Tag: Chargers wide receiver

Chargers’ Tom Telesco says he has no plans to move Keenan Allen

Chargers GM Tom Telesco put all the speculations regarding WR Keenan Allen to bed.

With the Chargers currently $20.39 million over the salary cap, there’s been speculation that Keenan Allen could be moved to clear some up. But general manager Tom Telesco all but put the murmurs to bed.

“Keenan Allen isn’t going anywhere,” Telesco told reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, IN, on Wednesday.

Allen is scheduled to earn $15.5 million in 2023, with $21.7 million charged against the salary cap. If he were released before June 1, Los Angeles would save $14.8 million against the cap.

In 2022, Allen missed seven games due to a hamstring issue, finishing with 66 catches for 752 yards and four touchdowns.

The 10-year wideout has been vital to the Bolts’ offense throughout his professional career. During that span, Allen has caught 796 passes for 9,287 yards and 52 touchdowns.

“Keenan Allen, to me, he’s our Andre Reed. He’s our Charlie Joiner,” Telesco said. “He’s an incredible football player. We have a great quarterback, we need weapons around him, there’s never been any thought of that.

While he is getting up in age, set to be 31 this season and coming off an injury-riddled campaign, Allen is productive when healthy. He is still one of the best route runners in the league. He is a safety blanket to third down.

The Chargers need to add speed to their wide receiver room, but letting go of Allen would do more bad than good to the state of the offense.

Telesco will have some wheeling and dealing to do, as the Chargers must comply with the salary cap at the start of the new league year on March 15. But that will likely be without moving their top wide receiver.

“It’s not tempting to me,” Telesco said at his end-of-season press conference. “Good players make money, and I would rather have a lot of good players on our roster than a lot of cap space.”

Chargers OC Kellen Moore emphasizes speed at wide receiver

Chargers OC Kellen Moore acknowledged the importance of speed at the wide receiver position.

One of the focal points for the Chargers this offseason will be adding a speed element to the wide receiver room.

New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore spoke to the media for the first time on Wednesday and was asked about the importance of speed to what he wants to do on offense.

“Speed is always dangerous,” Moore said. “You’ve certainly seen this throughout this league, and when you have speed, it’s certainly an advantage.”

Los Angeles could not create explosive plays in the passing game this past season. Injuries were a factor, as was Joe Lombardi’s scheme, which was predicated on quick and underneath throws, and Justin Herbert’s ability to go through reads quickly.

However, ultimately they did not have enough speed at receiver even when Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were on the field.

With the tantalizing arm talent that Herbert has, there’s no excuse to not be pushing the ball downfield.

Herbert was among the lowest in average depth of target. While Moore was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, Dak Prescott had the seventh-highest average depth of target in the NFL (8.3 air yards per attempt).

That is why it’s imperative the Chargers address this, which can be accomplished in the draft, with someone like Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt, Boston College’s Zay Flowers, North Carolina’s Josh Downs, Oklahoma’s Marvin Mims, among others.

“Speed you can’t coach. Speed’s very special. Certainly, you’ll want some of it. Every guy doesn’t need it. There are plenty of ways to play football. But when you do have it, it’s a nice little advantage to utilize.”

Ex-Chargers WR Vincent Jackson, 38, found dead

Former Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead on Monday.

Former Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson died at age of 38.

Jackson was found dead on Monday at a Homewood Suites in Brandon, FL. He had been checked into the hotel on Jan. 11 and a housekeeper found him in one of the rooms after he was reported missing by his family on Feb. 12.

Police are currently investigating the cause of his death.

Jackson entered the league as the Bolts’ second-round selection in 2005. Injuries hampered him as a rookie, but he eventually turned into a dangerous receiving threat for quarterback Philip Rivers.

He posted 272 receptions for 4,754 yards and 37 touchdowns in the blue and gold.

Jackson then went on to sign a five-year, $55.55M contract with the Buccaneers in 2012 after his seven-year stint with the Chargers.

He had a career year with 72 catches for 1,384 yards and eight touchdowns with Tampa Bay. His outstanding 19.2 yards per catch led the NFL in his first season with them.

Jackson appeared in three Pro Bowls over the course of his 12-year NFL career. He left the game of football with 9,080 receiving yards, 540 receptions and 57 touchdowns.

Who will step up in Chargers WR Mike Williams’ absence?

The Chargers need to figure out who will compliment Keenan Allen while Mike Williams is out.

The Chargers could be without wide receiver Mike Williams for the entire month of September after he sprained his shoulder on a diving catch during last Sunday’s practice.

