Tag: chargers news

Chargers TE Hunter Henry not expected to receive contract extension before deadline

The 26-year old will be entering a ‘prove it’ year.

Chargers tight end Hunter Henry does not expect to sign a contract extension before the July 15 deadline.

“I don’t think anything will get done, but we’ll see,” Henry said, per Southern California News Group’s Gilbert Manzano.

Even though Henry is prepared to play on the franchise tag that he signed back in April, he’s not to worried about the lack of contract talks.

“I’m not worried about it,” Henry said. “I’m just going to go out there. I get a chance to play this year and do my thing this year. I’m pretty locked in on what I got ahead of me in the 2020 season. That’s what I’m locked in for, you know, I don’t like to look too far ahead.”

Henry, 26, has been a key focal point in the offense, averaging 12.6 yards per reception and posting 17 touchdowns over the course of four seasons. However, his durability has drawn some concern.

Henry has missed games every year since 2016, missing the entire 2018 regular season due to a knee injury and the first four contests this past season due to a tibial plateau fracture in his left knee.

Henry believes that he still has so much to prove before agreeing to a long-term extension.

“I think that’s the biggest thing I’m focusing on. Just trying to stay healthy,” Henry said. “I’ve just had some unfortunate injuries come my way. I feel the best I’ve felt in probably a couple years, for sure. I’m excited.”

If Henry can still healthy, he is primed for a big season.

Chargers address OT, CB in Draft Wire’s latest 2021 mock draft

The Chargers get Justin Herbert’s blindside protection in Draft Wire’s latest two-round mock draft.

The Chargers did not address two positions that were thought to be prioritized during the offseason: left tackle and outside cornerback.

Because of that, they are seen as spots that should be at the top of Los Angeles’ to-do list next offseason.

In Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling’s latest two-round projections for the 2021 NFL Draft, he sees L.A. selecting Texas OT Samuel Cosmi in the first-round and following that up with California CB Camryn Bynum in Round 2.

Cosmi, the 6-foot-7 and 310 pounder, is a technically proficient, athletically gifted left tackle, who possesses very good reactive athleticism with very good agility and change of direction quickness.

If Trey Pipkins or Sam Tevi don’t pan out this upcoming season, Cosmi would be an ideal candidate to protect quarterback Justin Herbert’s blindside for years to come.

Bynum, the Bears’ four-year starter, is a sound corner with very good reactive athleticism and coverage ability, as he seeks contact and battles on the perimeter, while also being a tenacious, competitive nuisance to receivers.

Michael Davis is entering the final year of his contract, while Casey Hayward will only have a year left after this season. Bynum is an ideal player who could contribute right off the bat.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler gives first impressions of QB Justin Herbert

Austin Ekeler knows that it will take some time for Justin Herbert to develop.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler will have a new signal-caller distributing the wealth to him after having the luxury of Philip Rivers do so the past three seasons.

Tyrod Taylor will likely start out under center in 2020, but then the torch will eventually be passed on to first-round pick Justin Herbert.

While Ekeler and Herbert have been unable to develop a chemistry on the field due to the coronavirus outbreak, they have still partook in virtual meetings together.

Ekeler, who was featured on NFL Media’s Around The Horn, was asked about what he can say about Herbert so far.

“Definitely has a lot to learn. The NFL can be a big workload, especially for a quarterback coming in expected to learn the offense and play within the first couple of years. I think there’s going to be a workload that’s he going to have to work through and translate to the field when it comes to that time.”

Ekeler knows that it could take time for him to adapt, citing that it’s nearly always a struggle with rookie quarterbacks. He also mentions that it hurts not only Herbert’s development, but other rookies, without organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp.

Herbert is in an ideal situation by not being forced to start. Under quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton, the former Oregon product needs to continue to work on his mechanics and develop a better sense of the game from a mental standpoint before taking the reins.

Over time with the development, Herbert could be in a great position by playing in a system tailored to his strengths alongside a slew of solid skill players.

Herbert, Ekeler along with the rest of the team will take the field for the first time on July 28, as that marks the expected start date for training camp.

Projecting the Chargers’ quarterback depth chart

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez assesses the quarterback position heading into the 2020 season.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been breaking down the depth chart at each position for the Chargers.

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive line

Defensive line

Linebacker

Cornerback

Safety

To finish off this series, we project what the the Chargers’ quarterback room will look like heading into the 2020 season.

QB1: Tyrod Taylor

Taylor is considered to be in the driver’s seat to start, but knowing that there wasn’t any spring practices and potentially a shortened preseason, the chances of him going into Week 1 as the starter is almost certain. Taylor spent two years with coach Anthony Lynn in Buffalo, and has had a full year with the Chargers’ coaching staff and players after signing a two-year contract last March. Taylor is by no means the passer that Philip Rivers was during his time with the Bolts, but the 30-year old offers upside with his athleticism to win with his legs and ability to take care of the football. Taylor is also in a good position with the skill players that he will have to distribute the wealth to, consisting of wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Hunter Henry. To the amount of games started remains to be seen, but if Taylor is winning games then it shouldn’t be a surprise to see him start the full 16-game slate.

