It's safe to say that the Los Angeles Chargers absolutely need a wide receiver. An impending cap crisis forced the team to let go of two of their best wide receivers. In an instant, both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams left the team in different ways. That leaves Justin Herbert with a rather uninspiring group of receivers.
With that in mind, the Chargers are looking to try and improve their wide receiver room for cheap. Most of the top options are gone (and probably out of their price range). However, an intriguing option for Los Angeles might come from someone in their division. According to Justin Fowler, the team is looking at former Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
“According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Chargers have expressed interest in free agent receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. This comes after a report earlier in the week linking them to preliminary interest in Bengals WR Tyler Boyd.”
Having good weapons for your superstar quarterback is a must for any team. Williams and Allen were arguably past their primes, but they were still solid wide receivers for the team. With them and Austin Ekeler gone, they need to get some new faces while hoping Quentin Johnston recovers from his brutal rookie year.
Chargers' eventful offseason and wide receiver void
The Chargers a pretty eventful offseason, but it wasn't a positive change for them. With a cap crunch coming for them, the Bolts badly needed to cut costs somehow. That's never an easy task, especially with them supposedly gunning for playoff contention. Unfortunately, the costs of their spending is a little too painful for the team.
The idea behind Williams' release makes sense, at least: he was coming off of a serious injury, and they didn't want to pay a recuperating wide receiver. Parting with Allen for a measly fourth-round pick, though, hurts for the Chargers. He was easily the best and most consistent wide receiver for the team last season, snagging over 1,200 yards for the year.
Here's the kicker, though. Last season, Josh Palmer was the second-most productive Chargers receiver behind Keenan Allen. However, Palmer only had 581 yards and played in just 10 games last year. Ekeler, a running back, had more yards than Johnston. The departures of both Williams and Allen leave a massive void in the running back room that is hard to overcome. They say that elite quarterbacks don't need elite receivers… but the Chargers need at least one proven receiver.
Can Valdes-Scantling be that guy for the Chargers? Well, based on his past performance, he might have the same problem as Johnston. Last season, Johnston was criticized by fans due to his inconsistent performance… and untimely drops. That is the same reason why the Chiefs were unwilling to sign MVS back. He had some solid performances in the playoffs, but for a team whose playoff chances are not guaranteed, you might want a more consistent option.
That being said… MVS might be the best option on the market right now if the Chargers are looking for veteran names. They are linked to the other available option as well in ex-Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd. We'll see who Los Angeles manages to sign in free agency.
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