Every season, some players emerge whose presences may not have been known the previous season, whether they had limited snaps or dealt with an injury.
Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker went through all 32 teams and named an early breakout candidate from each one. For the Chargers, Locker pegged second-year linebacker Junior Colson as his.
Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye are free agents, as are several notable Chargers defenders. That should open the door for Colson, who will get another year to develop in Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter’s scheme. Colson struggled in coverage in the 2024 regular season to a dismal 34.0 PFF coverage grade, but he impressed as a tackler, with only a 6.7% miss rate. The Chargers helped Daiyan Henley improve into a solid off-ball linebacker this year, and the 22-year-old Colson might be next up.
Colson, the 2024 third-round pick out of Michigan, had his rookie season slowed due to injuries. He appeared in 11 games, finishing with 29 tackles and one pass deflection.
Looking ahead to his sophomore season, Colson is currently in line to start alongside Daiyan Henley, who had a Pro Bowl-caliber season in his first year as a full-time starter.
The body of work that defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was able to do with Henley this past season should be an indication of what he could do with Colson in Year 2.
