Tag: Gerald Everett

For better or for worse: Evaluating Chargers offense ahead of training camp

A quick rundown of each position on offense and whether the Chargers are better, worse or neutral at that spot.

The Chargers lost some key starters from last season but added a few in correspondence via free agency and the draft.

But how do they compare from the end of the 2023 regular season to now?

Let’s break it down by position, starting with the offense.

Quarterback

Offseason moves: Re-signed Easton Stick.

Summary: The Chargers are locked in with Justin Herbert. Herbert is coming off a down year, as he was hit with injuries to both hands, with his throwing hand being season-ending. Another year, another offense for Herbert, marking his fourth in five seasons in the league. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman want to run the football, so it’ll be enticing to see how they design this offense to accomplish that and allow Herbert to flourish as a passer. They brought back Stick to serve as Herbert’s backup. Stick was the backup with zero experience as a starter until last season when Herbert was sidelined with his finger injury. Stick went on to start the final four games and finished with 1,129 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception while adding 144 rushing yards and a score on 27 carries.

Verdict: Same

Running Back

Offseason moves: Lost Austin Ekeler (signed with the Commanders). Signed Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins (previously with the Ravens). Drafted Kimani Vidal (sixth-round pick)

Summary: After playing with the Chargers for seven seasons, Ekeler departed and eventually reunited with former head coach Anthony Lynn, who is now Washington’s running backs coach. With the vision of the offense pounding the rock and wearing defenses on the ground, Los Angeles went out and got guys familiar with Roman’s gap/power scheme. Edwards is coming off a year where he set career highs in rushing yards (810) and touchdowns (13). Dobbins has struggled to stay healthy, but his most productive season came under Roman in 2020 when he rushed for 805 yards, nine scores and 6.0 yards per carry. Vidal was productive at Troy, rushing for 1,661 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns on 295 carries.

Verdict: Better

Wide Receiver

Offseason moves: Traded Keenan Allen (Bears). Lost Mike Williams (signed with the Jets). Drafted Ladd McConkey (second round), Cornelius Johnson and Brenden Rice (seventh round). Signed D.J. Chark (previously with the Panthers).

Summary: Once a strength of the Chargers, now the wide receiver room lacks top-end talent after the losses of Allen and Williams. Joshua Palmer has the most experience in the group, and he is expected to take a big step in his contract year. McConkey, who Los Angeles traded up for to get in Round 2, is expected to be a significant contributor in his rookie season. He and Herbert have already started to develop a rapport. The team is hopeful that Quentin Johnston can shake off his rough rookie campaign and provide the offense with a legitimate yards-after-the-catch threat. Chark hasn’t had a productive season since 2019 with the Jaguars when he earned Pro Bowl honors. He offers elite speed to serve as a vertical threat. Johnson and Rice will compete for roster spots.

Verdict: Worse

Tight End

Offseason moves: Lost Gerald Everett (signed with the Bears). Signed Will Dissly (previously with the Seahawks) and Hayden Hurst (previously with the Panthers).

Summary: In two seasons as a Charger, Everett was vital in the passing game with his yards-after-the-catch ability and clutchness on money downs. They found their replacement for Everett with Hurst, who played under Roman for two seasons in Baltimore. Hurst offers the upside as a receiver but can also block. In a new offense where blocking tight ends are integral, they signed one of the best in that department in Dissly. The offense hasn’t had a good blocking tight end since 2020. Parham returns for another season and should be reliable in the red zone with his 6-foot-8 frame.

Verdict: Better

Offensive line

Offseason moves: Lost Corey Linsley (likely to retire). Drafted Joe Alt (first round)

Summary: The Chargers felt the loss of Linsley throughout last season when he was sidelined with his heart issue. Filling Linsley’s void was arguably the most critical offseason move. They did so with Bozeman, who has seven years of starting experience and is familiar with Roman’s scheme, having played under him for four seasons. Los Angeles struck gold with Rashawn Slater. They hope they do the same with Joe Alt, who will start opposite Slater. Alt should make a difference in the run game from Day 1. Now it’s just a matter of how he holds up against NFL pass rushers. With Alt sliding in at right tackle, Trey Pipkins will move inside to right guard. Despite never playing the position, Pipkins has the athleticism, length and football IQ to make the transition seamless.

