SAN DIEGO -- Now that Joey Bosa's contract with the San Diego Chargers is signed, it will be up to coach Mike McCoy and defensive coordinator John Pagano to get the rookie first-round draft pick ready to contribute in time for the regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 11.
Or perhaps the expectation is Bosa will play at a later date? When asked if Bosa will play against the Chiefs, McCoy indicated he will take a wait-and-see approach.
McCoy said he knew before the team’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday that Bosa would be with the club Monday.
“He came in in great shape,” McCoy said. “I had a great conversation with him this morning when he got in and talked about what we’re going to do with him. We’ll go one day at a time with him, and when we think he’s ready to play to go out there and play he’ll be out there with us.”
The Chargers did a good job of keeping Bosa’s arrival a secret, flying him in late Sunday evening and bringing him to the facility early Monday morning. McCoy said that when he brought Chargers chairman Dean Spanos down to the weight room to meet Bosa, the rookie was doing squats.
"He just wants to come in and help us win,” McCoy said. “That’s what it’s all about. He loves to play the game of football. I can’t say that enough about him.”
The Chargers have been giving Bosa’s replacement Darius Philon as many reps a possible during preseason games. Taking a cautious approach, Bosa will not play Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers in the team’s final preseason game.
Now that he’s signed, Bosa will have the next couple of weeks in practice to get up to speed so that the Chargers can at least use the Ohio State product in certain packages.
After a slow start, Bosa showed progress toward the end of offseason work before he decided to skip the team’s mandatory minicamp in June. A 4-3 defensive end in college, Bosa will be used as a 3-4 defensive end in Pagano’s scheme, moving him outside to rush the passer in obvious passing situations.
Another thing working in San Diego’s favor is that Bosa was considered one of the most pro-ready players in the draft.
“Bosa might not be the kind of freakish athlete you peg for a future 20-sack season, but he's a much better athlete than many give him credit for,” ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. “And he'll be an early contributor who can stay on the field in any situation.”
San Diego’s situation on the defensive line certainly served as an impetus to get a deal done. The Chargers lost versatile defensive lineman Sean Lissemore for the season to a shoulder injury and placed him on injured reserve. And backup nose tackle Damion Square will miss the first four games of the year for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs after missing a toxicology test in January.
Add to the fact that the Chargers gave up a league-leading 4.8-yards per carry during exhibition play and it was time to get Bosa in camp.
“He’s a technician,” McCoy said. “And I think that’s what makes him so good, along with the way he works.
“The way you saw him work when he came in here and the fundamentals he used, whether it was a walk-through or a practice when he was here, and you see him doing all of the individual work when he was here. I promise you he was doing all of that stuff when he was back at home.”