By buying Khalil Mack, Chargers make their splashy AFC West play – Los Angeles Chargers Weblog

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers are getting into the AFC West’s arms race.

Simply on the opposite facet of the ball.

As a result of with the Denver Broncos including a possible future Corridor of Famer beneath heart this week in quarterback Russell Wilson to hitch a division that already boasts one other probably Canton-bound quarterback within the Kansas City Chiefs‘ Patrick Mahomes, one of many league’s finest younger passers within the Chargers’ Justin Herbert and the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Derek Carr — who owns just about each passing report in that franchise’s historical past — opposing defenses want some assist. After which some.

Introducing, then, a three-time first-team All-Professional edge rusher who has additionally been to 6 Professional Bowls and was the NFL’s defensive participant of the 12 months in 2016 — Khalil Mack.

With the Chargers on the precipice of acquiring Mack from the Chicago Bears, they’re on the verge of placing collectively essentially the most achieved set of pass-rushers within the division to fight stated signal-callers.

Yeah, the Raiders have Professional Bowl defensive MVP Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue. The Chiefs final 12 months boasted Frank Clark and Melvin Ingram III. The Broncos counter with Bradley Chubb and, properly, TBD, as future Corridor of Famer Von Miller has been making noise about returning to the Mile Excessive Metropolis after serving to the Los Angeles Rams win the Tremendous Bowl.

However pairing Mack with Joey Bosa? Yeah, the following wave of signings within the AFC West might need to be at offensive sort out.

Over the past 5 seasons, Mack (221) and Bosa (207) each rank within the prime 4 in complete defensive pressures, per ESPN Stats & Data, behind Rams All-Professional defensive sort out Aaron Donald (291) and New Orleans Saints defensive finish Cameron Jordan (253). Pittsburgh Steelers exterior linebacker T.J. Watt, the reigning NFL Defensive Participant of the Yr, and Ngakoue each even have 207 defensive pressures in that point.

Plus, Bosa’s 47.5 sacks since 2017 are tied for sixth within the NFL and are yet another than Mack’s 46.5, which rank 10th most.

Yet another factor — each Mack and Bosa have (checks notes) 12 strip sacks apiece over the previous 5 seasons, tied for sixth most in that timeframe.

Sure, at the same time as Mack, who turned 31 on Feb. 22, has slowed a tad because the Raiders traded him to the Bears amid his prolonged holdout in 2018.

He was restricted to 6 sacks in seven video games final season earlier than present process season-ending foot surgical procedure in November, and his effectiveness as a cross rusher was down. His cross rush win price has dropped from 21.2% in 2017 to 18.6% in 2018 to 19.6% in 2019 to 17.6% in 2020 to 12.9% this previous season.

Keep in mind how briskly he got here out of the gate with the Bears towards the Green Bay Packers within the 2018 opener — contemporary begin, change of surroundings and all that?

After dominating the Packers on nationwide tv to the tune of a strip-sack, a fumble restoration and a 27-yard pick-six in his Bears debut, he completed with 12.5 sacks and was the runner-up for Defensive Participant of the Yr to Donald. Certainly, that was the one 12 months he had a double-digit sack season in Chicago after signing a six-year, $141 million contract in September 2018. Based on Schefter’s report, the Chargers will tackle Mack’s full contract, owing him $17.75 million in 2022, $22.9 million in 2023 and $23.25 million in 2024.

If and when the deal involves fruition, he’ll turn into the one former DPOY named first-team All-Professional 3 times to be traded twice.

Now he’ll get to face the Raiders, who made him the No. four total choose of the 2014 draft, twice a 12 months. Sure, he did throw up an “O,” presumably for “Oakland,” after sacking Carr in Las Vegas, in any case.

Decide for your self…(screenshot h/t @VicTafur) pic.twitter.com/BWiQH0JjfH

— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) October 11, 2021

Good for the Chargers initially, unhealthy for the remainder of the AFC West.