The Los Angeles Chargers needed to hold onto one of their young core defensive players and did just that re-signing Denzel Perryman, despite his injury concerns.
Perryman stays up in Los Angeles after the Chargers announced they re-signed the linebacker before the start of free agency.
The four-year linebacker has shown a ton of promise while on the field but has struggled to do just that — stay on the field. Perryman has missed 16 games combined over the past two seasons due to injuries. The two-year commitment the Chargers gave the former University of Miami product gives him enough time to prove his worth to the organization before his next deal.
Niner Noise
Perryman was the anchor of Chargers’ run defense before his injury. Los Angeles’ head coach, Anthony Lynn, cited just that during the linebacker’s absence.
“Denzel is a starter for a reason. Our rush defense is much better with Denzel in there, so we’re going to have to pick it up collectively as a group now,” Lynn said in November after Perryman’s season-ending knee injury.
The perception of Perryman’s contract around the league was to be expected. Many question his ability to stay healthy.
Contract details
The team rewarded their 2015 second-round pick with a new two-year, $12 million deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
National reaction
Source: The #Chargers have agreed to terms on a 2-year extension with standout LB Denzel Perryman. A homegrown player stays home before free agency begins.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2019
Probably hard to work a contract with a player like Denzel Perryman, he makes an impact when he plays but still hasn't played all 16 games in each of his 4 seasons in the league.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 6, 2019
In fact, he only played 16 games combined the past 2 seasons due to injuries. https://t.co/7luMF12Kgn
In Denzel Perryman’s nine starts in ‘18, the Chargers went 7-2 and allowed just 16.1 ppg in their wins. A big piece of the D back in the fold.
— Chris Hayre (@chrishayre) March 9, 2019
This deal comes with little risk. The two-year pact does little to hurt the Chargers as Perryman carries a six million dollar average salary figure while keeping an up-and-coming talent. This gives the 26-year-old linebacker a chance to showcase his ability while trying to stay on the field and the Chargers a key piece of their defense on a cheap price tag.
The Chargers defense finished in the top-ten even without the likes of Perryman or Joey Bosa for significant periods of the 2018 season. Avoiding spending a premium for a linebacker in free agency and rolling the dice on one of their own was a no-brainer for Los Angeles especially with what Perryman has shown on the field.
The Chargers are coming off a season that saw them back in the playoffs. Bringing back a pivotal piece to their team in Perryman was the correct move to return to the postseason in 2019.