anxiety you had. You remember how how like nervous you like anxiety being nervous wanted to be perfect and everything and just trying to you know I think I was a little bit different because I wasn't drafted.

So I was just trying to like carve out a role for myself. So yeah but yeah it's it's it's it's good. It's good.

It's nice seeing those. What kind of conversations do you have with them because they are nervous and trying to fit in? Well, I really haven't had a a real chance to sit down because I I mean we only only seen him for like a few hours and we was on the field then we were in the locker room.

I didn't really get the chance to talk to him. Then we was upstairs and meeting. So, but uh I mean I'll definitely have a conversation with them for sure, especially the undrafted ones.

I mean, like I said, I was undrafted and I know a lot of sometimes undrafted people come in here, you don't think it's a lot of hope, you know, like again, me and Naquin were both undrafted and he's going on year five. I'm going on to year six. So, I mean, it's possible.

You just you got to put in the work and you got to stay persistent and believe. So, it's definitely a conversation I'm going to have with a couple of the rookies and and know that the a lot of people don't realize that the NFL is 30% undrafted free agents. So, next question.

Can you tell us a little bit about practice and how it's been going? Yeah, it's been um practice has been going great. Uh the guys kind of there's no I feel like when I first got here there was no type of like disconnect like it was immediately like just a click, you know?

And I feel like being here everybody kind of is on the same page. Everybody wants to move in a trend like in an upward direction. So it it's easy to get along with guys that all have that same mindset.

They want to win. Your time in the league, like how rare or common is that feeling of immediately playing, especially with a new team in a new place? Yeah.

Uh I mean, with this being the third team I've been on, it's it's a little bit different in each locker room. And uh sometimes it takes time to build that relationship, to build that camaraderie. And I feel like here it was like day one, right?

When I stepped in the locker room, it was immediate. like you could just tell like everybody's going to come in here and work hard. Everybody has the same, you know, goal they want to achieve.

Sorry. Uh just coach and, you know, coach Mentor reaching out and expressing how bad they wanted me to be here. Um that's that's, you know, that's there's nothing more you could really ask for outside of like coaches that really want you a part of their organization, coaches that really want you here.

So making that decision was pretty easy. Um, I knew coming here that it was going to be, you know, I was going to be treated that way, you know, um, as a piece of not just being a guy that's just going to be here to fill a role, but, you know, a guy that's going to actually, you know, contribute and make strides and being a piece of this organization winning. You know, you're familiar with Sier, right?

Yeah. So, uh, Tart was, um, he was in Tennessee with me when I was a rookie. So, it it's cool to, you know, now going into my fifth year him being able to see me and, you know, we're we're really good friends outside of, you know, being on being teammates, but for him to see me start my career and, you know, go through my phases of what I've gone through and like I said, going into year five, being able to play with him again, you know, that's exciting.

Especially, I mean, him, Deshawn Han, you know, I played with Bud, I played with Elijah, so familiar with a lot of guys on his defense. Is he here with you at all? Yeah.

Yeah, he he recruited me a lot uh during that time. You know, I try to I try to keep it to just, you know, coaches and agent at that time and Tart was calling me every morning like, "Bro, did you sign yet? Did you sign?

" So, it was uh he played a big role in getting me here as well. What did he say? Anything you could share?

Um he just saying like, "Come on, bro. Come be with your boy. " Like, I mean, and just letting me know that I was going to have our opportunity here.

Um you know, I feel like our career have gone like in a similar type of way. you know, we kind of jumped around a little bit and obviously he loves it here. You know, he got opportunity to really show himself and show what type of player he is.

And that's kind of what he told me basically like we know you can play. We know the way you play, your style of play is wanted here. So, just come in here and do your thing and you know you'll have the opportunity.

Did you know mentor or before? No. Um, so I played at Michigan State and I played against Notre Dame and obviously he recruited me, you know, coming out of high school, but that was pretty much it.

You know, I wasn't too familiar with that, but obviously I got to see what their defense did last year and, you know, years before. So, it just it was really easy to, you know, kind of fall in love with that type of style of play. You mentioned just the opportunity you production obviously went up last last year as well.

How exciting is it to have that opportunity to maybe take it up another level? I mean, that's exciting, you know, not even only for me, for any player. Um, when you're finally given that chance to show what you can do, and prove yourself, you know, it that that momentum just keeps rolling, you know, and I feel like that's exactly how it's going to be this year.

