COSTA MESA — Denzel Perryman spoke Monday about signing with the Chargers as a free agent in March, about coming home to the franchise that drafted him in the second round in 2015. He talked about being the grizzled veteran among a linebacker corps dominated by young players.
He fretted about feeling nervous in front of a cluster of reporters, with bright lights shining on him and cameras focused upon him. He said he was happy wearing uniform No. 6 for the first time after wearing No. 52 for six years with the Chargers (in San Diego and L.A.), two with the Las Vegas Raiders and one with the Houston Texans.
“I wasn’t paying Khalil Mack millions of dollars for 52, so I was, like, he can have it,” Perryman said after the Chargers held their first organized training activity of the spring, laughing as he referred to the current owner of No. 52, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection. “Six was available, so I just started rocking with it.”
Clearly, Perryman began to feel at ease.
Perryman spoke playfully about his first impressions of new Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh during his limited time around him. Perryman offered an unexpected opinion, one that had everyone in the interview room at the team’s practice facility laughing for some time in only a matter of seconds.
“My first impressions of Harbaugh – like I don’t want to get in trouble for this – but he reminds me of Will Ferrell,” Perryman said of the comedic actor. “The way that he talks. His analogies and everything, but they really remind me of Will Ferrell. It’s just funny to me. It’s funny, but I know he means well.
“Everything is coming from the heart. I feel like you have to have a sense of humor to understand some of his lines and gimmicks. But I love him. I love him. I love him as a coach. I love the direction that he’s got us going in. He played the game. He played here (with the Chargers), and he understands.”
Perryman said it’s not something he’s shared with his new coach.
“I’m pretty sure we’re going to talk about it (Tuesday),” he said.
Perryman said he wasn’t thinking about a specific Ferrell character.
“I don’t know, man,” he said. “He just gives a Will Ferrell vibe.”
Is there something specific Harbaugh does to bring Ferrell to mind?
“I don’t know if it’s his tone of voice or, like, just the way he talks in general,” Perryman said. “The first thing that comes into my head is Will Ferrell. I do take him seriously. I do take everything he says seriously, but he does joke around, oh God, and I start cracking up when I see him.”
HAPPY HOMECOMING
Perryman played with the Chargers for six seasons before spending two seasons with the AFC West rival Raiders and one with the Texans before signing a one-season deal with a cap hit of $2.175 million with his original team. He was a Pro Bowl selection with Las Vegas during the 2021 season.
“It feels good to be back, back where it all started, like I’m back home,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of different faces in the locker room. Some familiar faces. So, it just feels good to be home. Just a lot of new faces. It’s just a whole different structure Coach Harbaugh has going on.”
Perryman, 31, returned to the Chargers as an elder statesman among the team’s inside linebackers. Daiyan Henley is a second-year player, for instance. Junior Colson is a rookie, the Chargers’ third-round draft pick from the University of Michigan. Nick Niemann is a fourth-year player, a special teams standout.
Asked about filling a specific role, Perryman shrugged.
“Whatever they want me to do,” he said. “I’ll be a placekicker if they ask me.”
He laughed again and reporters laughed along with him.
ODDS AND ENDS
Colson left the field before the end of practice, accompanied by athletic trainers as he walked to the locker room. … Mack and fellow edge rusher Joey Bosa were each in attendance for the first day of OTAs. … Running back Gus Edwards and edge rusher Bud Dupree were among the most noteworthy absentees for Monday’s optional practice. … Running back Kimani Vidal, a sixth-round pick from Troy, has taken possession of jersey No. 30, the number formerly worn by running back Austin Ekeler, who signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent in March.