2nd Wave of Chargers Free Agents
Over a week into Free Agency, a lot of teams have made their biggest moves when it comes to building a team for the upcoming season. The Chargers still may have their biggest moves ahead of them, but they have made a lot of depth signings in the second week. There have been a lot of non-difference-making signings to break down every single one, but there are still a lot worth talking about. These are the biggest moves the Chargers have made in the second wave of Free Agency.
- RG Mekhi Becton
One of the Chargers’ biggest needs was the interior offensive line. This team plans to run the ball more than most, and it is hard to do that when the offensive line does not create holes. Plus, the interior as a whole had terrible pass protection. With the addition of Mekhi Becton, both of these should be much improved. Becton revived his career with the Eagles last year with the switch to guard, and hopefully he has found his home in Los Angeles for the next few years. Becton will help every side of the offense, and both Najee Harris & Justin Herbert will likely be thanking him by the end of the year. Jim Harbaugh sees offensive linemen as weapons, and there is not a bigger weapon they could’ve picked up than Mekhi Becton.
- TE Tyler Conklin
Tyler Conklin joining this team immediately pushes him up to TE1. Will Dissly was great last year, but he is better in a role where he is primarily a blocker and can break out for a catch every so often. Conklin, however, is easily the best receiving Tight End on this roster and will be one of Justin Herbert’s top targets. He averaged around ten yards per reception every season he spent with the Jets with poor QB play. Last year, he went for 450 yards with Aaron Rodgers, but he was not his top target and Herbert has been playing better than Rodgers as of late. The team could still go with a Tight End in the first round, but Conklin provides a guaranteed passing option at Tight End before the draft. If they don’t upgrade the receiver position, Conklin will be the second or third top target for Justin Herbert, which could get interesting. Plus, the contract is one-year worth three million guaranteed, an absolute bargain for the Chargers to get a starting option for Justin Herbert.
- DL Naquan Jones
Naquan Jones was a great pickup after the loss of Poona Ford. He was one of the better run-stopping defensive lineman in the league and signed to yet another bargain deal. Jones should be even better in the Jesse Minter scheme, and could very well have a career resurgence just like Poona Ford did last year. He also had 3 sacks last year, something the Chargers would welcome from their interior D-line. Jones could easily not have a career year like these other guys have, but his small contract makes the risk much smaller than the reward.
- WR Mike Wiliams
Mike Williams was brought back to the Chargers on a cheap deal this offseason. This is a much bigger deal for the Chargers than it would have been if any other team signed Williams. The biggest problem with the receiving room last year was that Justin Herbert didn’t have chemistry with any of his receivers going into the year. Now, he has Ladd McConkey, but it is still a big deal to have such a large portion of Herbert’s career targets come back. Williams is the only jump ball receiver on the roster, which will help in many ways. For one, there is finally a reliable outside target for Herbert to hit when Ladd is playing on the inside. Plus, it allows Quentin Johnston to play more inside, which could be very beneficial for his career. Just because he has this big frame doesn’t mean he’s meant to go deep outside every play. Anyway, Mike Williams has the chance to revive his career back home with the Chargers as they intend to use him just how they used to.
- C Andre James
Andre James was a controversial signing for the Chargers. The former Raiders Center signed a new deal with LA to compete with Bradley Bozeman for the starting job. James isn’t Drew Dalman, but he has potential to be solid this year. For one, he was a very good pass blocker. This is even more impressive when looking at the QBs he protected. Pass protectors always have better numbers whent their QB is as elite as Justin Herbert. His run blocking was questionable last year, but he will still likely be the starter this year and an upgrade over Bozeman. Therefore, James deserves a spot on this list.