I I'm stepping into a role where I'm not a young guy anymore. You know, I got to show what I could do and I got to show that I can play and produce in this league. So to keep that going, especially with guys in your corner that really want to see you win, a coach that really is gonna pour into you and get you better as a player, I feel like that's great.

You know, it's just keep the ball rolling, the momentum's going and just keep it going in the right direction. What have your conversations with coach Harb been like? So the first conversation obviously was funny, you know, with him coming from Michigan and me being at Michigan State, but he kind of let me know that, you know, that's just small stuff compared to what we're trying to do here.

you know, we're trying to win a Super Bowl, not like a a cotton bowl or sugar bowl, you know, so it um the conversation's been great. He said, you know, if a if you love football, then you'll love it here. And, you know, he he loves football, so he's going to let everybody know that.

And it's fun to be around a coach like that to really just eat, sleep, think football all day, you know. So, I feel like as a player that really develops you and helps you become a better player. How much does the success of the defense last year?

How much did that play into your idea of what you could do here and how much it contributed to this team? Yeah, so um I mean I watched obviously a lot of Puna. I watched a lot of Tart.

I watched, you know, all the guys on the defensive line to see what they were able to do, see how they could play so freely and be able to do, you know, put the technique that Coach Elson's putting in, but also put their little bit of swag on it and, you know, make plays. And they made some great plays. We watch film on them every day.

So, seeing able seeing that they're able to, you know, implement their style of play into what we're being taught here and they're able to just still make plays is I mean, it's great. Um, it's just fun to it's fun to to see that, you know, like nobody's really robotic, you know, like you're playing within the lines of the fundamentals and the technique, but you're also able to put your spin on it to do what you need to do to make the play. As far as implementing the system, Coach Harw said that, you know, it's obviously the second year here.

They're not starting from scratch. They're picking it up as if they just played Houston. Yeah.

In the playoff game. As a new person coming in, how does that feel for you as far as learning and kind of where you're at with with uh catching up to the veterans? Yeah.

Um it's it's not too different honestly. Um, I mean obviously like the terminology and everything a little the technique is a little bit different, but like I said the guys have so much freedom to go play and play free that, you know, being a good football player, you be a good football player, having good instincts, you're going to put yourself in, you know, positions to make plays. So, it's it's nice and cool that you're able to do that.

And like I said, nobody's really robotic. They're not really just telling you to, hey, just take up these blocks and that's your that's what your assignment is. you're going to take blocks, you're not really going to make plays.

They're giving you the freedom to, you know, also do your job and then when you have the opportunity, go take your shot and make that play. Still early in in the season, but what do you think is going to be like your style of play or what do you hope that we can see when you when he actually plays? Um, just a hard worker.

Um, a guy that's, you know, gonna give his all on the play. um a guy that you know is going to come in here with the identity of stopping the run and also getting to the quarterback in the pass rush. Um it'll be fun this year like I said because I played with Deshawn Han, I played with Tart and us being back together is it's going to be so like it's going to be so much chemistry because they've seen we've all played with each other at different points of our career.

So it's it's going to be fun. It's going to be a fun group to watch. What was it about LA for you?

Uh just the opportunity um talking to the coaches uh you know they just presented it well that you know I'm just going to have a great opportunity to do something great and uh add value to the program. You guys familiarity with with a couple guys in the room was saying he got Sierra was calling him a bunch. Did he call you at all?

Yeah. So I mean I knew uh Naquin Tier. Uh I knew Derwin already.

Um Boseman we went to college together. Um who else? Naji went to college together.

Uh, and then I just met Mac, but me and Mac knew a lot of mutual people, so like it was just easy fit in. Oh, and Bud as well from Tennessee. What is this locker room like for you so far?

Uh, it's great. I mean, everybody's like-minded, you know what I'm saying? And everybody likes to work, so it's easy to get along with people who are like-minded with you.

What was the feel for expectations for this upcoming season? I mean, I feel like everybody wants to win, so I think we just worry about that. And then winning will just take care of everything else.

When you're going through the free agency process and betting different teams, how how many conversations do you have with players who are at those different organizations, like giving the guys a report of what you guys are hoping for, what it's like? Oh, yeah. Most definitely.

Uh, I think you do that with anything you do. Like, uh, I mean, if you go into a restaurant and you know somebody at the restaurant, you're going to call and be like, "Hey, how's the restaurant? " So, um I think that's just a common thing.

If you know somebody there, you can get like inside information. And everybody here just said the same thing, like you're going to love it here. Uh you got to come to work, but it's a great atmosphere and they treat you like a grown man.

