The powder blue is not unfamiliar to linebacker Denzel Perryman since he spent his first six seasons with the Chargers. The veteran was drafted by the Bolts in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft.
“It feels good to be back, back where it all started,” Perryman said. “Like I’m back home.”
“Obviously, there’s a lot of different faces in the locker room, some familiar faces,” he added. “Even in the building, there’s new faces, familiar faces. It just feels good.”
Perryman’s return to the Chargers will definitely be memorable with the electric additions since he last donned the powder blue. With head coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm, Perryman has spent the offseason getting to know all the new faces.
“Different faces in here. Obviously, it’s a whole different structure that Coach Harbaugh got going on,” Perryman said. “I don’t know what the structure was last year or previous years before that, but I like the structure he has, the way he goes about directing the team. I love it.”
One of the newest additions to the coaching staff, linebackers coach NaVorro Bowman, kept a close eye on Perryman throughout free agency.
“I’ve been watching Denzel for a long time, and he plays the right way,” Bowman said about Perryman. “When I knew that he was out there, I wanted to get him.”
As a veteran, Perryman is a player who can make an impact on and off the field. He can help the team by playing at a high level and the young linebackers, including rookie Junior Colson, can glean from his knowledge and experience.
“He’s a 10-year vet, and still, he’s doing the things that a lot of 10-year guys I played with wouldn’t do,” Bowman said. He’s approaching it the right way and we’re glad to have him.”
Perryman has no specific role yet, However, he is willing to contribute to the team in any way he can.
“Whatever they want me,” Perryman said jokingly. “I’ll be the placekicker if they ask me to.”
Perryman’s unselfish attitude is a reflection of the culture Harbaugh is trying to build in Los Angeles. The season can’t come soon enough to see Perryman and the rest of the Bolts in action.