Maybe that LB from Georgia lasts until you guys in the first and you snap him up, because from what I saw and heard this year, the low-value position of LB was a problem for you.
IMO LB should be very low on the priority list.
1. The team traded up for LB Murray in the 2020 draft and he has been a bust, but his salary is guaranteed through 2023, which means they are stuck with him. They also have LB Tranquill who is solid, and could re-sign UFA LB White, who was pretty good this season.
2. LB wasn't really a problem when Murray was hurt or on the bench. He hurt them badly in the final game because the team chose to play him heavily. I have seen some speculation that was due to pressure on the coaching staff by the front office, which has reportedly happened in the past with the Chargers. I can't confirm this, but he was terrible in this game, and it was surprising he wasn't pulled at some point and no defensive adjustment was made to cover for him. But he is going nowhere, so the team has no choice but to try to coach him up to use his impressive athleticism to more positive effect.
3. The Chargers #1 problem on the entire roster is the interior defensive line. And on top of that, starters Linval Joseph and Justin Jones are both UFAs. Not that I necessarily want to retain either of them, but it illustrates the problem. The Chargers need to acquire/sign/re-sign at least 3 IDL this offseason, and at least 2 of them need to be starters. That is a big problem. If they solve it, the LBs will all look a lot better.
4. Next, the pass rush is the #2 problem for the defense. They have struggled for at least the past couple of seasons to generate any quality pass rush to complement Bosa, which enables Bosa to get double teamed constantly. To make this problem worse, the top 2 Edge players opposite Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu and Kyler Fackrell, are both UFAs. So they need to acquire/sign/re-sign at least 2 Edge players, and either 1 of them needs to be a strong starter or both of them need to be solid in a rotation.
5. After that, CB is arguably still more important than LB. They don't have a legit #1 CB on the roster, unless rookie Samuel grows into that, but he looks like a solid #2 at this point, as does the other outside corner, Davis. Slot corner Chris Harris will be gone, so he needs to be replaced. Feels like they need to draft or sign a strong CB, ideally a legit #1.
6. And that is just the defense. On offense:
- TE1 Cook is a UFA and should be allowed to walk, but there is no clear replacement on the roster.
- WR1 Williams is a UFA and will probably require a huge contract to keep; I'd rather see him walk, but in that case probably need to sign another more moderately priced veteran.
- They will release RT Bulaga, who has barely played, and don't have a quality replacement on the roster.
- Both players who started at RG this season are UFAs. So they have work to do on the offensive line.
- Despite drafting RBs in each of the past two drafts, their RB depth is terrible and in need of an upgrade.
I think LB comes after all of that, and the most likely move is they re-sign White. If so, I think they direct their attention elsewhere and stand pat with that LB group, and I think that is probably the right call.
Telesco.
. Did they just spend about half their available cap this offseason on Williams?
