With 10 sacks and growing leadership, Chargers OLB Tuli Tuipulotu elevating all aspects of his game

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Tuli Tuipulotu leads the Los Angeles Chargers with 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.

Those are not the only areas where Tuipulotu is guiding the Chargers, with their emerging star outside linebacker becoming more comfortable expressing himself in his third season.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said Tuipulotu spoke to the defense prior to their 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, stressing the need to come out with the right mindset following an ugly loss in Jacksonville on Nov. 16 before their bye week.

Tuipulotu then led the way with two sacks and four tackles for loss as the Chargers (8-4) allowed a season-low 156 total yards.

“And when you speak that, and then you go out and play the way he played, that’s pretty cool, and that earns yourself a lot of respect, which he already has,” Minter said.

Tuipulotu played his first NFL game seven days after his 21st birthday in 2023, but he joined a position group that already had premier players in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Tuipulotu deferred to the veterans and wouldn’t even refer to them by their first names as a rookie.

“His mind was churning, but the words weren’t coming out yet,” Mack said.

Tuipulotu was content to focus on learning from the two proven edge defenders. That approach had already helped set up the Lawndale, California, native for success in high school and again in college at Southern California.

His older brother, Marlon Tuipulotu, was a standout defensive tackle for the Trojans. Cousin Talanoa Hufanga was an All-America safety at USC and the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2020. Following their examples gave Tuli Tuipulotu an understanding of everything it took to excel, and he joined Hufanga as the Pac-12’s top defender in 2022 and was a unanimous All-American that season.

Drafted in the second round by the Chargers with the 54th overall pick in April 2023, Tuipulotu already had an understanding of what was coming. Marlon had two years of NFL experience with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chargers’ opponent on Monday night. Hufanga had just earned All-Pro honors in his second year in San Francisco.

Coincidentally, both are now playing in the AFC West for the Chargers’ divisional foes, as Marlon is with Kansas City and Hufanga in Denver.

“They just paved the way,” Tuli Tuipulotu said. “They made things a lot easier for me, just because I know what the process is. I knew what the process was going into college because of them. I know the process was going into the NFL because of them.”

Tuipulotu has been able to take the processes and experiences of family and teammates, including Mack and Bosa, to adapt and elevate in his own ways.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh raves about Tuipulotu’s fitness regiment. Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer was caught by surprise when he recently came in for a treatment session and saw Tuipulotu already out on the field in cleats at 6 a.m. Minter praised the detailed notes Tuipulotu takes and the questions he asks in meetings.

“It’s a process to be a good player,” Minter said. “And that word gets thrown around a lot, but for Tuli, it’s truly like everything he does leads to how he plays on game day.”

The carryover has been particularly evident of late as Tuipulotu has had five sacks and nine tackles for loss in his past five games. He has helped the Chargers navigate the departure of Bosa, who was cut in the offseason for salary cap reasons, both coming off the edge in base personnel and lining up inside in specialty packages.

Salyer, who has played guard and tackle for the Chargers, said Tuipulotu’s mix of physical tools and approach to the position exacerbates the mismatch between a natural pass rusher and interior offensive linemen that already exists in obvious throwing situations.

“I mean, Tuli is a player that really takes advantage of bad technique,” Salyer said. “He’s a lot stronger than he looks, and he just plays really hard. He plays the game harder than most guys really do, so if you take a play off, he’s gonna take advantage of that. If you take a bad set, he’s gonna take advantage of that.”

Minter sees the expanded versatility of Tuipulotu’s pass rush identity as another indicator of him reaching a new level.

“And when you’re like a dominant player, and you play with the physicality that he plays with, and the relentless motor that he plays with, it’s almost like, ‘Hey, put me wherever. Try and get me a one-on-one, and I can win.’ And I think he’s got that mindset, which is awesome to have,” Minter said.

Putting all those things together, Tuipulotu has already surged past his previous career highs of 8 1/2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2024 with five games remaining. The Chargers won’t put any limits on what he can accomplish this season or going forward.

“I always say the sky’s the limit for Tuli, man,” Mack said. “I’m not expecting him to just stop at 10, and I’ll just leave it at that.”

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