The battle at middle linebacker for the San Diego Chargers will be fun to watch during training camp with Manti Te’o, Donald Butler and Denzel Perryman.

The battle at middle linebacker is going to be intense during training camp. Manti Te’o and Donald Butler were the starters last season, but Denzel Perryman was added to the roster through the draft to bring more competition to the field.

Manti Te’o has entered the last two seasons with some annoying foot injuries, He finished last season strong though and will be ready to make a bigger impact this season. The team traded up on draft day to bring him onto the roster. The expectations are high from him, but we are waiting to see him make more game changing plays on the field. At Notre Dame, he was able to get his hands on a lot of footballs and force turnovers. We are waiting to see that type of production from him on the Chargers defense. In his 3rd season in the league, this could be the time for him to breakout. That will be the expectation for him in year 3.

Donald Butler played well in his first season with Mike McCoy and Tom Telesco running the team and was able to get a new contract out of them with his play. He has shown the signs of being an impact player in the past, but last season he was a step too slow for everything. He will be under the microscope this season, but the latest word out of training camp is that he has been impressive and could get back to his older form. Maybe the arrival of some competition has motivated him to step up his game. At the end of last season, he was losing playing time to some of the other players on the roster. He has to produce and has to show that he can stay healthy. The team will be able to let him go at the end of the year without it hurting too much on the salary cap. It will be a big year for Donald to produce. He should be able to make an impact like he has done in the past.

Denzel Perryman will be the wildcard of the group. He is a big hitter and has the instincts to be around the football. He will be pushing the starters for some playing time. If either Manti Te’o or Donald Butler slack at any point, Perryman will be there to take some of that playing time. It might be hard to keep any of the guys off of the field. We can only hope that they all make that type of impact in games.

The competition at the position should bring out the best of all the players that are on the field. we should see these guys flying around to the football making impact plays. Can’t wait to see the impact that these guys bring.