QB2: Justin Herbert

Anticipation to see the No. 6 overall selection take the field for the Chargers as at an all-time high. But if he redshirts the entire 2020 season, it might be a blessing in disguise. There’s no denying Herbert’s NFL-style tools with his size, athleticism, arm talent and intelligence. But he needs to improve his decision-making, eye discipline and overall consistency to succeed. That is why everyone is hopeful that the hiring of quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton will help with the development of the former Oregon product. Herbert playing this season is still a possibility, though. If Taylor isn’t getting the job done at any given point of the season, then the rookie will likely take over.

QB3: Easton Stick

As the Chargers have undergone this transition at the quarterback position, the one player that hasn’t gotten the attention is Stick. The former North Dakota State product beat out Cardale Jones for the final quarterback spot last preseason. General manager Tom Telesco said the team has high hopes for Stick, but he is still a young quarterback with a ways to go. Los Angeles could see Stick as a long-term backup, especially considering this is the final year on Taylor’s contract. Or their intentions could be to develop Stick enough to the point where he does have upside as a starter or even as a Taysom Hill role given his athleticism, which could garner trade consideration from another team.

Chargers WR K.J. Hill listed as one of NFL’s top instant impact rookie candidates

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver K.J. Hill is out to prove the doubters wrong.

The Chargers entered the draft in need of shoring up the wide receiver room. They drafted Joe Reed in the fifth-round. Two rounds later, they snagged K.J. Hill in a surprising fashion.

Throughout the pre-draft process Hill was tabbed as a high-upside mid-round pick, but an underwhelming 40-yard dash time at the combine pushed him down in a deep wide receiver class.

“Every receiver that got picked before me, watching it, seeing it happen. I’m just taking that as fuel and putting that in the back of my head and remembering it every time I’m on the field, and remembering where I got picked and the guys that got picked before me,” Hill said per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Many couldn’t believe that Hill fell to the seventh-round. However, his landing spot is unlikely to represent the type of production he will put together in the NFL, given his impressive collegiate career.

As a matter of fact, he’s more than likely to outproduce where he was taken. But it wouldn’t be surprising if he does so in his rookie season. USA Today’s Nate Davis believes that he will.

You don’t want to expect too much from a Round 7 selection, but Hill’s got a shot to make his mark with the Bolts, who got almost no production from wide receivers last year aside from starters Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Ohio State’s all-time leader with 201 receptions, Hill certainly has the ability to move the chains on third down while working underneath and could be a guy a conservative QB like Tyrod Taylor might look for.

There are two things that Hill is exceptional at: route-running and catching the football. Both of them are required to excel at the NFL level, and Hill demonstrated them at a high level at Ohio State in his four years, which resulted in becoming the school’s all-time reception leader (201).

His lack of speed or reps outside limits him to slot-only duties, which is where Keenan Allen plays. However, Allen has experience on the outside, which would allow Hill to be on the field at the same time without hindering the rest of the alignment.

Hill’s ability to win underneath would give Tyrod Taylor, who does well connecting on shorter routes, a solid option.

Hill enters training camp in competition for the No. 3 job along with Reed, Andre Patton, Darius Jennings, among others. But the former Buckeye’s skillset and mature makeup should help earn him the third spot, if not, significant playing time in Year 1.

Projecting the Chargers’ post-draft depth chart at running back

Austin Ekeler is RB1. Then who?

The marriage between the Chargers and Melvin Gordon came to an end earlier this offseason as the franchise chose not to re-sign him. Gordon won’t be too far from his former team since he was picked up by AFC West rival – Denver Broncos.

How will the backfield look heading into this upcoming season?

Below, I take a crack at predicting Los Angeles’ depth chart at running back for the 2020 season:

RB1: Austin Ekeler

From undrafted free agent to one of the league’s most dynamic weapons. Ekeler is coming off his best season, which included 92 catches for 993 yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Only Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey had more receptions (116) among running backs. After Gordon’s departure, the former Western Colorado sits atop of the depth chart. Ekeler will get a decent amount of carries, but the coaching staff still wants to use his pass-catching abilities, which will see him line up in the slot and outside aside from just the backfield.

RB2: Justin Jackson

The second running back spot is where it becomes interesting. This will be a competition between Jackson and fourth-round pick Joshua Kelley. The former Northwestern product gets the nod heading into the season, given his experience, production in a limited capacity and the fact that the team is still “high on him”. In 20 games played, Jackson averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 79 touches. Eager to make his mark last season, Jackson was limited to just seven games due to an injury. If he can stay healthy, Jackson is primed for a breakout season.

