The Future Of The Chargers Defense Relies On This 2023 Rookie

The Chargers will be heading into an offseason with plenty of roster changes, especially on the defensive side of the ball. With that, 2023 rookie Tuli Tuipulotu will be critical for the 2024 Chargers defense. After a very strong rookie season, new problems will happen with this Chargers defense. How will Tuli Tuipulotu answer them? With new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Tuli Tuipulotu will be asked to do different things, on top of a much larger role.

Going into his second year, a Chargers defense without Tuipulotu could be a brutal watch. The new front office and staff brought in will likely lean on the second-round selection to keep a competitive defense for the 2024 season. This year will be crucial for the former USC product to prove that he was worth the second-round investments, even after earning Chargers Rookie of The Year Honors.

Tuli Tuipulotu 2023 Season In Review

Tuli Tuipulotu is already a crucial part of this Chargers defense. During 2023, he was a stalwart defensive lineman, showing immense burst, hand usage, and strength. After being named the third EDGE rusher on the team behind Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, Tuipulotu had to work for his snaps. He quickly proved he was different than most rookies.

After two weeks of playing well in his role behind Joey Bosa who was fighting through injury and was on a snap count, he burst on the scene in week three. He had his first of likely many signature games against the Minnesota Vikings. According to PFF, Tuipulotu had three sacks along with nine pressures.

After that game, Joey Bosa returned in and out of the lineup, eventually succumbing to injury for the season. Tuli Tuipulotu stepped up into that role and was a very strong defender on the opposite side of Khalil Mack. Beyond his pass rush ability which admittedly did slow down in the back half of the season, his ability to stop the run was extremely strong. He ranked fourth in PFF run defense grade amongst ALL defensive linemen. Just one stop behind Khalil Mack. Pretty good company if you ask me.

Tuli Tuipulotu’s 2023 PFF Stats:

Tackles: 39
Pressures: 51
Sacks: 8
Hits: 7
Hurries: 36
Stops: 34
Grades: 71 Overall, 88.4 Rush Defense, 61.1 Pass Rush

2024 Season Outlook – No Tuli Tuipulotu Could Mean No Pass Rush

The addition of Jim Harbaugh and new General Manager Joe Hortiz will be critical to how this roster is constructed and utilized. Tuli Tuipulotu has earned more than the right to be a big piece of this team and should be looking into a bigger role in 2024.

Cap Space Implications

The Chargers are at a cap crossroads where they need to clear $55.391 million. With that, this entire Chargers team is going to get a massive overhaul, especially this Chargers defense. Two likely candidates to be cut or traded are both starting edge rushers, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. This would leave Tuipulotu as the last standing viable rusher on the entirety of the defensive line as just a 21-year-old second-year player. It is much more likely that the Chargers opt to cut only one of these expensive rushers, to have them paired with Tuipulotu as he is still coming into his own.

That said, a full-time no questions asked, starting role for Tuipulotu is in the fold. Without him, the Chargers defense would be staring down the barrel of Chris Rumph off a major injury as their starting edge rusher opposite whoever they decide to keep between Mack and Bosa. It would also be a possibility for the bolts to cut both Mack and Bosa, and it would literally be Tuli Tuipulotu vs the world. One Tuli Tuipulotu on this roster is better than none.

Tuli Tuipulotu’s Role & Concluding Thoughts

Jesse Minter will be revamping this entire Chargers defense, doing so with just the bones of this roster. His philosophy will be as follows: “a defensive structure with four pillars: block destruction, obnoxious communication, shocking effort, and ball disruption.” Tuipulotu will be seeing himself more as a rusher who is off the offensive tackle in a three-point stance in Minter’s 4-2-5 wrinkles. He will also see himself back in a 2-point stance in a 3-4 alignment like he did under Brandon Staley. Furthermore, Minter will likely use Tuipulotu’s explosiveness as a strong stuntman as the looper, having him have 1-on-1s with guards and centers. An explosive season is ahead for the former second-round selection.

The 21-year-old second-year defender will have a lot on his plate in 2024, but Charger fans and front office alike are very happy to have him apart of this football team, and excited to see what he can do in 2024 to keep this team afloat in rush metrics.