Verdict: Slightly better

LOOK: Caleb Williams dropping dimes at Bears OTAs

Caleb Williams is dropping dimes at Bears OTAs. Catch a glimpse here:

The Chicago Bears kicked off organized team activities this week at Halas Hall, which has consisted of two voluntary (and closed) practices on Monday and Tuesday.

We finally got a first glimpse of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in action throwing to his veteran teammates in this first video from OTAs, where Williams scrambles and drops a dime to tight end Gerald Everett with cornerback Kyler Gordon in coverage.

It’s the first of what’s sure to be many plays by Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick, who has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal between DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet and Everett.

We also caught a first glimpse at All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson sporting his new number.

The Bears will continue OTAs on Thursday (with media in attendance) before additional practices May 28-29 and May 31. They’ll wrap things up with mandatory minicamp on June 4-6 before breaking for the summer ahead of training camp in mid-July.

Chargers projected to receive 3 compensatory picks in 2025

The Los Angeles Chargers could have seven Day 3 selections next year.

With the Jim Harbaugh era underway, the Chargers retooled their roster over the past couple of months, letting go of former players. However, there is a chance that they could be compensated for their losses.

According to Over The Cap, Los Angeles is projected to receive three compensatory picks for the departure of Kenneth Murray (Titans), Austin Ekeler (Commanders) and Gerald Everett (Bears).

The league gives out 32 compensatory picks from the third through seventh rounds of the draft each year based on a selected pool of free agents lost. Among that, the largest 32 contracts signed by free agents based on average per-year value will net a team compensation.

A formula considers salary, playing time and postseason accolades to value players and determine whether teams should be compensated for those players leaving in free agency. However, the compensation for players is also determined by a formula dictated by individual teams’ gains and losses of unrestricted free agents each year.

The picks won’t be determined until after the 2024 season, but here’s to hoping that L.A. is able to end up with a total of ten picks.

Kiran Amegadjie’s old Bears tweet has unbelievable connection

The rookie used to vent his frustrations about his favorite team on social media and one post has a wild connection to the current squad.

New Chicago Bears offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie realized a dream last Friday when he was selected by his hometown team with the No. 75 overall pick. Amegadjie, who grew up and played in Hinsdale, made it clear that he was a fan of the Bears growing up. It didn’t take long for everyone to see just how big of a fan he was, however.

Shortly after he was selected, his old tweets started popping up that proved he was living and dying with every play. Amegadjie, like many Bears fans, was venting his frustrations about the team during the 2020 season on Twitter/X when they endured a rollercoaster season. Comments like complaining about blocking and play calling were nothing nefarious and were warranted given the state of the franchise at the time, but one post in particular stood out, and it turns out it has quite the connection to the 2024 squad he just joined.

During the Bears’ prime-time matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Amegadjie posted a tweet that simply read “Make the pain stop please,” an evergreen message Bears fans have probably said many times during their fandom. Based on the timestamp, it turns out that tweet was in response to the Rams scoring a touchdown to put the game out of reach in the third quarter, made by tight end Gerald Everett, his new teammate who signed in free agency. The Bears would eventually lose 24-10, which kicked off a six-game losing streak.

 

Amegadjie very likely doesn’t remember the specifics of his Bears-related tweets. He’s already deleted quite a few of them, after all. But seeing that he’s now teammates on the Bears with the man who made him want to wish away the pain of being a Bears fan back in the day is quite the twist. That could be a fun icebreaker as the two get to know one another.

Details of TE Gerald Everett’s contract with Bears

The Bears have agreed to terms with TE Gerald Everett. See the details of his contract here:

The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Gerald Everett, which marked their second move of free agency.

While Chicago has its TE1 in Cole Kmet, they needed to add some depth at tight end with Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis hitting free agency. Everett comes to the Bears as an established pass-catching tight end.

Details of Everett’s contract have emerged, and the Bears got a nice deal for a TE1 who will serve as a TE2. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Everett gets a two-year deal worth 12 million with a maximum value of $14 million that incluides $6.1 million full guaranteed.

