Chargers HC Views Eric Kendricks As Missing Piece for Their Defense

Is Kendricks the missing piece to this Chargers' defense?

The Los Angeles Chargers went big-game hunting this offseason and got themselves one of the best linebackers in the past decade, Eric Kendricks. Kendricks will enter his ninth year in the league, the first with his Chargers, and has proven to wreak havoc for the Minnesota Vikings. 

Now, he will look to do the same thing with the Chargers. The defense is loaded with talent and pro bowlers at multiple positions. Still, head coach Brandon Staley believes it will be Kendricks and his position of linebacker who will be the anchor of the defense and is the key to success. 

“I think the intangible part of that position is that you’re truly connecting both places, you’re connecting the front of your defense to the back of your defense,” Staley said. “You’re in the middle of everything. … That’s part of your value to the football team that goes far beyond height, weight, speed.”

The Chargers will need all that and more from Kendricks. The Bolts ranked last, allowing 5.4 yards per carry, and finished 29th overall out of 32 teams in yards per play. The additions in the defensive side last season didn't do the job. Hopefully, Kendricks and the crew will do a better job this upcoming season. 

In eight years in the mid-west, the 31-year-old was a multi-year captain and was an anchor for the Vikings for his entire tenure. Kendricks will undoubtedly bring a new dynamic to the team with his high IQ, experience, and his ability to lead.