Now that Williams likely won’t be in the starting lineup for the next few weeks, Los Angeles not only needs to figure out who will be the third wide receiver on the depth chart, but the second wideout in the meantime.

It might be a difficult task to replace the third-year player considering the depth chart is filled with a handful of unproven wide receivers in the starting role.

The player who will get the first crack is Jalen Guyton. Prior to Williams’ injury, Guyton was the frontrunner for WR3. Though Guyton doesn’t have the size or physicality that Williams possesses, he has the speed (4.35 40-yard dash) to give quarterback Tyrod Taylor a deep option on the outside.

The player who I think has the next best chance to fill the role is rookie Joe Reed. Reed has the dense build and physical nature to win the down the field in that role.

The Chargers have been using him in a variety of roles, including running back. But he has the skillset to succeed as a deep option. In 2018, Reed turned 37 targets into 25 receptions for 465 yards and seven touchdowns (67.6 percent catch rate).

Next in line who will have a crack to fill Williams’ shoes are Darius Jennings, Jason Moore and Tyron Johnson, along with rookie K.J. Hill.

Jennings is entering his fourth season. He has 27 catches for 235 yards during his professional career. However, he has been used primarily as a return specialist.

Moore had two receptions for 43 yards in 2019. He appeared in 10 games last season with most of his experience coming on special teams. Moore is a big receiver who uses his frame well, similar to Williams.

Johnson spent time on the practice squad in 2019. He has been praised by the coaching staff, and coach Anthony Lynn said that he has the speed they are looking for.

Lastly is Hill. The team’s seventh-round pick has been making plays all throughout camp thus far, getting open and catching everything thrown his way. Hill’s lack of speed likely warrants him to slot role, but he could find his way on the field if Keenan Allen was to play on the outside.

I predict Guyton to fill in for Williams, and the battle for WR3 will be a tight competition which will be determined during the rest of camp.

Chargers WR Jalen Guyton working with first-team offense

We might have a front-runner for the third wide receiver spot.

The battle for the third wide receiver spot is one of the most monitored training camp competitions for the Chargers.

Heading into camp, it was Andre Patton who was expected to have the leg up for the job. But in a surprising manner, Los Angeles released him.

Now that Patton is off the team, there are a few contenders for WR3. But it might be Jalen Guyton who could be leading the pack.

According to SB Nation’s Michael Peterson, Guyton was seen working with the first-team during the 11-on-11 portion of Monday’s practice.

Other wideouts in contention for the job include Jason Moore, Darius Jennings, Tyron Johnson and rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill.

The one element that Guyton has that separates himself from the pack is speed. When asked what the team is specifically looking for in terms of the evaluation process, coach Anthony Lynn highlighted “speed.”

Guyton, the 6-foot-1 and 202 pounder, ran a 4.35 40 at his college Pro Day at North Texas. He has the breakaway speed to be a threat on the outside.

It will be interesting the see the rest of the competition unfolds.

Opportunities opened up for Chargers’ rookie wide receivers

The battle for the third wide receiver spot just got more intense.

The battle for the third wide receiver will be one of the most compelling position competitions this training camp for the Chargers.

On Friday, I laid out what the team is specifically looking for and who might be the frontrunner.

Andre Patton was who I believed would win the job because of his experience. But in a surprising fashion, Patton was among six players released to get the roster down to 80 players.

With Patton gone, the attention has been shifted to two specific players – Joe Reed and K.J. Hill – both of whom provide the position with their own unique skillsets.

Reed, the fifth-round pick, can provide some versatility as he has experience out wide, in the slot and occasionally in the backfield. He can be used in sweeps, shovel passes and slants, similar to the role that the 49ers gave Deebo Samuel last season. He has the speed that the Chargers are looking for (4.47) to stretch the field.

Reed should help out with special teams as he averaged 33 yards a return and took five touchdowns to the house during his career at the University of Virginia.

Meanwhile, Hill, the seventh-round selection, isn’t the fastest wideout, but he has a knack for getting open and catching everything thrown his way. That’s a large reason why Hill is Ohio State’s reception leader (201). Even though he will likely be limited to the slot, Keenan Allen, the team’s natural slot receiver, is capable of playing outside.

Lynn specifically highlighted “speed” as the main thing the coaching staff is looking for during the evaluation process.

Therefore, I believe Reed has the slight advantage over Hill. A player I mentioned that should get some attention heading into camp is Jalen Guyton. Guyton, who has the breakaway speed (4.3) to be a threat on the outside.

Who will emerge as Chargers’ No. 3 wide receiver, what will their role look like?