So, I like that. What have you uh learned from Harbaugh so far? Man, learned from Harbaugh so far?

Uh I don't know if I can say anything yet other than uh he's a very personable guy. Uh and he likes to work out. I was shocked by that.

I've never seen a head coach work out like him. That's insane. Yeah.

I feel like he can He still got a couple snaps left. Low key. What's What's he doing?

What's his workout routine? It could be something different. He might do a core workout.

Like it's just whatever he's into. You know what I mean? But he's getting to it.

So you just see him in the weight room. Yeah. Splitting.

I'm like, "What? Okay, that's all right right there. " So that's that's dope.

That's dope. I mean, it's a little bit unexpected, but do you do you think that kind of sets some sort of tone or just I guess sets a personality for the team that see your head coach well into his 60s like still working? Yeah, absolutely.

He's just uh he's a living testament to what he says. So, like, you know, uh if somebody's telling you to, you know, always work hard, but you just see them being lazy, you'll look a little sideways to him. So actually seeing him go after it every day and be the same person every day, it kind of just motivates you like, okay, I need to be on my P's and Q's as well.

See the success of this defense from last year, how much does that encourage or excite you about what you could possibly do for this team? Hey, I'm excited just because one, I'm a competitor, so obviously I'm brought in for a reason. And I think for myself, you know, as a competitor and as an athlete, I think I add value to wherever I'm going.

So, I just want to add value and just make any area that they were struggling in make it better if I can. You've been able to find success like as a as a run defender in the middle. Just what how would you describe your your play style I guess against the run and both against the passive?

Yes. So, uh against the run, I would just say I'm very like strong at uh the point of attack. I use my hands well.

Um I don't get moved too often. Uh I have a wrestling background, so I'm strong in like awkward positions. So that helps me out a lot, especially uh if I'm on like one leg or anything like that, twisted.

It just depends. Um a lot of teams now, they uh they go side to side instead of straight downhill. So just uh being able to not get knocked off and like uh passed off and like um I'm trying to describe it in a way that y'all will understand it, but a scoop block.

You know what I'm saying? That's the best way I could describe it. So yeah.

And then pass rush as well. So, I think I'm a power rusher, but I have the athleticism to use my speed and finesse. What's your excitement like about the the group that you Yeah, the excitement is very high.

Love the group. We've added some great pieces. Uh brought back some with Tier coming back and um Tito already here and Justin and Chris Hinton as a part of the core group and then adding uh Deshawn and like I said bringing Tiier back and then Naqucoin and then the young guys that were here this weekend.

And it's a it's a very strong group. It's a hardworking group and and uh very very excited about the group. What do you like about watch?

Yeah, I loved his uh his quickness, great foot action, athleticism, uh doesn't stay blocked. I love that. Um and he's he's a smart young man.

Like he's picked a lot of stuff up, which is great. uh my meetings with him. Uh I mean, he's uh he's gone, you know, it's been a tough road for him and for him to fight through the adversity that he's had in his in his life and his in his uh in his uh path to the NFL from Jo to Jo, walking on at a Jo.

Um the second Jo he walked on at, then he went to Houston, then he went to Oregon. uh you got to really love football and you got to really feel confident about uh what you fought through to to get to this spot right here. So his story hit me and uh watching his film just love the way he plays and and he's a great addition to our room.

What do you think that first year like worked well for you coaching wise? I mean, you got a lot obviously the whole def I guess on defense, but for you like coaching wise, what did you learn? Uh, I treated it like I would at any other job I had, which was build relationships with them.

Um, set a standard, set a very high standard and and hold them to that standard. And when the standard is is very high, like which it was, then the the veterans, they start um holding the other guys to that standard. So, uh, you know, I feel like it was a great group.

We had a very good brotherhood. I feel like this group has an even tighter knit, uh, brotherhood, which which is exciting. And, um, this is to me is a a much more skilled group.

So, it's going to hopefully, uh, be even better than last year. How do you improve on a league load once given up like you did last year? Uh well I mean you build a foundation and um you stick to the what those like I said the standards already what our separators are and you continue don't you don't uh you don't stop growing and getting better.

Uh we did it with in my opinion in my group we did it with personnel. We're going to do it with certain things that we're doing technique-wise changing a few things up. You do it with scheme.

Um you learn and you adapt and you get better. So, there's a lot of things that we've already covered in these OTAAS with the guys that are uh things we did, what we didn't like about it, things we want to improve. Here's how we want to improve it.

