Tahir Whitehead familiar with Chargers from years in AFC West

[Sir Purr]

CHARLOTTE — Besides the former Chargers on Carolina's roster — safety Tre Boston and offensive linemen Russell Okung and Michael Schofield — no Panther is more familiar with this weekend's opponent than linebacker Tahir Whitehead.


While playing for the AFC West division rival Raiders the past two seasons, Whitehead faced the Los Angeles offense four times. Though the Chargers no longer have quarterback Philip Rivers, Whitehead sees an offense that's very similar to the one he faced late last season following Shane Steichen's promotion to offensive coordinator.


"They're working out some kinks, but you can see that they still have their guys who are making plays," Whitehead said.


First-round pick Justin Herbert will start at quarterback after he took over for the injured Tyrod Taylor just before kickoff last week. Herbert was impressive, especially with such short notice, completing 22 of his 33 passes for 311 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a rushing touchdown against the Chiefs.


Playing on the West Coast for the last two years, Whitehead became familiar with Herbert from watching Oregon games on Saturdays.


"If you're the backup, you're pretty much getting little to no reps at all during game week. So to see what he was able to go out there and do, manage the offense and get them down the field against the Chiefs, I think that was extremely impressive," Whitehead said.


Though it's just one game, Herbert's play last week is enough to get a decent scouting report on the young quarterback. Besides that, Whitehead feels it's best to look at concepts and what Steichen has done in the past.


"I think their offensive personnel and their offensive scheme suits him," Whitehead said. "He didn't look uncomfortable at all out there running the show."


A strong running game is often a young quarterback's best friend, and the Chargers have that with Austin Ekeler and rookie Joshua Kelley. The pair have combined for 301 yards rushing on 70 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt.


While Ekeler leads Los Angeles with 35 carries, he's also earned a reputation for being one of the league's top receiving backs. Last season, Ekeler caught 92 passes for 993 yards with eight touchdowns. Through two games in 2020, he's caught five passes for 58 yards.


Whitehead described Ekeler as a slippery player who's comparable to former Chargers, Saints, and Eagles running back Darren Sproles. But it's the intensity Ekeler plays with that lets Whitehead know the running back came into the league undrafted.