Chargers’ special teams unit under pressure to improve
Linebacker Troy Reeder expects better in Saturday's preseason finale in New Orleans, but acknowledges challenges ahead after last week's dismal performance
COSTA MESA — Special teams? No, the Chargers’ special teams weren’t very special during their 32-18 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in an exhibition game Saturday at SoFi Stadium, giving up not one but two long returns for touchdowns in nearly matching first-half breakdowns.
Chargers fans sat in stunned silence as KaVontae Turpin returned Dustin Hopkins’ kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, sprinting through a sizable hole in the coverage, thanks to excellent blocking. The scene was almost the same for Turpin’s 86-yard TD punt return later in the half.
The Cowboys built a commanding 29-10 lead by halftime, thanks in large part to Turpin’s returns. He became the first player in nine years to return a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the same game, whether in the preseason, the regular season or the playoffs.
Chargers linebacker Troy Reeder said he expects better from his fellow special team players, but acknowledged there are challenges in his first season with the Chargers after three with the Rams. Practice is fine, but it’s the game action that they need.
“I think we have a lot to improve on,” Reeder said after the team’s final training camp practice Wednesday, one day before departing for New Orleans for its exhibition finale Friday against the Saints. “Honestly, right now, we need these live opportunities to learn how to play with each other. … There are just a couple of things with the coverage lanes and staying on slightly different levels where we can play off of each other. It’s nothing catastrophic that can’t be fixed.
“We’ve been out here working on it all week and we’ll continue to.”
The Chargers hired Ryan Ficken as their new special teams coordinator last Feb. 3. Ficken, a former UCLA graduate assistant, spent 15 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before joining the Chargers, whose special teams have been ranked near the bottom in the NFL in recent years.
Last year, the Chargers were ranked 28th in special teams DVOA, an analytical tool that measures teams, units and players. They improved from 32nd and last in 2020, but that wasn’t enough to save the job of special teams coordinator Derius Swinton II, who was fired after only one season.
Ficken was hired after raising the Vikings’ special teams ranking from 31st in 2020 to 13th last season.
“I’ve had four different special teams coordinators in my four years,” Reeder said. “I’ve learned a lot from each of them. I love Coach Ficken and I’ve had a lot of fun working with him. It’s just really hard to recreate (solid play) in practice, especially the way camp is now when you’re hardly ever in pads.
“These game reps are huge and crucial for us learning how to play with each other as a full unit. Obviously, we’re not even to the first regular-season game, so I’d like to see a lot of improvement. After last week, there is definitely a lot to look at on the tape and learn from it and move on and keep getting better.”
The Chargers signed wide receiver DeAndre Carter in the offseason to return kicks, and he hasn’t returned a kickoff or a punt in either exhibition game, a sign he’s likely made the 53-man roster that will be finalized next Tuesday. Starters have made only rare preseason appearances so far.
Carter, who has played with Washington, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia during his four-year career in the NFL, said past troubles haven’t been a topic of conversation among the Chargers’ special teams players. They would like to leave the past in the past.
“A lot of the guys that will be on the unit – I wouldn’t say a lot of the guys, because some of the guys weren’t here last year,” Carter said of the special team players. “Ficken wasn’t here last year, our coordinator. But we all know we need to step up in that phase of the game, and we plan to do so.”
Preseason finale: Chargers at Saints
When: 5 p.m. Friday
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
TV: CBS2 LA