Chargers News: Should The Chargers Sign A Veteran WR?
Coming off their fifth straight loss on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, the San Diego Chargers find themselves heading into the bye with a dismal 2-7 record. While this whole team has been dealing with massive amounts of injuries, one of the top positions affected has been the wide receivers group.
Last week Keenan Allen was placed on IR after lacerating his kidney scoring a TD, effectively ending his season. On Monday night, Malcom Floyd laid out for a ball early in the game and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder. An MRI reveled a torn labrum, and while Floyd could play through the pain, it’s more likely he opts for surgery that would end his season. Floyd stated in the summer that this was his last season and seeing him go out with an injury is tough for such a standup guy and Charger veteran.
San Diego Chargers Receivers stats for 2015:
| 2015 | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Yard/Game | TD’s |
| Keenan Allen | 89 | 67 | 725 | 90.6 | 4 |
| Malcom Floyd | 41 | 21 | 409 | 19.5 | 3 |
| Stevie Johnson | 47 | 31 | 351 | 50.1 | 2 |
| Dontrelle Inman | 23 | 12 | 170 | 21.3 | 1 |
| Javontee Herndon | 2 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
Now a group, that was loaded with depth to begin the season, is dwindled down to Stevie Johnson, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, and undrafted rookie Tyrell Williams.
Tyrell Williams will be activated from the practice squad to fill in for Floyd. Williams, a rookie from Western Oregon, is a big target at 6′ 4″ (just an inch shorter than Floyd) and could get some looks in the red zone.
The Chargers also have Isiah Burse, a 2nd year receiver from Fresno State still on the practice squad.
Inman fumbled in a key drive during the Monday Night game and Herndon was a non-factor as he was playing in his first NFL game. These two will be more involved and we can see how they improve week to week. Moving forward, Stevie Johnson and tight ends Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green are going to have to shoulder the load.
But could the Bolts look into signing a free-agent receiver?
Reggie Wayne, Hakeem Nicks, and Donnie Avery are just some of the veteran wide
receivers that are out there right now. Reggie Wayne is arguably the most talented of the bunch but at 36 years old it makes little sense for the Chargers to sign him with their 2-7 record.
Former 3rd round pick Vincent Brown is also a free-agent after being signed and then cut by the Indianapolis Colts before the season. He has some familiarity with the club but he wouldn’t even be an upgrade from the unproven guys we have now, so it wouldn’t be the worth money to sign him.
I think the best situation is to just throw the unproven guys into the fire and see what they can do. It makes more sense to develop these young guys so that they can have some chemistry with Philip Rivers and get more comfortable in the offense.
I could see the Chargers signing a young player for their practice squad just incase any more injuries occur (like a DeVier Posey, Ryan Broyles, or Jerry Rice Jr.), but I don’t think the right move here is a to sign a veteran to the active roster, especially with their 2-7 record.
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Nick was born and raised in San Diego where he became a Chargers and Padres fan, attending numerous home games throughout the years with his dad. He then went on to attend college at the University of Arizona. There he earned his degree in marketing and now lives in San Francisco where he dreams of the the sunny beaches of San Diego. Bear Down.
