The Los Angeles Chargers narrowly missed out on the playoffs last season thanks to a 35-32 loss in overtime to the Las Vegas Raiders. The assignment was simple for both teams: Win and you’re in. It was the third season in a row the Chargers failed to make the postseason, with their last appearance coming in 2018 when they lost to the Patriots in the Divisional Round. With the offseason in full swing, the Chargers have been making some noise already by shaking things up on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense. Let’s take a look at their moves so far in free agency.
Chargers players added (as of March 15)
The Chargers brought in cornerback J.C. Jackson on a five-year, $82.5 million deal to shore up one of the spots they were in desperate need of. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in the league and brings some intense man coverage on defense. They’ve also made signings with defensive end Khalil Mack from the Bears, defensive tackles Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph-Day, and dealt a three-year, $60 million contract extension to WR Mike Williams. They also re-signed QB Chase Daniel, who will remain as Justin Herbert’s backup, as well as signed one-year contracts with TE Donald Parham, WR Jalen Guyton, and offensive tackle Storm Norton.
Chargers players lost (as of March 15)
While some of their top defensive players remain on the market such as Kyzir White, Justin Jones, and Uchenna Nwosu, none of the players on their free agent list have signed elsewhere yet. They released right tackle Bryan Bulaga, but other than that there hasn’t been any movement as far as departures yet during free agency.
Grade so far
A: The Chargers alone will benefit hugely from bringing in Jackson on that five-year deal, and made upgrades in other spots where they were lacking in 2021. They went out and used some decent money to sign good players to good deals. Not to mention, Chase Daniel was instrumental in helping Herbert get to the level he did last year, and will be a solid player to retain on the squad on his one-year, $2.25 million deal. The Chargers certainly aren’t done making moves, so we’ll see what else Brandon Staley and his staff have up their sleeves in the coming weeks.