Supercharged | Pt. II (2018-): The Return of the L.A. Chargers

[weddlesbeard]

Prologue (2018 Offseason): Free Agency

Former Packer Micah Hyde is headed to SoCal to join the L.A. Chargers

Chargers Offseason Recap

Free agent signings:
CB Micah Hyde: 4 years, $12.6M

Notable league signings:
QB Peyton Manning, Pittsburgh Steelers
LT Joe Thomas, Miami Dolphins
CB Justin Gilbert, New Orleans Saints
CB Darqueze Dennard, New York Giants
CB Jason Verrett, Miami Dolphins
CB Sean Smith, Jacksonville Jaguars
CB Leon Hall, Dallas Cowboys
WR Brandon Marshall, Oakland Raiders
LB Ryan Shazier, Oakland Raiders
LB Dee Ford, Miami Dolphins
LB Preston Brown, Atlanta Falcons
QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Atlanta Falcons

Analysis: The Chargers, still in the midst of a relocation, continued to be conservative with their offseason funds in free agency only making one signing: former Green Bay Packer defensive back Micah Hyde. While the Chargers can get away with the conservative approach, due to their talent-loaded roster, the signing of Hyde was a good one that filled a key need after Jason Verrett signed with the Miami Dolphins. With Stanley Bell set to assume starting duties across from Brandon Flowers, the Chargers were left thin in the defensive backfield. Hyde provides some veteran depth to the secondary, but more importantly, can fill in for Bell as the nickel corner. Hyde will be expected to play a similar role as he did with the Packers: a hybrid nickel corner-safety-linebacker role.

[johnstone1987]

I was afraid that you left lol but great to see this back. Should be interesting to see how the new improved LA Chargers look.

[weddlesbeard]

Prologue (2018 Offseason): Draft

The Lions took Ohio State defensive end Avius Todd with the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, kicking off a lineman-heavy first round.

2018 NFL Draft Recap

NFL Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos
1	Detroit Lions	Avius Todd	DE
2	Jacksonville Jaguars	Correy Rhodes	DE
3	New York Giants	Elliot Simon	DT
4	Buffalo Bills	Gordon Marsh	C
5	Atlanta Falcons	Jerome Simon	LT
6	Seattle Seahawks	Blake Houston	LT
7	Carolina Panthers	Delmar Galvin	C
8	Houston Texans	Kion Stephens	MLB
9	Washington Redskins	Dillard Tull	DE
10	Arizona Cardinals	Mitch Pederson	LT
11	New York Jets	Veneton Roach	DE
12	Miami Dolphins	Emmanuel Mitchell	DT
13	Seattle Seahawks	Javares Lauderdale	TE
14	Kansas City Chiefs	Leland Pleasant	QB
15	Atlanta Falcons	Kadaryl Roland	OLB
16	San Francisco 49ers	Desi France	DE
17	Cincinnati Bengals	Cassidy Fua	TE
18	New Orleans Saints	Edward Cummings	OLB
19	Denver Broncos	Mustafa Stead	DE
20	Minnesota Vikings	Gordon Durham	QB
21	Detroit Lions	Herve Olson	OLB
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Scott Byrd	DE
23	St. Louis Rams	Anton Neal	TE
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Lewellyn Cummings	QB
25	New England Patriots	Nikolas Ellis	WR
26	Green Bay Packers	Ono Mallet	RB
27	New England Patriots	DaQuan Harrison	CB
28	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Trevor Brewster	QB
29	Philadelphia Eagles	D'arius Hixon	CB
30	Tennessee Titans	Axel Ogbonna	SS
31	San Francisco 49ers	Grant Lofton	DE
32	San Diego Chargers	Justice Carter	WR

[weddlesbeard]

Prologue (2018 Offseason): Draft

The first player to be selected by the Los Angeles Rams was Georgia's Justice Carter.

Chargers Offseason Recap

2018 NFL Draft

L.A. Chargers 2018 Draft
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
1(32)	Justice Carter	Georgia	WR	6'4"	213
2(32)	Jocqua Richards	Oklahoma	DT	6'1"	272
3(17)	Jamarious McGhee	Utah	CB	6'0"	192
6(32)	Romel Nixon	Minnesota	WR	6'4"	221
7(32)	Andre Foreman	Indiana St.	RT	6'6"	333

Analysis: The Chargers got the man they wanted with the final pick of the first round. Georgia's Justice Carter is a perfect fit for the Bolts' offense. He is a big, sure-handed, prototypical "Z" receiver that will complement Keenan Allen nicely on the outside. The Chargers' depth at receiver was tested late in the 2017 season and the team made it a priority to add another outside piece in the offseason. This pick adds depth and allows both Kam Agurs and Cecil Shorts III to play in the slot, where they have had more success. The Chargers' front office has claimed they were ready to trade up for Carter, and must have been ecstatic when he fell into their laps at #32.

