Necessary Pick Ups for 4-3 Chargers at the Trade Deadline

This one is a no-brainer, especially after Mike Williams going down – which only adds more impact to Keenan Allen’s lingering injury. The need for receiving help was made obvious after Keenan Allen went down, and it seemed like DeAndre Carter was WR1. Granted, Carter showed up and played well – but for that’s not going to cut it for any team with Super Bowl aspirations. Now that Mike Dub is down and out – the Chargers find themselves back to crisis mode. 

With Kenny Golladay, Jerry Jeudy, Chase Claypool, and Denzel Mims believed to be on the board – it’s quite obvious who the best are, talent-wise. But, it’s more than doubtful that the Broncos would deal Jeudy to a division rival, and Claypool would likely come at a high price. I’d say Golladay is the safest bet, given he has some WR1 experience, and is especially good with the long ball. Mims would be more of a risk – but the payoff could be huge. 

Cornerback

Again, part of this is due to injury – but even with JC Jackson on the field, the Chargers secondary was far too inconsistent for comfort. There’s been a decent amount of interceptions – yet also a lot of blown coverages. And it’s not fun to watch. When Trevor Lawrence, Jacoby Brissett, and Geno Smith can tear you apart – you know you have a problem. And now that JC will be out for the year, it’s a legitimate urgency that needs to be addressed.

Sidney Jones IV and William Jackson III seem to be the only ones rumored to be on the block. And, to be honest, either of those two would be an upgrade from Michael Davis – a guy who’s been undoubtedly the most inconsistent CB on the Bolts’ roster. So, here’s what I think the plan of action should be. If the Chargers can merely snag a CB2 level guy – you move Asante Samuel Jr up to CB1, plug & play the new guy at CB2, and keep Bryce Callahan in the slot. If that can happen, this position turns into a strength.

Offensive Tackle

This was the one void all of us fans at least knew about even before the season started. The Chargers struck gold when they landed Rashawn Slater last year, and may have done the same with Jamaree Salyer as well. But Storm Norton and Trey Pipkins have been far, far from that. Trey Pipkins is comparable to a solid back up, he’s serviceable, and would perfectly come in handy replacing the injured Slater. But as a starter – nope, no thanks. Especially if you want Herbert’s ribs to stay intact. And Storm Norton? I’ll save you all the ranting. The guy is just… bad.

The answer here, in my opinion, would be Eric Fisher – who, I’ll remind y’all, is a free agent. It’s a low-risk option that both parties can agree isn’t a long term fix. And that’s quite alright – let’s call a spade a spade, Fisher would be replacing the injured Slater for the rest of the year, then walk away – no hard feelings. But do you really need to sign a free agent for a little over half of a year? In this case, when it comes to keeping your franchise QB safe – I’d say the answer is an obvious yes.

Conclusion

In closing, I’d like to take this moment to beg of Tom Telesco to get rid of Jerry Tillery. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a circular hole – it’s just not going to work. The guy has all of the physical tools, yes, I get it – but you can’t teach intangibles. If penalty yardage was a positive statistic – Tillery would be incredible! I mean, the guy is frequently jumping offside, holding, or doing just about whatever he can to get those penalty yards! Please, let’s just admit the first round pick didn’t work – and he’s not making his value any higher either. Hope to get a 6th or 7th in return, and move on. 

All in all, the Chargers have been badly bit by the injury bug, and it sucks – that’s all you can say about that. It happens in football, look at the Buccaneers, the Bolts aren’t the only ones! But that’s the beautiful side of the business, as well – it’s a business! Now’s the time for the Chargers to either buck up and retain some wins while key players heal – or simply throw the season away.

The ball is in your court, Telesco…