Drue Tranquill
Did you know that once upon a time linebacker Drue Tranquill was an IDP breakout candidate? Only then to have a really early 2020 week one ankle injury end it all? It was unfortunate, to say the least for those managers who made the investment. Yet, we have upside again upon re-evaluating his 2022 situation. Insight on how restocking Tranquill will pay off as a buy low option and late draft gem again. Don’t sleep on him, he’s still got something to prove.
The IDP Dime
This isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to dropping an IDP dime on Drue Tranquill. If you followed my content you might know I was driving the bandwagon starting in 2019 and into 2020. Let’s just say, I don’t think anyone could have been any more excited about his potential back then. The stars were all aligned and I was full tilt on having him everywhere I could. Enter 2021, something didn’t feel right after re-evaluating him again. So I didn’t make any new investments nor did I hype up the fact he’d return from the injury. Although I did consider it and thankfully my hesitations didn’t come back to haunt me. He landed around 75th among all linebackers in IDP production last year with a weekly Tier 3 average. Which only made him a serviceable fill-in or possible bye-week play in most of my formats. Outside the realm of being a real impactful IDP play in most leagues.
What’s Changed
Tranquill has now got a decent season under his belt post-injury. Did he stay healthy all year? No, he missed at least two contests with minor injuries. Which also hampered his snap counts when he did return to the lineup. So do we label him an injury risk? Sure, but let’s think of that as an advantage in our favor at this point. He’s still young and can break that mold with a little luck going his way. After all, we can expect a down season after an injury most of the time, so nothing new there. Oh, he graded out on par and just edged out as the highest graded Charger inside linebacker. That’s somewhat impressive considering everything up to this point of his career. Kenneth Murray simply looks like a bust, period. It’s no secret on film or by the Charger’s actions of demoting him. And just like the team, his managers came into 2021 thinking he’d take the next step. When actually he graded out way worse than he did his first sub-par season in the NFL. That’s not exactly an indication he has much of a chance to turn it around either. So at this rate, it’s questionable if he’ll even be the first linebacker off the bench when they need one next year. Kyzer White did lead the Chargers in ILB production this past season while grading out above par. Also landing as a tier one linebacker via points and weekly average in most formats. But we are far from convinced it’s what the Chargers wanted. Or what they’ll need in 2022. And being a free agent right now does make him one of the wild cards when evaluating Tranquill.
What’s Changing?
The Draft is around the corner and the Chargers are on the verge of being a real strong Super Bowl contender. So this certainly is another wild card to add. The Chargers aren’t shy about drafting off the ball inside linebackers either. But they certainly aren’t known for reaching in the higher rounds. If we take first rounder bust Kenneth Murray out of the equation. Tranquill and White were fourth rounders. And that’s about the average the Chargers are willing to spend at ILB in the draft over the last few years. It does make us wonder. How bad does the Murray selection two years ago in the first feels? Are they feeling lucky this year? It’s out there everywhere if you look the Chargers have some major needs on the defensive side of the ball. The cornerbacks and the interior defensive line struggled last year. The IDL unit was at the bottom of the NFL barrel in defending the run. Allowing opposing offenses more than 140 yards per game in rushing. While there wasn’t an above-par performance from any of the cornerbacks, including Chris Harris Jr. This unit struggled and arguably is the Charger’s top need. It also just happens to be a cornerback rich draft this year, if that matters one way or the other. Free agency is also playing out and the last wild card. The Chargers do have the cap, but also have a few players to pay. That list isn’t exactly short either. According to most here are the top free agents. WR Mike Williams, LB Uchenna Nwosu, DE Justin Jones, DT Linval Joseph, CB Chris Harris Jr., TE Jared Cook, OG Oday Aboushi, and LB Kyzir White. If they let them walk, they got to replace them.
Changes For Drue Tranquill?
In short order, nothing is changing for Drue Tranquill. That’s our hot suit in this deck of cards. And knowing the Charger’s front office tendencies helps some. So considering the situation it’s highly unlikely they do anything more than normal. Resign or replace Kyzer White with the equivalent rookie or free agent. And possibly add completion for Murray if they think they should.
We know this isn’t a by-the-numbers approach to see Drue Tranquill’s upside this season. But we’ve all heard about third year breakouts. So what is it going to hurt to buy low or make him a draft gem? He’s heading into his 4th season but missed one. So altogether we have a former breakout candidate about to get a full off-season. One with on par grades and a decent recovery season under his belt. On top of one that likely wants to get paid, if the Chargers don’t extend him. With a situation that almost guaranteed him a starting job. At the right price, I’ll take those odds. There’s no reason to think Tranquill will note take the next step. He’s sure fought his way through to this point and I don’t doubt the man won’t keep going.
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