After a dismal 2023 season in which they finished 5-12, the Los Angeles Chargers are facing a rebuild.
New head coach Jim Harbaugh wants to revitalize the offense, using star quarterback Justin Herbert as well as new offensive players such as offensive tackle Joe Alt and wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Brendan Rice.
However, the Chargers still need to make major changes on defense. Last year, Los Angeles allowed 362.9 yards per game, including 252.7 passing yards.
That left the Chargers with the fifth-worst defense in the entire NFL. Fortunately, they seem to be taking steps to change that.
In his move from the NCAA to the NFL, Harbaugh brought in Jesse Minter, the defensive coordinator who helped him win the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Chargers also signed defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe, cornerback Tarheeb Still and cornerback Cam Hart.
Now it looks like the Chargers are adding another defensive weapon to their arsenal.
According to a report from Daniel Popper of The Athletic, the Chargers have signed linebacker Shaquille Quarterman.
Quarterman was a standout defensive player at Miami and was named the starting linebacker in his freshman season. In his four years at The U, Quarterman recorded 356 total tackles, 12.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He was selected to the All-ACC second team once and the All-ACC first team twice.
Quarterman was selected 140th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 NFL Draft. In four years with the Jaguars, Quarterman recorded 54 total tackles and one forced fumble.
This comes at the expense of tight end/fullback Ben Mason, who the Chargers released to sign Quarterman. Mason was coached by Harbaugh at Michigan and played two seasons as a fullback, one on the defensive line and one as a tight end.
On offense, Mason rushed for 87 yards and caught 32 yards from the line of scrimmage during his entire college career. He scored a total of 10 touchdowns. On defense, Mason recorded a total of 14 tackles.
Mason was selected 184th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 NFL Draft. During his career, he was on the practice squads of the Ravens, New England Patriots and Chicago Bears.
Mason made his NFL debut with the Ravens in Week 18 of the 2023-2024 season, but was not signed to a reserve/future contract afterward. He signed a contract with the Chargers on April 2, 2024.
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