San Diego Chargers claim DE Joe Kruger off waivers
By Joel Burdeos
San Diego, CA- The San Diego Chargers have claimed defensive end Joe Kruger off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles.
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The Chargers are suddenly lacking depth on the defensive line due to injuries to Kwame Geathers, Sean Lissemore, Lawrence Guy, Damik Scafe, Ryan Carrethers and the loss of undrafted rookie defensive end Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe for the season due to a torn ACL.
With the Chargers desperate need on the defensive line, Kruger has a solid chance of making the 53-man roster.
Joe Kruger was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 7th round (No. 212 overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of the University of Utah. Joe Kruger in his three seasons at Utah had 69 career tackles, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and one interception.
Joe Kruger spent his entire rookie season on the injured reserve and with the Eagles having a surplus of talented defensive ends already on the roster their just wasn’t any room for Kruger.
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Here is a scouting report of Joe Kruger from NFL.com:
"STRENGTHS Very impressive size. Athletic. Long arms. Plays with power, capable of bull rushing offensive lineman back into the quarterback. Extends his arms and can keep offensive lineman off his frame. Good first step, comes off the ball well. Plays with a firm base. Flows to the football well, and is an effort player. Possesses the ability to redirect."
"WEAKNESSES Plays with a high pad level too often. Pops upright off the snap and will give up leverage. Needs to add more weight. Struggles to bend as a pass rusher. Lacks counter moves, will get stuck on his block. Inconsistent hand placement.NFL COMPARISON Jared OdrickBOTTOM LINE Kruger has an great frame, and is highly athletic and powerful. His technique is raw, and he needs to work on improving his pad level, but he has plenty of upside as a 34 defensive end."