The Los Angeles Chargers lost a key piece of their passing game when tight end Hunter Henry went down with a season-ending knee injury. And with the team moving on from team legend Antonio Gates, they don't appear to have a viable receiving threat at that position.
However, legendary Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson sees Henry’s injury as an opportunity for Melvin Gordon to step up and play a bigger role as a receiver.
“Truly that's the first thing I thought about when Hunter went down, is Melvin is going to have to become a weapon in the passing game,” Tomlinson said per Eric D. Williams of ESPN. “Hunter makes easy throws for Philip, easy first downs and easy red zone targets. Now somebody has to pick up that role, and that can be Melvin. Even if it's screen plays or little pivot routes out of the backfield on one-on-one matchups, he needs to be able to provide those for Philip more so than ever because Hunter is down.”
Gordon was not known as much of a receiver coming out of college. He had just 22 catches in his three-plus years in Wisconsin. However, he has shown in the NFL that he does indeed have that specific skill set in him. Gordon already has 132 catches in three seasons for the Chargers as the team has consistently ramped up his targets year after year.
Despite Henry’s absence, Philip Rivers still has a host of capable playmakers at his disposal with wideouts Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, and last year’s first-rounder Mike Williams. But even with those talented receivers, it likely won’t be that much of a surprise if Gordon emulates LT and tops 100 targets this season with Henry out of the picture.
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