SAN DIEGO -- The Los Angeles Chargers begin their second week of Phase I of the team’s offseason training at Chargers Park.
Players will continue to work with head trainer John Lott in the weight room and on the field.
The Chargers will hold media availability on Monday, so we should get a chance to get health updates on players like Keenan Allen, Jason Verrett and Branden Oliver this week.
Now, let’s get to your questions from this week’s mailbag:
@eric_d_williams How will moving to Bradley's 4-3 defense affect our plans for the draft?
— Bolts in SoCal (@BoltsGuru) April 7, 2017
@eric_d_williams: It’s an interesting question. Chargers general manager Tom Telesco and his personnel staff had been scouting players since last year with former defensive coordinator John Pagano’s system in mind.
But with the change at head coach in Anthony Lynn and a new defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley, Telesco has had to shift gears this offseason.
However, Telesco told me during a conversation at the NFL owners meeting that the change hasn’t been that disruptive because Bradley runs a similar defensive scheme to what Tony Dungy implemented while the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
Like Dungy, Bradley learned Monte Kiffin’s Tampa 2 defense while serving as a linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- although it’s morphed more into the Seattle Cover 3 developed while Bradley worked as the defensive coordinator for Pete Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks.
Carroll also learned under Kiffin during the 1970s at the University of Arkansas.
Telesco and Chargers director of college scouting Kevin Kelly both worked in the personnel department with the Colts while Dungy was there, so they are accustomed to looking for players under Bradley’s scheme.
“I was in Indianapolis for a long time when we ran Tony Dungy’s defense,” Telesco said in this conversation with Albert Breer of The MMQB. The conversation begins about 20 minutes in. “And there’s a lot of similarities between that and what Gus is going to run here, there’s a lot of carry over. And it’s something I’m used to scouting for.”
@eric_d_williams Do you think KenJon Barner will have much of an impact on the Chargers this year? Do they expect him to replace woodhead
— Daren Wasser (@daren_wasser) April 7, 2017
@eric_d_williams: Like everyone else, Kenjon Barner’s focus will be on earning a spot on the 53-man roster once training camp begins at the end of July.
The Chargers currently have five running backs on the roster in Melvin Gordon, Andre Williams, Branden Oliver, Kenneth Farrow and Barner.
Lynn said there’s a chance he adds another running back to the competition through the draft or free agency, and is looking for a runner that complement’s Gordon’s skill set.
Barner likely will be given an opportunity along with Oliver to compete for a role as a pass-catching back that Danny Woodhead filled for this team, and also contribute in the return game.
But Lynn didn’t sound like he was making any promises for roster spots when I asked about Barner at the NFL owners meeting a few weeks ago, stating that the University of Oregon product will get an opportunity to compete for a role on the team just like everyone else.
“I’m looking for a guy that can be a tandem back with Melvin,” Lynn said. “I like to run the football multiple ways. It’s going to take more than one runner.”