Los Angeles Chargers: Nasir Adderley all over the field in year three
The Los Angeles Chargers have played extremely well through three weeks, and plenty of that falls on Brandon Staley, the defense, and the rise of third year safety Nasir Adderley.
The Chargers have had quite a start to their 2021 season. They began with a hard fought victory in Washington, fueled by an incredible performance by Justin Herbert and the offensive line. A narrow loss to Dallas didn’t deter them, as they went into Kansas City last weekend and downed the reigning AFC champs.
A big part of their 2-1 start is how well head coach Brandon Staley has done with the defense. He brought over the idea of playing plenty of quarters coverage, which worked very well in his time with the Rams. Quarters coverage, and variations of it, prevent the explosive plays and force teams to play mistake-free football on long, sustained drives. It worked against the Chiefs, as the Chargers forced four total turnovers in the win.
Nasir Adderley has been a major factor for the secondary, one that’s been outstanding with Derwin James back healthy and the performance of rookie corner Asante Samuel Jr. Adderley continues to thrive in this zone scheme, and does a great job with his assignments. His time will come with interceptions, as he was in position and let one slip for a Terry McLaurin catch and nearly got one against Dallas. What’s more important is how he can run with receivers and tight ends vertically as well as on horizontal crossing routes. His closing speed is impressive and he keys into route combinations well when up high in zone.
An important part of quarters coverage requires your defensive backs to be active and fill hard against the run. Adderley has done that very well, closing downhill hard and making plays in the alley. He’s been a phenomenal wrap-up tackler to this point and can be consistently relied on to prevent big plays when in space to make a play.
The former Senior Bowl riser has been fun to watch so far this season, and when he starts to convert turnover opportunities, Nasir Adderley will be recognized as one of the better up-and-coming defensive backs in football on a great Los Angeles Chargers unit.