First-year San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy seemed impressed with veteran free-agent defensive end Dwight Freeney during his San Diego visit. The coach told ESPN the team will certainly design its defensive scheme to accommodate him if it can sign him.
The Chargers currently use a 3-4 base defense and the 33-year-old Freeney was less effective when the Indianapolis Colts switched to that alignment and moved him to outside linebacker last season. Freeney has seen the most success while playing at defensive end in a 4-3 pass rush defense.
One of the league's premier pass-rushers with 107.5 career sacks, Freeney became a priority for McCoy's team after former first-round pick Melvin Ingram suffered a season-ending knee injury during organized team activities this week and will require surgery.
Freeney had five sacks and 12 tackles in 2012, continuing a steady decline that has taken place over the past few seasons. In 2011, he had 19 tackles and 8.5 sacks, which was down from 25 tackles and 10 sacks in 2010. This was also a decline from 2009, when Freeney had 31 tackles and 13.5 sacks.
Ingram, drafted 18th overall by San Diego in 2012, started just one game and had one sack, 16 tackles and a forced fumble. He was expected to take on an increased role in the Chargers' defense this season with outside linebackers Antwan Barnes (New York Jets) and Shaun Phillips (Denver Broncos) signing elsewhere in the offseason.
If San Diego can sign Freeney to a deal this offseason, they will hope to get the productivity of one of the NFL's most decorate pass rushers in recent memory. A seven-time All-Star, Freeney was the 2005 AFC Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time First-team All-Pro. He is a member of the 100 career sacks club and the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.
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