They see what it was, they see what the improvement will do. We go out and we execute it and uh the improvement will be there. So, year two for you, is it are you feel more comfortable or how does that kind of change from year one to year two?

Yeah, definitely feel more comfortable uh being in the NFL now for going on my second season. Feel more comfortable about the players in the room. Feel more comfortable about how to coach and teach them the scheme, the technique, u what they were receptive to last year, u what maybe fell short there to make those improvements.

So, yeah, I mean, I think as a coach, you're always looking to self-reflect and and grow and get better. And um you know, and I share that with them like look, I I didn't make all the right decisions last year. I didn't make I wasn't perfect.

Uh neither were they. So I have to grow as a coach expecting them to grow as a player. And so um you know did a ton of film study at the end of the year of techniques all across the league.

What works, what doesn't, how I'm teaching it. Okay, that looks like that could be better than what I'm teaching. So implement those types of things.

Um sometimes it validates what you're teaching, you know. So, a full self-reflection, I think, at the end of every year is good. And you share that, you're transparent with the players of this is where I fell short and here's what I want to improve for your benefit and then they can go out there and work on it.

So, transparency and and just improving as a coach. Tier, what kind of impressed you last year of the way you was able to come in like mid camp and just kind of pick up and produce the way you did that year? Yeah, Tier.

Uh, it it was the thing that impressed me most about Tier is just the the the ruggedness and physicality that he can play with when he's fresh. Uh, he's as good as anybody in in in the league in my opinion, when it's at the point of attack, block destruction, playing big, playing square, getting off blocks, being productive. Um, so that's what impressed me right away.

He picked things up pretty good. We had a lot in in this game and and technique. It's not just scheme.

Like there's a lot of technique things that you drill during OTAAS and you drill during training camp that he missed on. So there were going to be things that he was going to do different than other guys. It's just you don't have time to catch him up.

But uh his willingness to try it and do it and and then just this when the ball was snapped like his physicality and aggressiveness is what stood out. How much better do you think tiar can be this year with this whole offseason schedule to progress in the scheme and with this organization? Yeah, tier tier right now is on a climb.

Who knows where it may level off, but right now he is ascending and I couldn't be more excited about how he is ascending as a player and and as a teammate, how he's training and working in this environment. He didn't have that a year ago. I don't know what it was for him a year ago, but he has every every hurdle, every obstacle that we've put in front of him to overcome, he has he's he's ascending and it's been exciting.

Mike, the position that you coach is one of those positions that can help create the identity of a football team. You mentioned a few words, right? Their physicality, aggressiveness, and and how some of the guys play at at this stage in the game and maybe throughout the year.

How do you coach toughness on a daily basis? How do you instill that? Yeah, I think it's I think it's instilled in coach Harbaugh's uh organization of of how we we train in the weight room, how we uh you know, practice.

So, and and you know, it's uh it's embedded in everything we do with the discipline and the the high standards and high expectations and you have to be mentally and physically tough, you know, to to be a part of this organization and and everything is about winning and that's what this this league is. So, Um, you know, it's I think it's developed within coach Harbaugh's uh philosophy and system and the way the organization is run. You mentioned you think this group is more skilled this year.

It's a very talent. I believe it's a very talented group. We're bigger, which is exciting.

In the in the free agency, we signed u Naqucoin, which is, you know, 340 pounds. That's a big guy to move. And uh Deshan Han who's, you know, 315 wherever he's at right now.

That's that's a big guy to move and athletic. So, it's exciting with the the pieces that, you know, Joe and and and coach Harbaugh have have put in that Dline room. So, we're bigger.

I think we're more skilled athletically and uh and then the draft, you know, the draft and the undrafted free agents like it's a it's a strong room, a competitive room, a lot of depth and um yeah, speaking to specifically Naquan and Deshan bringing those guys in, what what do you think excites you most about their specific skill sets? Well, I think with with Naqucoin, he's a young guy still. Um very very talented.

I believe there's a lot for him to learn technically that will make him a great player and and he understands that. When I had my conversation with him, he understood that, hey coach, where I fall short right now is how to use the right technique, when to use the right technique, how to block destruct. And when you hear a guy say that that has the ability he has, like that's exciting because now you know that he's a he's a willing participant in, you know, taking on the challenge.

Okay, here I can help you with that. And when they have that skill and then Deshawn, it's just he's a vet that has played a lot of football, has played a lot of really good football, had his best season last year, and uh he's a puzzle piece that that we really need in our scheme that will add great value.