The Chargers are down to three defensive tackles on the active roster following the season-ending injuries to Austin Johnson and, most recently, Christian Covington and Otito Ogbonnia.
Head coach Brandon Staley confirmed Monday that the team will promote Joe Gaziano from the practice squad and add two more players to fill the position group.
Tyeler Davison was signed off the Browns’ practice squad on Tuesday morning, which means they could look to sign one more.
Who else could Los Angeles add to the room?
Let’s take a look at five interior defenders that would make sense.
Star Lotulelei
Lotulelei played three seasons with the Bills before being released earlier this year after the team signed three defensive tackles in free agency. Before that, the 2013 first-round pick was with the Panthers from then to 2017.
Lotulelei started 40 games for the Buffalo, finishing with five sacks, 53 tackles and eight tackles for loss. During his time with the Bills, he had a run-stop win rate of 27.2%, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Star Lotulelei eating up split zone pic.twitter.com/fw8fOfpFzr
— Shawn (@syedschemes) October 19, 2021
Sheldon Richardson
After being let go of by the Browns at the end of the 2020 season, Richardson was picked up by the Vikings, where he was a key contributor, posting 37 pressures and four sacks, along with 24 run stops in 2021.
Richardson could fit well in Brandon Staley’s system, as he has plenty of experience playing in a 3-4 scheme and brings a veteran presence to the group, with nine years in the league under his belt.
Sheldon Richardson with the smoothest TFL of all time pic.twitter.com/L3NSCOdrE2
— Sam Penix (@Sam_Penix) December 19, 2020
Shamar Stephen
Stephen played six seasons with the Vikings and one with the Seahawks and Broncos. He has 65 starts on his professional resume and has amassed 207 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and five forced fumbles.
Stephen, the 6-foot-5 and 310-pounder, doesn’t often win as a pass rusher, but he can fill gaps and do the dirty work in the middle of the line by maintaining gap integrity.
Further, having played in Denver in 2021, Stephen is familiar with the Vic Fangio system, a replica of Staley’s
OK here's every time Shamar Stephen was doubled/combo'd in the SF Divisional game. Ask yourself this- on these 8 plays, how many times did Stephen prevent those OL from doing what they were trying to do?#Vikings pic.twitter.com/lp6oE0Th7d
— Luke Braun (@LukeBraunNFL) August 24, 2020
Adam Butler
In 2021 with the Dolphins, Butler appeared in all 17 games, with one start. He tallied 17 tackles with two sacks and three passes defended. He was released with a failed physical designation in August.
Before joining Miami, Butler had 15 sacks in four seasons with the Patriots, including a career-high six in 2019. Butler also finished with 20 tackles for loss, the second-most in New England’s franchise history.
#Patriots film: more Adam Butler love. On this TFL, he recognizes the outside zone step from the OL and uses a swim move to back door the LG and make the play. Can be risky to go backdoor, but Butler's range as a tackler allows him to get away with it. Baller. pic.twitter.com/KVJjpVvu5l
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) November 30, 2020
Malcom Brown
A first-round pick by the Patriots in 2015, Brown has appeared in 106 games with 97 starts and has registered 13.5 sacks and 304 total tackles in his seven-year NFL career.
Last season with the Jaguars, Brown started all 17 games and logged 57 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Brown has the power and speed to win a pass rusher, as well as the high football IQ and the ability to stack blockers and shed to attack ball carriers in the run game.
DT Malcom Brown is good…
He gets the leverage to the outside forcing the RB inside and then getting his arm free to wrap up. 💪 pic.twitter.com/tdC48nr0iH
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 17, 2021