The next two picks for the Chargers are more questionable. Jocqua Richards has talent and upside but fell mightily due to character and legal issues. Some pundits had him in the top ten, while others had him being drafted on day 3. The Chargers took a chance on the Oklahoma tackle, but if they are able to refine this young man, they could have another Pro Bowler on an already loaded front seven. Richards doesn't have typical nose tackle size, but makes up for it with incredible explosiveness and pursuit. His speed and versatility will allow him to play at tackle or end in the Chargers' 3-4 offense.

The Chargers traded up - and gave up a lot - for the third pick: Utah's Jamarious McGhee. The Bolts had McGhee rated highly, and have had success with drafting Utah defensive backs (Eric Weddle), so we'll trust their judgement on this pick. McGhee is certainly one of, if not the, best tackling defensive backs in the draft, which is why the Chargers targeted him. Whether he was worth giving up a 3rd, a 4th and a 5th round pick to get will remain to be seen.

The Chargers rounded out the draft on Day 3 by adding more depth and size to their receiving core and offensive line. Nixon, a predicted third round pick who slid is a very raw athlete. He has size and speed but will need to work on his hands and route running if he is to succeed at the pro level. Foreman, similarly, is the type of strong, massive tackle the Chargers love but has a lot of work to refine his game. Luckily, he will likely be backing up one of the best right tackles in the game, D.J. Fluker.

[weddlesbeard]

Prologue (2018 Offseason): Training Camp

With only days remaining before training camp opens, Philip Rivers has yet to declare whether he will return for another season.

Chargers Offseason Recap
Training camp signings

Free agent signings:
QB Deshawn Todd (Undrafted free agent): 1 year, $730K
QB T.J. Yates: 1 year, $850K
RB Darrick Gonzalez (Undrafted free agent): 1 year, $500K
C Eric Wood: 1 year, $850K
DE Cam Johnson: 1 year, $730K

Los Angeles Chargers Training Camp Roster
#	OFFENSE	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE
9	Deshawn Todd (R)	QB	21	6'4"	244	Wisconsin
10	Glenn Ponder	QB	21	6'4"	231	UCLA
13	Keenan Allen	WR	26	6'2"	211	California
14	T.J. Yates	QB	31	6'4"	217	North Carolina
15	Mychal Carr	WR	22	5'10"	189	Ole Miss
17	Philip Rivers	QB	36	6'5"	228	N.C. State
19	Kameron Agurs	WR	24	5'8"	199	Ohio State
23	Ronell Haynes	RB	21	5'9"	209	Ohio State
24	Darrick Gonzalez (R)	RB	24	6'0"	200	Boston College
27	Eddie Lacy	RB	27	5'11"	230	Alabama
40	Dontravious Bruton	TE	23	6'6"	261	Wake Forest
42	Monte Landry	FB	25	6'1"	254	Florida State
47	Cecil Faulk	RB	23	5'10"	233	Texas Tech
52	Eric Wood	C	32	6'4"	310	Louisville
55	Michael Howard	C	23	6'2"	300	Miami
63	Doug Legursky	LG	32	6'1"	315	Marshall
64	Chris Watt	RG	27	6'3"	310	Notre Dame
65	Santario Ferrell	LT	22	6'6"	340	Texas
67	Bo Bernard	LG	26	6'5"	296	Miami
69	Jeff Linkenbach	RG	31	6'6"	325	Cincinnati
76	D.J. Fluker	RT	27	6'5"	339	Alabama
77	King Dunlap	LT	32	6'9"	330	Auburn
78	Andre Foreman (R)	RT	22	6'6"	333	Indiana State
81	DeAndre Mason	WR	26	5'7"	194	Louisville
82	Romel Nixon (R)	WR	20	6'4"	221	Minnesota
84	Cecil Shorts III	WR	30	6'0"	202	Mount Union
85	Justice Carter (R)	WR	23	6'4"	213	Georgia
86	Jacoby Trammell	TE	24	6'6"	262	USC
89	Ladarius Green	TE	28	6'6"	240	UL Lafayette
#	DEFENSE	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE
20	Sanchez Porter	SS	27	5'10"	221	Akron
21	Josh Bush	SS	29	5'11"	205	Wake Forest
22	Micah Hyde	CB	27	6'0"	197	Iowa
25	Darrell Stuckey	FS	30	5'11"	212	Kansas
26	Stanley Bell	CB	24	6'1"	184	Kansas State
28	Jamarious McGhee (R)	CB	24	6'0"	190	Utah
30	Brandon Flowers	CB	32	5'9"	187	Virginia Tech
32	Eric Weddle	FS	33	5'11"	200	Utah
33	Randy Holmes	CB	21	6'0"	192	Buffalo
36	Tay Barksdale	CB	26	5'11"	185	Appalachian State
39	LaJarvis Ivory	CB	26	6'2"	183	Central Michigan
50	Manti Te'o	ILB	27	6'1"	241	Notre Dame
53	Kavell Conner	ILB	31	6'0"	245	Clemson
54	Melvin Ingram	OLB	29	6'2"	265	South Carolina
56	Donald Butler	ILB	29	6'1"	242	Washington
58	Dex Hawkins	OLB	24	6'3"	244	Tennessee
59	Devan Farris	OLB	25	6'4"	250	Mount Union
90	Cal Gabbert	DT	26	6'4"	324	Alabama
91	Kendall Reyes	DE	28	6'4"	300	Conneticut
92	Ryan Carrethers	DT	27	6'1"	333	Arkansas State
94	Corey Liuget	DE	28	6'2"	300	Illinois
95	Beau Allen	DT	26	6'2"	333	Wisconsin
96	Jocqua Richards (R)	DT	24	6'1"	272	Oklahoma
97	Jerry Attaochu	OLB	25	6'3"	260	Georgia Tech
98	Cam Johnson	DE	28	6'3"	260	Virginia
99	Charly Ford	DE	26	6'5"	305	South Carolina
#	SPECIAL TEAMS	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE
3	Henry Ryan	K	23	5'8"	193	Indiana
8	Chad Jenkins	P	25	5'11"	190	Washington

