With Mike Williams set to miss multiple weeks with a sprained ankle, the Chargers have now sustained injuries to four of their top five receivers.
Keenan Allen returned for the first time since Week 1 against the Seahawks after a hamstring injury, Joshua Palmer missed the Seattle game with a concussion and has suffered multiple lower-body injuries, Jalen Guyton tore his ACL, and now Williams has an ankle injury.
While Allen and Palmer should be back for the Falcons game after the bye week, Los Angeles should still consider adding another gameday-ready piece to this room. I specify “gameday ready” because Odell Beckham Jr. is not on this list after recent reports that he will not be back from his ACL rehab until December.
Will Fuller (free agent)
Let’s start with the free agent pool, where the 28-year-old Fuller is still hanging out despite preseason reports that he was likely to sign sometime in August. Fuller was allowed to walk by Miami after last season, in which he missed Week 1 due to a PED suspension and broke his thumb in his second game. Injuries have been the story of Fuller’s career since joining the league in 2016, but it’s hard to argue with the prospect of 4.3 speed in an offense that currently has no defined deep threat (and hasn’t since Guyton went down). If Los Angeles wants to get splashy and feels they need to give someone new to the system extra time to get acclimated, this would be the time to pick up the phone.
John Ross (free agent)
Ross is another burner whose free agent market was rumored to be active enough that he would catch on by Week 1, only to remain available for the entire season to date. Ross did work out with the Cardinals last week but left the facility unsigned. Much like Fuller, the story of Ross’ career has been marred with injuries, namely recurrent shoulder and knee injuries during his time in Cincinnati. The workout with Arizona confirms that Ross is ready to go, making him another potential flier candidate if the Chargers are looking for a speedster. Ross also has kick return experience, which could prove useful considering DeAndre Carter’s ineffectiveness in that role and growing offensive snap count.
Dede Westbrook (free agent)
Westbrook worked out for a team as recently as the 25th in Miami, but the Dolphins ultimately decided to sign rookie Calvin Jackson from the tryout instead. The 28-year-old is familiar with Ryan Ficken, having served as Minnesota’s primary punt returner last season while Ficken was special teams coordinator. Many of the Chargers’ injuries have come on special teams this season: Joshua Kelley and Chris Rumph have been knocked out for multiple games and Drue Tranquill missed part of the Seahawks game with a minor injury on the punt team. That could create motivation to move Carter out of a full-time special teams role if he’s being asked to carry a bigger load on offense after the bye. Westbrook is a natural fit for those special team snaps and ran a 4.39 40 coming out of Oklahoma, making him a good candidate for the deep-threat role.
Marquez Callaway (Saints)
Brandon Staley and his staff preach continuity, a big reason why the Chargers haven’t made any moves that affect anything but the end of the roster since the season started. If that’s the case, perhaps Los Angeles targets a receiver familiar with Joe Lombardi’s system, like Callaway, who played his rookie season in New Orleans while Lombardi was QB coach. Callaway is cheap (a new team would owe him less than $500,000 for this season) and falling down the Saints’ depth chart with the emergence of rookies Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Flipping their WR5 or 6 for a late-round pick could be enticing for the Saints, especially with Callaway set to hit restricted free agency this offseason.
KJ Hamler (Broncos)
Hamler and teammate Jerry Jeudy have been the subject of trade rumors for a while now because of their declining usage in the Russell Wilson offense, which has only targeted Courtland Sutton and tight ends this season. I don’t think Jeudy is necessarily a realistic option for the Chargers; he’s more of an intermediate route runner, who is due a fifth-year option in 2024 that would inflate the Chargers’ WR bill to unprecedented heights. Hamler, however, could be an intriguing addition as a deep-threat piece still on a rookie contract. Denver is rumored to have at least listened to offers on Hamler, and I doubt it would cost more than a Day 3 pick unless the Broncos crank up the intradivisional tax.
Kendrick Bourne/Nelson Agholor (Patriots)
Both Bourne and Agholor seem expendable with the way Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, and rookie Tyquan Thornton have been playing for New England. Both are relatively cheap for veterans: a new team would owe Agholor the remainder of his $9.8 million salary (roughly $5.4 million) and would owe Bourne the remainder of his $5 million salary (about $2.8 million). Both are deep threats: Agholor averages 12.7 yards per catch in his career, Bourne 13.4. If I had to pick one, I’d personally lean toward Bourne, the cheaper option with more reliable hands, but either Patriot receiver would add a new dimension to this Chargers offense.
Chase Claypool (Steelers)
This one is extremely unlikely, but so was trading for Khalil Mack until it happened. Claypool and the Steelers seem philosophically opposed: the offense isn’t vertical enough to utilize his skill set correctly and Pittsburgh has two other stud receivers in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. Yet Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported that Pittsburgh is unlikely to move 2020 second-rounder unless they’re blown away by an offer; compensation similar to the Christian McCaffrey trade has been rumored by other sources to be the asking price. I doubt Los Angeles is that desperate, but Claypool would come with a year and a half of team control and 4.4 speed at 6’4”. That’s a rare player build, and he’d work wonders in Los Angeles.
Quickly on two other targets with trade rumors swirling: trading for DJ Moore is simply not feasible. L.A. would owe their wide receiver room $65.7 million in 2023 if they traded for Moore. That’s more than 29% of the projected 2023 salary cap. Yes, wide receivers coach Chris Beatty coached Moore at Maryland. But getting him in powder blue is a pipe dream.
Similarly, Elijah Moore looks like his wish to be traded will go unfulfilled, with multiple sources reporting that the Jets have zero plans to trade their 2021 second-round pick. Moore is frustrated with his usage, a squabble that’s become public enough that the Jets sat him last week. Even so, expect Moore to remain in New Jersey for the time being.
