Why Chargers Targeted, Signed Lions Free Agent

The Chargers started hot on the offensive line before free agency even opened with new starting center Tyler Biadasz. 

But to say the Chargers have cooled off since is a vast understatement. They brought back Trevor Penning, securing solid depth after trading for him last year. And they signed Cole Strange, a former first-rounder who, in quite a few locations around the NFL, might be nothing more than solid depth, too. 

Why Awosika? He’s still just 27 years old and has some versatility going for him. Granted, he only played 287 snaps last year, so the fact he was becoming more and more of a healthy scratch as the Lions brought in more competition isn’t necessarily a good sign. 

If there is a silver lining with this move for the Chargers, it’s that a cheaper deal like this doesn't restrict them much. If Hortiz actually wants to get aggressive with a move on a bigger name like Zeitler between now and well into the summer, he still can. 

It also doesn’t eliminate the chances of a draft pick coming as early as the first round soon. 

The Chargers have heavily focused on bringing in a new-look interior line that meshes well with the new system offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel wants to implement. 

Whether that’s a good enough reason to possibly bank on someone like Strange as a starter is hard to say right now. They also seem to be placing some heavy blame on past offensive line coaches and expecting newcomers and the scheme to change things.

But if nothing else, Awosika boosts the depth in the proper way, schematically speaking, and doesn’t prevent further moves.