Analysis: Like most teams, the Los Angeles Chargers made a number of signings ahead of the opening of training camps this week. None are particularly spectacular, but do keep us wondering about the quarterback position. Will Philip Rivers make the move to Los Angeles? The 14-year pro has stated he will make an announcement this week before camp opens.

In the meantime, the Chargers have brought two more quarterbacks into camp. Veteran T.J. Yates was a cheap experienced player that can provide a veteran presence should Rivers retire, while the former Wisconsin Badger Todd is a low-cost risk after slipping in the draft, largely due to perceived weight issues. The two signings will likely battle in camp for the roster spot behind sophomore Glenn Ponder. But will that spot be the backup or the third-string position?

[RoundingThird]

I'm still laughing at Peyton signing with the Steelers.

[weddlesbeard]

Quote: Originally Posted by RoundingThird

I'm still laughing at Peyton signing with the Steelers.

I'm still in shock. I didn't even know players came out of retirement in this game until seeing his name at the top of the FA list. Madden-world is so strange sometimes.

[weddlesbeard]

"One More Year"
Rivers returns to camp for final NFL season

AP - The reigning NFL MVP is back. After a summer contemplating retirement, Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers announced he will return for a 15th and final NFL season.

Rivers has not been shy over the past four years about his disdain for a potential move to Los Angeles, which coupled with his first MVP award and Superbowl win last season, led many to speculate the veteran would hang up his cleats following the team's move. But the longtime Chargers' quarterback was not ready to move on.

"I still got a lot of fight left in me," Rivers stated in a press conference at the Chargers' new Los Angeles practice facility. "Winning the Superbowl last year was a dream come true, but it also left a taste for more. I just love to play ball, love to compete. I couldn't leave yet."

"Family obviously always comes first, and that was my biggest concern over the summer. But we've discussed it and have agreed that it is possible for me to keep playing football for one more year. One last shot to give everything I have before it's time to settle down and start coaching somewhere back in San Diego."

Though his numbers dipped slightly in 2017, Rivers led the Chargers to a league-best 14-2 record to win the MVP award. He has thrown for 47,388 passing yards and 346 touchdowns in his career, good for 8th and 6th all-time.

With Rivers at the helm, the Chargers return almost the same roster as their Superbowl winning team from a year ago and should be in contention to defend their title.

Though Rivers will be participating in camp and drills, head coach Mike McCoy announced he will sit for the majority of the preseason.