Everett has plenty of experience with new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, as the pair have worked together with the Los Angeles Rams (2017-20) and Seattle Seahawks (2021). He’s spent the past two years with the Chargers, including a career year with Justin Herbert in 2022, where he had 58 receptions for 555 yards and four touchdowns.

Everett is coming to Chicago to serve as a complement to Kmet in the tight end room, and there’s no denying he’s a clear upgrade over Tonyan from last year. Everett gives the Bears a productive move tight end to pair with Kmet in the passing game. With Waldron running things, expect a lot of two tight-end sets featuring Kmet and Everett, giving whichever quarterback is under center plenty of options.

Bears agree to terms with TE Gerald Everett on 2-year deal

The Bears have agreed to terms with TE Gerald Everett.

The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Gerald Everett, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Everett is signing a two-year deal worth $12 million with a maximum value of $14 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which includes $6.1 million fully guaranteed.

Everett, a former second-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams, spent the past two years with the Chargers. That included a career year in 2022, where he had 58 receptions for 555 yards and four touchdowns.

Everett worked with new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron with the Rams (2017-20) and Seattle Seahawks (2021).

Everett joins a tight end room featuring starter Cole Kmet, who’s coming off a career year after signing a four-year extension last offseason. He’s a good complement to Kmet as a pass-catching tight end. Kmet and Everett will be featured prominently in Waldron’s offense, as he utilizes a lot of 12-personnel.

This is the second move of free agency for the Bears, who previously agreed to terms with running back D’Andre Swift.

7 free agent tight ends Giants could target to replace Darren Waller

If Darren Waller opts to retire, here are seven free agent tight ends the New York Giants could target as a replacement option.

One year after acquiring tight end Darren Waller via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants may be forced into replacing him.

Waller told the New York Post on Friday that he’s “still undecided” about his future and could opt to retire.

“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller told the Post.

If Waller does return in 2024, he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

Because of Waller’s transparency with the Giants, they have already begun to pour over the names slated to become available in free agency.

With Waller’s future uncertain and a need at the position beyond just 2024, here’s a look at seven free agent tight ends the Giants could consider.

PFF: Current projected contracts for Chargers’ 2024 internal free agents

Brad Spielberger has current contract valuations available for Austin Ekeler, Alohi Gilman and Gerald Everett.

The Chargers will enter March with 27 internal free agents.

Of that group, three of Los Angeles’ players received contract projections from PFF’s Top 200 free agent ranking.

Brad Spielberger has current contract valuations available for Austin Ekeler, Alohi Gilman, and Gerald Everett.

Chargers 2024 offseason position preview: Tight end

Evaluating the Chargers’ tight end room entering the offseason.

Gerald Everett will test the market after two seasons with the Chargers. In his 2022 season, Everett extended his streak of seven straight seasons with an increasing receiving yards total. He was a beacon of consistency, especially when his services were needed most with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missing in action for long stretches.

In 2023, Everett had 58 receptions for 411 yards. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t far off from the same ballpark that his single-season career numbers usually gravitated toward. But it was the lowest yards per reception mark of the veteran tight end’s career at 8.6.

Jim Harbaugh makes tight ends a rather critical focal point of his offensive approach relative to Kellen Moore. As the Chargers gravitate towards a more physical style of offense with him and Greg Roman at the helm, it’s worth seeing where the roster currently stands at the position. Will the team keep Everett? Is it a clean slate start? Could someone like Georgia star Brock Bowers be in play?

In continuing our offseason position preview series, let’s turn to the tight end room entering the offseason.

7 Tight ends the Vikings should pursue in free agency

Do the Minnesota Vikings sign a tight end to fill in for T.J. Hockenson? From Noah Fant to Hunter Henry, these 7 options are intriguing

The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting position at tight end going into free agency. They theoretically are set with T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver as the top two tight ends in the room. However, that is murky for 2024 with the torn ACL suffered on Christmas Eve by Hockenson since he didn’t have surgery to repair the injury until the end of January.

What should the Vikings do at the position? If they plan on redshirting Hockenson, would they end up signing a bridge player to get them through 2024? Do they choose to bring back Johnny Mundt and ride with the three guys in the room?

With how general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has pursued things so far, a bridge tight end makes a lot of sense. Here are seven different tight ends that could fit the bill and be that bridge player.