Subscribe
Follow Us
After taking a two-game skid heading into the bye, the Los Angeles Chargers have been playing very well in the month of October.
They beat down on the Denver Broncos in Week 6, took a close loss to a very confusing Arizona Cardinals team in Week 7 – despite Justin Herbert throwing for 349 yards – and in Week 8? In Week 8, the Chargers beat the Saints 26-8 off the back of Ladd McConkey – back from injury – who recorded his first-ever 100-yard receiving game as a pro.
With their next three games lined up against the Cleveland Browns, the Tennessee Titans, and the Cincinnati Bengals, who have a collective record of 6-17, the 4-3 Chargers have a chance to be 7-3 by Thanksgiving week, when they will face off against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.
Needless to say, if the Chargers want to go all-in on the 2024 season and send Jim Harbaugh back to the playoffs, they might just want to load up on some additional talent on the trade market. Fortunately, even in a market where there aren't that many sellers, there are a few very interesting names that should inspire intrigue from within LA's front office, with Joe Hortizable to work the phones for an upgrade. Do you want a wide receiver or a cornerback, Chargers fans? Well, the 2024 trade block might just have a few names you need to know.
1. Trade a fourth-round pick for Diontae Johnson
Who is the Chargers WR1?
Numerically speaking, it's Ladd McConkey, followed by tight end Will Dissly, and then the trio of Josh Palmer, Quentin Johnston, and Simi Fehoko, all jammed in the middle at between 106 and 171 yards. But is McConkey really that true blue WR1 like Ja'Marr Chase, AJ Brown, or CeeDee Lamb, who can take over a game lined up at any position across the offense? Or is he more of a slot with flanker upside who will never be able to win consistently versus press as a true X receiver?
While McConkey's future will surely play out over the next few weeks, months, and years, if the Chargers want to upgrade their roster now, they should look for a player like Diontae Johnson, arguably the hottest name on the trade market.
Originally drafted in the third round out of Toledo by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson has been one of the few bright spots of the Carolina Panthers' 2024 season, catching 30 of the 58 passes thrown his way for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Filling the WR1 spot opposite rookie Xavier Legette and Adam Thielen -when healthy – Johnson has almost twice as many targets as the Panthers' WR2, Legette, and has positioned himself as an ideal trade target as a result, to the point where Adam Schefter identified him as the top wide receiver who should be moved before the deadline.
Is there a world where Johnson stays with the Panthers over the next few months? Sure, but unless the team franchise tags him next spring, he will almost certainly sign elsewhere when free agency opens up, as the prospects of Carolina competing during his prime seem rather slim.
But on the Chargers? Well, Johnson would immediately slot in as the team's X receiver, sending Fehoko into more of a reserve role while giving Herbert another playoff-caliber weapon on the outside. All things considered, securing Johnson's services at the deadline would be a fantastic piece of business, as it's safe to say his services will be in demand over the next week.
2. Trade a conditional fourth-round pick for Greg Newsome II
If the Chargers want to make a trade but target players to defense passes instead of catch them, one very interesting option is Greg Newsome II, the former Browns first-round pick who has been relegated to the team's CB3 behind Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson.
Now at one time, Newsome looked like an ideal addition to any NFL team, a versatile cornerback who can play inside and out in multiple different schemes, but over the past few years, his game has remained no better than above average, with his efforts in 2024 taking a step back after having his fifth-year option picked up over the offseason. For a team like the Chargers, who have one good corner in Kristian Fulton but not a great CB2 or CB3 option after placing Asante Samuel Jr. on IR, Newsome would instantly slide in as a starter in base and play heavy minutes either inside or out in defensive sub-packages.
Considering the Chargers' general success against the pass so far this season, they might be fine with the players they already have under contract, especially when Samuel returns from IR. But in a pass-heavy league? And especially a pass-heavy division? Adding a young, exciting cornerback like Newsome, who is under contract this year and next, might be a worthy investment, especially if the Browns are willing to agree to a conditional draft pick, the value of which could go up or down based on whether or not he re-signs on a long-term contract.
Chargers Bonus: Christian Kirk is officially off the board
If Johnson is the top wide receiver in the NFL on the trade block, Christian Kirk was easily 1B.
Highlighted ahead of Week 8's Sunday slate of games for his potential availability, what with the emergence of Brian Thomas Jr. and his general down year, by ESPN's Adam Schefter, Kirk looked like a potential fit for the Chargers' offense, where he could be an interesting option as a vertical threat from the slot.
And yet, unless things turn around in a spectacular way, it would appear Kirk is officially off the Chargers' trade block. Why? Because his season is all but over, as Michael DiRocco reported for ESPN.
“Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken collarbone, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter,” DiRocco wrote. “Kirk was hurt early in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars' 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at EverBank Stadium when he landed on his left shoulder while trying to catch a deep pass from Trevor Lawrence. The receiver left the field supporting his left arm and was wearing a sling after the game.”
On paper, Johnson is likely a better fit for the Chargers' needs than Kirk anyway, as his player profile isn't too different from Ladd McConkey, but who's to say the Texas A&M product can only fit that one role? Paired up with McConkey, Kirk could create some interesting options for switching high-low concepts and crossing routes, the likes of which could have become all the more dangerous when the run game was going and Herbert was on the money.
Oh well, maybe the Chargers will consider him in free agency in 2025, should the Jaguars decide to release him at the end of the year? Otherwise, all the speculation will just go down as one of the great “What ifs” of the 2024 NFL season.
