Sports
Is Tuli Tuipulotu the next Joey Bosa for the Chargers? Edge rusher 'does it all'
Tuli Tuipulotu is still finding his voice.
Naturally, he speaks through force on the field — a relentless pass rusher with a patented spin move that is disruptive to most offenses. Yet the third-year edge rusher for the Chargers remains reserved and soft-spoken in the locker room, still growing into his presence.
“He’s a quiet dude,” said Khalil Mack. “But when he speaks up, everybody listens.”
In the past, the homegrown talent — a Lawndale High product who played just 10 minutes from the Chargers’ facility — identified himself as an “underdog.” Now, he’s coming into his own vocally, stepping out of that label and doing it so convincingly that Mack, a future Hall of Famer, wants even more from him.
“When we’re on the field, signals being called on the sidelines, he kind of calls it,” Mack added. “He’s always been that guy anyway. Just to hear him speak in the room and speak in a group, amongst the defense, everybody hears him loud and clear.”
Since his rookie year, Tuipulotu has filled in as a spot starter. But with franchise stalwart Joey Bosa’s departure to Buffalo in the offseason, Tuipulotu could be primed for a breakout season, becoming a central piece in what was the top-ranked defense last season.
Even with more snaps and higher expectations, his standard hasn’t changed.
“I’ve been starting since my rookie year, and if that’s my role this year, then it’s going to feel the same,” Tuipulotu said. “I don’t think it’s anything different from what I’ve been doing.”
What has changed is Tuipulotu’s role as a leader.
“That comes with credibility,” he said. “You can’t just talk and not have stuff to back you up. I wouldn’t say I’ve been talking too much, but I’ve been talking enough.”
Last season, Tuipulotu boosted his credibility by filling in for Mack, who missed time because of an injury, and Bosa, who could never get fully healthy when trying to return from injury.
Despite starting just nine games, Tuipulotu logged 732 defensive snaps — a heavy workload that showcased his rising potential. He led the Chargers with 8½ sacks and emerged as a key piece of a defense that ranked top seven in total sacks (46).
The conversation now shifts to Tuipulotu’s ceiling. With Bosa gone, he’ll take over a starting role and see a major uptick in snaps. Still, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and veterans such as Mack remain measured — careful not to pile too much pressure or expectation on the 22-year-old.
Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu (45) pursues Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) last season at SoFi Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“You wish you could clone and have a bunch of him.”
— Ryan Ficken, Chargers special teams coach, on Tuli Tuipulotu
Even so, those around him can’t help but be impressed by his playmaking ability and growing comfort in Year 2 of Minter’s system.
“The really good players — can they do what you want them to do, but also have that little magic where sometimes they go outside of their realm and make a play?” Minter said. “They’ve always been that way, and he can be that.”
Opposite him on the edge, Mack says he is “taking all the steps and is playing all the different roles — inside, outside, dropping [into coverage]. He does it all.”
“I want to see him ball and make plays this year,” Mack added. “Not putting too much on him. I know what I expect from him this year … [It’s] just letting it happen naturally, just putting the action to it and not speaking on it too much.”
Early in his career, Tuipulotu’s versatility kept him on the field, particularly on special teams — a role that might now take a back seat despite his influence.
As a backup, he logged 339 snaps on kickoff and field-goal units, second most on the team. While Tuipulotu stays willing to contribute wherever needed, his coaches remain cautious, careful not to overextend him or slow his defensive development.
“You wish you could clone and have a bunch of him,” special teams coach Ryan Ficken said. “But there’s some give and take. Now you gotta take [his starting role] into consideration. … He wants to do it all. He wants to play on all those phases, and it’s just going to depend on the situation.”
Those around Tuipulotu are noticing his growing confidence — through his actions on the field and his voice off it. Building that confidence has been a key focus early in training camp, and he aims to carry it through the season.
With his elevated responsibilities, confidence will be key to his success as he steps into a new position that comes with leadership expectations and greater demands. For now, though, he isn’t making it bigger than it needs to be.