This will be one of the more heated positional battles of training camp.

The Chargers struggled to get production from their No. 3 wide receiver last season. Aside from the one-two punch of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, it was slim pickings.

When the topic of the third receiver was brought up to coach Anthony Lynn’s attention on Wednesday, he said the No. 1 thing Los Angeles is looking for in the No. 3 wide receiver is “speed,” similar to what Tyrell Williams brought.

L.A. thought they had that with Travis Benjamin, but his inconsistent hands and injuries were maddening, which is why they elected to part ways.

At the moment, Andre Patton is the frontrunner because of his experience, and gives the Chargers what they’re looking for at that position with his 4.4 speed.

Patton appeared in 13 regular season games in 2019. He caught six passes for 56 yards last season. In the 2019 preseason, Patton caught six passes for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Los Angeles added some pieces to the room by selecting Joe Reed in the fifth-round and K.J. Hill in the seventh-round of this year’s draft.

Reed and Hill should push Patton, but their skillsets don’t necessarily match what Lynn’s looking for in that role. Reed has the quicks, but he wasn’t much of a deep threat in college. Meanwhile, Hill isn’t known for his speed. Instead, he’s coveted for his route-running ability and ball skills.

Rounding out the rest of the group is Darius Jennings, Jason Moore, Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson, Jeff Cotton and Dalton Schoen.

Guyton is a guy to keep an eye on, as he ran a 4.3 40 at his college Pro Day.

At the end of the day, Reed and Hill will make it a battle, but I expect Patton to ultimately win the job. His familiarity with the offense, experience and the shortage of training camp should earn the role.

Projecting the Chargers’ post-draft depth chart at wide receiver

There will be quite a few players fighting for the final wide receiver spots behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Going into the offseason, filling out the wide receiver room was seen as a priority. The Chargers did so by drafting rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill and signing Darius Jennings.

Now that Los Angeles is set at the position with the additional bodies, it’s time to predict how I think the depth chart will shake up heading into the upcoming season.

WR1: Keenan Allen

Allen, arguably one of the league’s route runners and separation gainers, isn’t going to lose his spot as the go-to wideout for the Chargers. The former Cal product finished with 104 receptions for 1,199 yards and six touchdowns. Allen has proven that he can stay durable after a slew of injuries early on in his career. He is tied for sixth with most games with receiving yards since 2017 (12).

WR2: Mike Williams

After being hampered by an injury in his rookie season, Williams has shown flashes of dominance as a jump ball and red zone target. In 2018, the former Clemson product had 10 touchdown receptions. In his third season, his scoring production dropped, but he still managed to top 1,000 receiving yards, while leading the league in 20.4 yards per catch. The team made it clear that he is a priority after having his fifth-year option picked up. If Justin Herbert plays this season, he should have a lot of fun with throwing deep to Williams.

WR3: K.J. Hill

This is where the competition begins. The Chargers have a few that will be in contention for this job, and while each of the newly acquired players bring their own unique skillset, Hill’s is likely to have the most success in the NFL. The team’s seventh-round selection has a knack for getting open and catching everything thrown his way. That’s a large reason why Hill is Ohio State’s reception leader (201), and is a must in the pros. Even though he will be limited to the slot, Allen is capable of playing outside, which will allow them to both be on the field at the same time.

WR4: Joe Reed

Reed will provide some versatility as he has experience out wide, in the slot and occasionally in the backfield. He will be used in sweeps, shovel passes and slants, similar to the role that the 49ers gave Deebo Samuel last season. He could also develop into the deep option, given his speed (4.47), but his route-running needs refinement. Reed should help out with special teams as he averaged 33 yards a return and took two touchdowns to the house. It wouldn’t be surprising if he is the starting kick returner.

WR5: Andre Patton

Patton was the frontrunner to winning the WR3 job entering the offseason after the Chargers released Travis Benjamin, but the acquisitions of Hill and Reed are bound to not make it an easy task for him now. When given the opportunity to step up after injuries hit Benjamin and Geremy Davis, the two-year practice squad member only managed to haul in six passes for 56 yards on 17 targets in 13 games last season.

WR6: Darius Jennings

The special teams department has been a major concern for the Chargers the past few seasons, and it’s clear that they made it a priority to shore up after the acquisitions of Reed and Jennings. Over the last two seasons, he returned 31 kickoffs for 894 yards, including a 94-yarder for a touchdown. Jennings would unlikely see the field on a consistent basis, but having him as insurance on special teams would be a plus (assuming Reed wins the starting job).