Chargers' Jim Harbaugh is about to make a drastic mistake

The Los Angeles Chargers are in a tough spot at wide receiver right now. They were already thin at the position before Mike Williams announced his impromptu retirement, and now, they are in as bad of shape as ever.

Beyond Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, there is a whole bunch of uncertainty on the depth chart. You have to figure that second-round draft pick Tre Harris will be in the mix as a top-three receiver, and fellow rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith will surely get some run, as well.

After that, though, it's anyone's guess what Jim Harbaugh decides to do at wide out, but one thing is for sure: he must avoid prioritizing Jalen Reagor over Brenden Rice, and it seems like he may be preparing to make a mistake there.

Earlier this offseason, offensive coordinator Greg Roman ran through all of the team's wide receivers and didn't even mention Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice who the Chargers drafted in the seventh round last year. Roman did, however, note Reagor, indicating that the former first-round bust is ahead of Rice in the pecking order.

But here's the thing: Rice hasn't gotten a chance yet. Reagor has, and he has proven that he is simply not a legitimate starter — or even a solid rotational player — on the NFL level since entering the league with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2020. Think about this for a second: the New England Patriots cut him last year, and they had the worst receiving corps in football in 2024.

At the very least, Rice has a large frame at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and could potentially serve as an adequate red-zone target for Justin Herbert, who threw a rather underwhelming 23 touchdown passes last season. Rice also displayed big-play ability during his final collegiate campaign at USC in 2023, hauling in 45 receptions for 791 yards and 12 scores, averaging 17.6 yards per carry.

It would not hurt to give Rice a chance, and it's not like the Chargers would be missing out on anything by choosing him over Reagor.

To be perfectly honest, Los Angeles should absolutely be on the hunt for another receiver before the start of the season, but for now, the Bolts must make do with what they have, and Harbaugh needs to make the right decision by rolling with Rice.