“It’s a game,” Tuipulotu said, nonchalantly. “It’s not hard to go out there and do your best. This is what we do. This is what we love to do.”
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A handful of Olympic participants will be competing where giants once roamed.
A wildlife photographer in Italy happened to come upon one of the oldest and largest known collection of dinosaur footprints at a national park near the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics venue of Bormio, officials said Tuesday. The entrance to the park, where the prints were discovered, is located about a mile from where the Men’s Alpine skiing will be held.
In this photograph taken in September 2025 and released Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, by Stelvio National Park, Late Triassic prosauropod footprints are seen on the slopes of the Fraeel Valley in northern Italy. (Elio Della Ferrera/Stelvio National Park via AP)
The estimated 20,000 footprints are believed to date back about 210 million years to the Triassic Period and made by long-necked bipedal herbivores that were 33 feet long, weighing up to four tons, similar to a Plateosaurus, Milan Natural History Museum paleontologist Cristiano Dal Sasso said.
“This time reality really surpasses fantasy,” Dal Sasso added.
Wildlife photographer Elio Della Ferrera made the discovery at Stelvio National Park near the Swiss border in September. The spot is considered to be a prehistoric coastal area that has never previously yielded dinosaur tracks, according to experts.
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This photograph, taken in September 2025 and released Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, by Stelvio National Park, shows a Late Triassic prosauropod footprint discovered in the Fraele Valley in northern Italy. (Elio Della Ferrara/Stelvio National Park via AP)
The location is about 7,900-9,200 feet above sea level on a north-facing wall that is mostly in the shade. Dal Sasso said, adding that the footprints were a bit hard to spot without a very strong lens.
“The huge surprise was not so much in discovering the footprints, but in discovering such a huge quantity,’’ Della Ferrera said. “There are really tens of thousands of prints up there, more or less well-preserved.’’
Though there are no plans as of now to make the footprints accessible to the public, Lombardy regional governor Attilio Fontana hailed the discovery as a “gift for the Olympics.”
Lombardy region governor Attilio Fontana attends a press conference in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, on a discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks in Lombardy region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
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The Winter Olympics are set to take place Feb. 6-22.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
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Sports
Trump support drove wedge between former Mets star teammates, says sports radio star Mike Francesa
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New York sports radio icon Mike Francesa claims differing views on President Donald Trump created a divide within the Mets clubhouse.
Francesa said on his podcast Tuesday that a feud between shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who was recently traded to the Texas Rangers, was ignited by politics. Francesa did not disclose which player supported Trump and which didn’t.
“The Nimmo-Lindor thing, my understanding, was political, had to do with Trump,” Francesa said. “One side liked Trump, one side didn’t like Trump.”
New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor (12) gestures to teammates after hitting an RBI single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in New York City. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)
Francesa added, “So, Trump splitting up between Nimmo and Lindor. That’s my understanding. It started over Trump… As crazy as that sounds, crazier things have happened.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mets for a response.
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New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor (12) and Brandon Nimmo (9) celebrate after a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 27, 2023, in New York City. The Mets won 7-2. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)
Nimmo was traded to the Rangers on Nov. 23 after waiving the no-trade clause in his 8-year, $162 million contract earlier that month.
The trade of Nimmo has been just one domino in a turbulent offseason for the Mets, which has also seen the departure of two other fan-favorites, first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz.
All three players had been staples in the Mets’ last two playoff teams in 2022 and 2024, playing together as the team’s core dating back to 2020.
Brandon Nimmo #9 of the New York Mets celebrates an RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning in Game One of the Division Series at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Heather Barry/Getty Images)
In return for Nimmo, the Rangers sent second baseman Marcus Semien to the Mets. Nimmo is 32 years old and is coming off a year that saw him hit a career-high in home runs with 25, while Semien is 35 and hit just 15 homers in 2025.
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Many of the MLB’s high-profile free agents have already signed this offseason. The remaining players available include Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette and Framber Valdez.
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