LOS ANGELES — Six games into his NFL career, Tuli Tuipulotu is already proving his value to the L.A. Chargers.
After leading college football with 13.5 sacks in 2022, the USC defensive lineman was selected by the Chargers in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft.. Despite early-season struggles for L.A.’s defense as a whole, Tuipulotu has been a bright spot, bursting onto the scene with sacks in each of his first two games.
“He’s tough, rugged, low-maintenance,” said defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley before L.A.’s game against the Vikings about Tuipulotu. “He’s a throwback-type guy, loves contact, plays with a high motor.”
Added to a pass rushing group that already includes superstars Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, the L.A. native has played more than half of the Chargers’ defensive snaps in each game since Week 1.
So far this season, Tuipulotu has lined up on both the exterior and interior of the Chargers’ defensive line and has been used in both passing and rushing situations, proving capable wherever he plays.
“[Lining up all over the defensive line] takes me back to my USC days because we did the same thing my last year over there, where I would just roam around and jump through stuff,” said Tuipulotu after his strong first two games of the season. “It’s fun being able to be on the same field as K-Mack and Joey at the same time.”
In addition to his two sacks—good for third in the league among rookies—the former Trojan has also registered five tackles for a loss, tying him for the most among rookies and second on the Chargers through six games.
“Tuli is a baller, man,” said Mack after L.A.’s 0-2 start to the season. “He’s going out there and playing grown man football.”
Despite having only just turned 21, Tuipulotu is already being trusted by head coach Brandon Staley in important defensive situations.
“He just does a lot of things that winning edge players do. He can rush the passer. He is rugged in the run game. We can move him around. He has a big-time motor. You see that motor get him to a lot of the plays. He has been around the quarterback a lot this year,” Staley said.
With a record of 2-4 and with its bye week already in the rearview, L.A.’s season isn’t over, but it certainly is sputtering. The Chargers now look ahead back-to-back games against teams who will be without their starting quarterback: the Bears, who will be without Justin Fields, then the Zach Wilson-led Jets, a stretch that should hopefully provide some relief to the team’s struggling defensive unit.
Win or lose, this is only the beginning of a promising NFL career for Tuli Tuipulotu.