When the Chargers announced that Dwight Freeney signed with the team, General Manager Tom Telesco called him a “perfect fit” for the team’s 3-4 defense.
You can’t argue with that as far as getting a healthy body into the lineup to replace linebacker Melvin Ingram is concerned, but Freeney’s previously stated preference to play defensive end in a 4-3 scheme and somewhat diminished results in a 3-4 with the Colts in 2012 made “perfect” seem like a bit of an exaggeration. But, as Freeney explained to Peter King for this week’s Monday Morning Quarterback, the Chargers told him that they aren’t going to try to put a square peg in a round hole when it comes to deploying Freeney in 2013.
“They’ll run both. They’re willing to feature me and free me up to make plays. And they’re going to put me in good matchups in the 3-4,” Freeney said.
There wasn’t much point in signing Freeney if the Chargers weren’t going to use him to do what he does best, so we’d expect to see a fair amount of Freeney on the edge with his hand in the dirt on passing downs this season. With Kendall Reyes and Corey Liuget capable of generating some interior pressure, the Chargers pass rush should be able to threaten offenses in multiple ways now that Freeney’s in town.