Chargers Free Agency
Chargers Free Agency Preview: Denzel Perryman or Darius Philon?
LA Chargers (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Chargers won't be able to retain all of their players and tough decisions are on the horizon.
Denzel Perryman and Darius Philon are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents and though they are completely different players and don't play the same position, the question of which one of those players the Chargers should make an attempt to re-sign is one the team could easily ask itself.
Tom Telesco may not see it as feasible to retain both guys.
Since that is the case, here is what each player brings to the table for the future and as well as some of the factors the Chargers could consider when it comes to this decision.
Denzel Perryman
Years Played: 4
2018 Salary: $1.048 million
Tackles: 233
Sacks: 4
Interceptions: 2
Forced Fumbles: 1
Fumble Recoveries: 1
Games Missed: 22
Darius Philon
2018 Salary: $705,000
Tackles: 80
Sacks: 9.5
The Chargers need to be as strong in the middle of the defense, so there is a chance they bring back both of these players. Neither of them had an exorbitant salary and neither really has much room to ask for a crazy deal from the Chargers or any other team.
However, for argument sake, we'll say that the Chargers are only going to keep one of these players.
They came to the team as part of the 2015 draft with Perryman being a second-round pick and Philon being chosen in the sixth round. Perryman is the more talented player overall, but the key is going to be his injury history.
Though Philon has missed a bit of time too, Perryman is seemingly hurt all the time, or at least that is how it has seemed recently. Because of his name value and high draft status, he also has a much better chance of fielding offers from around the league, particularly from a team that may want to gamble on him and put a price on him that the Chargers couldn't justify matching.
Philon, on the other hand, could be brought back for a very reasonable price. He has a ton of upside as he has had at least four sacks in each of the last two seasons. Most importantly, he's played in all 32 possible games during that time.
Hayes Pullard and Kyle Emanuel will also be unrestricted free agents, as will Damion Square. Most of Telesco's key decisions this offseason could center around those players.
But if you were Telesco and you made the decision to only sign one of these players (Perryman or Philon), which one do you go with?