Chargers sitting on a gold mine with breakout star ready to take over in 2025

There's probably a decent argument that the Chargers are, in the long run, better off without Joey Bosa. (And when I say 'long run,' I actually mean 'immediately.') Once a pass-rushing star, Bosa's spent the last half-decade or so struggling to stay on the field – and when he has been playing, the production hasn't totally been there with him. It's always painful to watch a franchise icon head elsewhere – but at the end of the day, the NFL's a business; the Chargers made a smart business decision.

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It does, however, beg the question: now who's going to make Patrick Mahomes' life hell? Khalil Mack's never a bad choice, but I imagine that Chargers want a little more than six-sack seasons from their starting edge rushers. Enter: Tuli Tuipulotu. As Pro Football Focus points out in their latest list of 2025 NFL breakout candidates, Tuipulotu is primed for a breakout season in Los Angeles. It couldn't have come at a better time.

Joey Bosa's departure opens the door for a breakout season from Tuli Tuipulotu

"The Chargers will have to confront an offseason with lots of defensive transition as they go into 2025. Now in his third season, Tuipulotu is in line to step up to fill a gap along the team’s defensive line. The former USC Trojan was generally effective in his second NFL campaign, compiling a 64.8 PFF pass-rushing grade with a 13.4% pass-rush win rate and a 51st percentile run stop rate. Moreover, his 43 pressures were second on LA across 416 pass-rushing snaps. Tuipulotu playing regularly shouldn’t be a newfound phenomenon given Joey Bosa’s repeated injuries over the last few years, but the 22-year-old can now enter camp perceiving himself as a legitimate starter in a thin edge-rushing group. If Tuipulotu cleans up missed tackles — his 30.1% miss rate was the fourth-worst among qualified edge defenders — then his production against both the pass and run should elevate."

Look at all those percentages! We love a 13.4% pass-rush win rate. On top of a 51st percentile run-stop rate? Now we're talkin'. And I'd probably miss at least 30.1% of my tackles if I was an NFL player, so I can't blame him there.

Tuipulotu's heading into his fourth NFL season, so you'd kinda hope a leap in production is coming. Otherwise, the conversation's about to get nice and awkward next offseason – but that's a bridge we can cross when we get there. For now, PFF has declared Tuipulotu a breakout candidate, which means it'll absolutely happen. The numbers don't lie (except the bad ones).