The Los Angeles Chargers are figuring out how they are going to dwindle their roster from 90 players to 53 in the next couple of weeks.
It’s not as easy as it sounds, especially when undrafted free agents like Nadame Tucker are playing higher than their expectations. Tucker led Division I last year with 14.5 sacks at Western Michigan, but he still went undrafted, which allowed the Chargers to sign him after the draft. Tucker continued to make a strong case for himself to play for the Chargers with one
of the team’s two quarterback hits in the 27-7 win over the Houston Texans.
“It feels like I belong,” Tucker said via the team’s website. “I know the type of guys I’m around, the stuff I can gain from them. I come with that approach like I belong here, I’m not starstruck in any way. I want to be just like those guys in a way. Just try to pay attention to every little detail.”
Tucker still has a long way to go to make the 53-man roster, with players like Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu and first-round pick Ahkeem Mesidor standing in his way in a stacked outside linebacker group, but he is still going to keep pushing, as anything can happen in training camp and the preseason.
“That’s my biggest thing, just knowing where I’m at as far as in the league and guys I’m going against and building off that,” Tucker said. “Even taking reps against Joe [Alt] and some of those guys, I’m trying to get in those as much as I can just to see where I’m at and build off that because I’m trying to be a Pro Bowler.”
BFTB community, how do you feel about Tucker’s chances of making the roster? Could he sneak on as an additional pass rusher? Let us know in the comments section below.
