Joey Bosa: Sophomore slump or second year surge?

Will Los Angeles Chargers defensive stud Joey Bosa have a second year surge, or will we see the sophomore slump? We dive into the possibilities…

Expectations are soaring in year two for Joey Bosa, whose long-standing holdout with the Chargers last year at this time seems like a distant, laughable memory.

Bosa played in just 12 games for the Chargers last season, but was absolutely tremendous, showing why he was under consideration as the top pick in last year’s draft.

He finished his rookie campaign with 10.5 sacks and one of the highest pressure rates in the NFL among edge defenders. The question now is, will we see a sophomore slump, or will Bosa find a way to break into the upper echelon of NFL pass rushers, and further establish himself as one of the best in the game?

Bosa showed off impressive get-off and hustle in year one with the Chargers, but it was his technique and variety of moves as a pass rusher that really stood out to me.

That’s why in year two, I’m not predicting a sophomore slump, though there are some out there who feel like he’s more overrated than not…

The argument from some is that Bosa’s rookie production will be hard to replicate based on the number of second-effort sacks he notched. The argument is a good one, but while NFL offenses will be game-planning against Bosa and second-effort sacks may not come as easily, they’ll still have to deal with the rest of the talent on the Chargers’ defensive front.

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Opportunities will be there for Bosa, and he’s going to have to find quicker routes to the quarterback. Not to mention, an increased snap count will only help Bosa find more opportunities to produce.

The type of stellar production we saw from Bosa as a rookie is even more impressive when you consider he didn’t even play quite 53 percent of the defensive snaps.

Bosa is going to be counted on much more in 2017, and with a massive target on his back after a great rookie season, it’s reasonable to believe he could regress statistically in 2017. However, there’s really no good reason to think Bosa will regress to the point of being considered ‘overrated’, even if you use the most difficult criteria to judge him by.

This is a young, emerging star in the NFL, one who has rare talents for his size as a pass rusher. He might not be the typical edge bender we’ve come to know in today’s NFL, but he’s too good to drop off in a big way.

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