Chargers’ Brandon Staley on cutting 2019 first-round pick: ‘Wasn’t going to be a fit anymore’

The Los Angeles Chargers waived former first-round pick, Jerry Tillery, on Thursday after selecting him 28th in the 2019 NFL Draft. 

Tillery, who did not start a game for the Chargers during the 2022 season, ended his career in Los Angeles with 106 tackles and 10.5 sacks. 

“Jerry has been a valued member of our organization since arriving in 2019, and I want to thank him for all his contributions to the Chargers,” general manager Tom Telesco said in a statement, per NFL Network. “This was not an easy decision but, after careful consideration, it was a necessary one that is in the best interest of both team and player. We wish Jerry all the best moving forward in his career.”

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On Friday, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley shed some light on the decision to part ways with Tillery. 

“There’s a point in relationships like this where you’ve got to move on and it’s best for both people to move on,” Staley said Friday, according to ESPN. 

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The Chargers shopped Tillery at the trade deadline but were unable to find the right package and hoped that he would provide depth on the defensive line as Los Angeles pushes for its first playoff berth since 2018. 

But “philosophical differences” between Tillery and the coaching staff grew over the past week, as did “friction with other players,” according to ESPN.

“Competing visions for the role moving forward, and it just became clear that it wasn’t going to be a fit anymore,” Staley said when asked what had changed since the trade deadline. “Where we’re headed as a team wasn’t going to be compatible with Jerry and where he’s trying to go.”

The Chargers are 5-3 on the season and face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 10.