On Thursday, the Los Angeles Chargers made a huge splash, trading for former All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack. The Chargers sent a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears to acquire the services of the six-time Pro Bowler. The trade sent shockwaves around the league, and sent a clear message to the rest of the division that the Chargers are coming, both figuratively and literally for their quarterbacks. Earlier in the week, the division rival Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson. That made the AFC West arguably the best division in the NFL and easily full of the best quarterbacks for any division. A great way to combat great quarterback play is to have an elite pass rush. The Chargers recognized that fact and pounced on it.

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The Chargers will have to pay the entire remaining salary on Mack's contract, three years and $63 million. However, they were able to get the Bears to eat the dead money, $24 million.

Los Angeles' season came to a crashing half last season. Even though the rush defense was by far the biggest weakness of the team, adding a player like Mack who is primarily a pass rusher these days, will still make a big difference.

So, let's dive into it and detail my three bold predictions for Khalil Mack this season with the Chargers.

3 Bold Predictions for Khalil Mack with Chargers Next Season

3. Khalil Mack Has Massive Impact on Joey Bosa

With Khalil Mack in the fold, it will undoubtedly have a strong impact on the performance of Joey Bosa. Bosa has been one of the best defensive pass rushers since he first entered the league in 2016 with the Chargers. He posted 10.5 sacks as a rookie and has posted double digit sack seasons every year in which he was healthy.

In both 2018 and 2020, Bosa missed extended time with injuries and his numbers suffered. He only recorded 5.5 and 7.5 sacks respectively those years in Los Angeles.

But like most elite pass rushers, Bosa has seen a lot of double teams. It's going to be much more difficult for offensive lines to double him with the presence of Mack on the line. This tandem might not be quite as great as the other Los Angeles team, with Aaron Donald and Von Miller, but it's not far off. We saw all season what you can do when you have two of the best pass rushers in the NFL on the same team.

Even All-Pro defensive end Chandler Jones recognizes how tough of a combo that is.

I believe we will see Bosa set a career-high in sacks in 2022. His previous mark is 12.5 set back in 2017. I think he surpasses that by a wide margin next year.

2. Mack quickly puts foot surgery behind him

Last season, Mack suffered a foot injury relatively early in the season. He would go on to have successful foot surgery late in November. But outside of that injury, Mack has been remarkably durable throughout his career.

Prior to 2021 when he missed the final 10 games, Mack played in all but two games over the first seven years of his career. Knowing how physical of a player Mack is, the Chargers are likely looking at someone they can count on to be there all season.

The first few years of Mack's career, he lined up solely as a defensive end. He was obviously great at it, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2016. But you can argue his impact on the game had only grown since moving to linebacker in Chicago. He was around the ball a lot more, on non-sack plays. That led to 14 forced fumbles his first three years with the Bears.

It's likely the Chargers deploy him in a similar manner, as a three-point technique outside linebacker. He will remind everyone how dominant he is as Los Angeles' vocal leader on defense.

1. Chargers Win the AFC West

The AFC West is shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions we have seen in years. The fact that Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr are all in the same division is crazy.

A general rule of thumb to win football games; protect your quarterback and get after theirs. The Chargers are likely in the best place to accomplish that goal among the teams in the division.

The Chiefs pass rush was too inconsistent and even their offensive line play was poor for long stretches last season. The Raiders had a good pass rush, but did not have the cover guys on the back end to support it. Denver, well, who knows exactly what Denver is going to look like.

Los Angeles though has a solid secondary. They still need to fill the hole likely left by Linval Joseph at defensive tackle. But assuming they can find someone to eat up some space and allow Mack and Bosa to do their jobs, the Chargers might have the best defense in the AFC West. Justin Herbert and the offense you already know are elite.

That has all the makings of a Chargers division championship.