The Chargers have been quite active this free agency period, signing three well-known players, which have addressed some critical positions of need.
After all of the moves made, Los Angeles has about $8.5 million left in spending money, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
In-house players like safety Adrian Phillips and defensive tackle Damion Square who remain unsigned could be who they ultimately use that money on.
However, general manager Tom Telesco could dip into the free agency pool one last time to make a signing.
With that being said, here are the 4 remaining free agents that would fill a need and fit within their budget.
Jason Peters, OT
The signing of Bryan Bulaga fills a glaring need at the right tackle position, but the left tackle spot is an unknown. The team could be looking to address it in the draft or they feel confident enough in Trey Pipkins. But I think bringing in a proven veteran like Peters would do wonders and aide in the development of Pipkins. Even at 38 years of age, Peters only allowed 21 pressures on 562 pass-blocking attempts last season. He had the fourth-highest grade in pass blocking and 17th-highest grade in run blocking, per Pro Football Focus. Peters would likely be willing to take a short-term deal worth less than $10 million annually.
Andrus Peat, OL
The Chargers have shored up the right side of the offensive line with the acquisitions of Bulaga and guard Trai Turner. However, the left side remains in a flux. Even at the guard spot, it’s uncertain how the team feels about Dan Feeney and Forrest Lamp moving forward. If they wanted to bring someone that provides inside-out versatility, Peat is an option. The former Stanford product has made two Pro Bowls in his career. In his first three seasons in the NFL, he has posted overall grades of 67.1, 71.5 and 68.3 while spending time at both left tackle and left guard, per PFF. He was up and down in 2019 and has missed nine games over the past two seasons with various injuries. But overall, he is a complete blocker and has very few penalties against him.
#Saints LG Andrus Peat climbing to the 2nd level & finishing a DB with authority. Set the tone for a 14 play scoring drive too pic.twitter.com/ghNrx7C3hs
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) June 26, 2017
Josh Bynes, LB
The Chargers released Thomas Davis last week, which created a bit of a hole at the linebacker position. Denzel Perryman and Drue Tranquill are slated to be the starters, with Kyzir White projected to be starting OTTO. However, the depth at the position is slim and injury concerns with Perryman are still there. Bringing in a 10-year veteran like Bynes wouldn’t be a bad idea. Bynes has been a bit of a journeyman, playing for three different teams, but he might be one of the more underrated linebackers in the league. He’s an intelligent player, stout against the run and good in coverage. According to PFF, he’s had two of his highest coverage grades in his career this past two stints— in 2019 he was the 12th best linebacker in coverage.
𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄'𝐒 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒
2020 🅤🅕🅐 🅛🅑🅢
Josh Bynes (@bynestime56)
Vet run stopper who is one of smartest players in NFL. Strong hands, strong tackler, great on special teams as well. Great signing for team looking for prime worth. @NFLBrawl #BrawlNetwork pic.twitter.com/o7hIaN4Khh— Bridge (@BridgesFootball) March 10, 2020
Taylor Gabriel, WR
I am a firm believer that the Chargers are better off taking advantage of a deep wide receiver draft class and spend the money that they have elsewhere. But if they want a guy that has been in the league for a few years and meets what they should be looking for (speed), Gabriel is proven and wouldn’t cost all that much. He averaged 7.8 yards after the catch per reception with the Falcons in 2016 and he averaged 6.6 in 2017. Gabriel spent two seasons after that in Chicago after signing a four-year deal in 2018, catching 96 passes for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns over the two stints.