Fresh Role Envisioned For Tuli Tuipulotu

Despite you Los Angeles Chargers total defense ranking fifth-last in 2023, the team featured some talented young pieces, including Tuli Tuipulotu.

With a new regime that includes defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who was tremendous with Michigan, it will be exciting to see how Tuipulotu will be utilized. Minter himself seems to be excited to work with the second-year NFL linebacker, and broke down what he's seen on film from Minter.

"I think his last year, we might have had one team that we were watching where there was some crossover film of USC. The cool thing about him is he's a guy in college that they moved all over the place — off the ball, up on the edge, they even had him played out in space a little bit. You look at how he played his rookie year and I thought he stepped in and played really well for a rookie. Didn't look like a rookie, didn't feel like a rookie when you were watching him. He plays with the toughness and the physicality that we certainly want our guys to play with."

— Jesse Minter, via Eric Smith of Chargers.com

As Minter said, Tuipulotu was certainly a bright spot for the Chargers defense in his rookie season. Tuipulotu finished his rookie season with 53 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass break up. On top of his stats, Tuipulotu was impressive as a run-stuffer and showcased strong intuition already when it came to his defense.

Minter and Tuipulotu should be a great fit when it comes to defending the run. Minter led a Michigan defense that ranked fifth in the NFL against the run, giving up just 90 yards per game and three yards per carry. Look for Tuipulotu to be a key piece in Minter executing his scheme and vision with the Chargers.