RB3: Joshua Kelley

Kelley is capable of rising up the depth chart as the season goes on and I am a firm believer that he will. The only reason I have him listed as RB3 is primarily due to the lack of exposure at camp and I believe the coaching staff really covets Jackson despite the injury concerns. However, Kelley has a well-rounded skillset and the production in a significant role to be effective as the feature back down the road. Over 43 games in college, Kelley rushed 647 times for 3,442 yards and 31 touchdowns. His injury history is nonexistent, too.

FB: Bobby Holly

The Chargers lost Derek Watt, who signed with the Steelers earlier this offseason. Following his departure, coach Anthony Lynn said that the team would be bringing in a fullback to fill the void. The competition to do so will be between Holly and Gabe Nabers. I recently gave Nabers the nod over Holly due to positional versatility. But I believe that Holly brings more upside as a blocker.

Report: Member of Chargers tests positive for COVID-19

One member of the Los Angeles Chargers organization has tested positive for COVID-19.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, one member of the Chargers organization has tested positive for coronavirus and two others have shown symptoms.

Owner Dean Spanos, general manager Tom Telesco and coach Anthony Lynn were not among the group to test positive or show symptoms, team spokesman Josh Rupprecht said.

“Everyone is doing well and is on the road to recovery,” Rupprecht said.

According to Schefter, the first member of the organization was diagnosed about two weeks after the team shut down offices on March 12. About a dozen employees worked, at a distance from one another, until March 17.

Chargers had pre-draft meeting with Appalachian State RB Darrynton Evans

The Los Angeles Chargers will be looking to solidify the backfield in the upcoming draft.

The Chargers have a formidable backfield with Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson, but they could be looking to solidify it in the upcoming draft after the departure of Melvin Gordon.

According to CBS Sport’s Josh Edwards, Los Angeles had a pre-draft FaceTime meeting with former Appalachian State RB Darrynton Evans.

Darrynton, the 5-foot-10 and 203 pound back burst onto the scene his sophomore season when he earned the starting role after an injury took the starter at the time, Jalin Moore out.

That season, he finished with 1,187 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 179 carries, while also earning First-Team All-Sun Belt. In 2019, he produced over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns, going on to win Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year.

He also joined elite company – Christian McCaffrey and Chris Johnson – by becoming only the third FBS player in the past 20 years to rush for 1,400 yards, catch 5 touchdowns, and return a kickoff for a touchdown in the same season.

Evans did a little bit of everything in college, as he played running back, slot receiver and returned kicks. He’s not the biggest back, but he has the speed, vision and elusiveness to win, projecting as a do-it-all complimentary back and return specialist.

Evans projects as a mid-round selection.

Poll: Should Chargers sign QB Tom Brady?

Should the Los Angeles Chargers acquire the six-time Super Bowl champ?

Who will quarterback Tom Brady suit up for in 2020?

Among the 32 NFL teams, the Chargers sit atop of the list of ideal suitors for the six-time Super Bowl champion.

Los Angeles has been linked to Brady because the team is moving into a new stadium and his presence would help bring in fans as he would return to his home state, along with supplying the offense with arguably the league’s best quarterback.

However, there are some cons to signing Brady, with the cost to acquire him being near the top.

Brady is going to command at least $30 million a year. That would take up approximately 60 percent of the Chargers’ available cap space. On top of that, the Patriots would take on a $13 million dead-money charge if Brady walked in free agency, compared to $6.5 million if they re-signed him.

There’s no doubt that Bolts will inquire about Brady, given their need for a quarterback but it’s uncertain whether or not they will be able to strike a deal. Only time will tell when free agency begins on March 18.

With that, we want to know if you’d be in favor of the Chargers signing Brady.

Vote in the poll below.

[polldaddy poll=10517093]

Former Georgia football star Thomas Davis buys arena football team

Former Georgia football and Carolina Panthers star Thomas Davis teams up with Ted Ginn to a buy a Charlotte arena football team.

Georgia great Thomas Davis announced on Instagram that he and former Panthers teammate Ted Ginn have purchased the Charlotte Thunder arena football team.

This year, the team changed its name from the Carolina Energy to the Charlotte Thunder. The team competes in the American Arena League, which was formed by a merger in 2018.

Davis played for the Carolina Panthers from 2005-18, where he and his family made Charlotte his home. Ginn was Davis’ teammate in 2013 and then again in 2015 and 2016.

On March 13, 2019, Davis signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Davis was a monster at Georgia, and though he made his NFL earnings as a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, he actually played safety in Athens before becoming a first round pick. One of the hardest hitters in school history, Davis was a two-time All-SEC selection, making the second team in 2003 and the first team in 2004. Also, if that’s not enough, the dude has come back from three torn ACLs in the same knee. And you know who he credits his perseverance to? UGA.