2021 Official Chargers Season Discusssion

[Bolt4Knob]

NO -

but if they can't trade him and they don't have cap room to keep him, after June 1 they'll release him - then the only problem is that salary - I think he'd be worth that.

I do not think they can release Julio Jones for cap savings. Julio Jones is guaranteed his salary this year (also $2m in 2022) . Though any transaction that takes place after June 1 where the Falcons trade Jones, helps the Falcons cap as they can allocate his remaining dead cap between this year and next year.

And since teams know why Julio needs to be traded - the idea of them getting maximum value is probably lessened. Falcons might get a 1st but I would think its a conditional first .

[BoltUp InLA]

If Lynn was the captain, he would say something like, "we're not set up to sail away from the pier!"

I am very happy at this point the Chargers moved on from Lynn, there were some issues there that I would not have expected from an experience coach, but I am way more excited about Staley and the cutting edge type of thinking the Chargers have lacked since the Coryell days really, although I thought the now WFT coach brought an element of that when he was the Chargers defensive coach. This will be refreshing to say the least!

[like54ninjas]

Bleacher Report tabs Chargers' most important training camp battle



Gavino Borquez
May 28, 2021 1:35 pm PT
Strengthening the special teams department is one of the biggest priorities for the Chargers ahead of the 2021 season after finishing as the league’s worst in 2020.

Los Angeles did a fine job of adding players to aide with the coverage units, but now the team must determine who will be their starting kicker.

That is why Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes that kicker is the most important position battle in training camp.

The Los Angeles Chargers lacked a reliable kicker last year, a glaring issue that must be rectified if this team is to emerge as a contender in 2021.

L.A. can’t afford to leave points on the board again, so having a competitive camp during which a quality long-distance kicker can emerge will be a major boon.

L.A. has three kickers on the roster who will be fighting for the starting job: Michael Badgley, Tristan Vizcaino and Alex Kessman.

Badgley had one of his worst seasons yet in 2020, as he converted just 24 of 33 field goal attempts for L.A., with all nine misses coming from beyond 40 yards. His inconsistencies did not go unnoticed.

Before signing with Los Angeles, Vizciano bounced around a few different practice squads – Cowboys, Vikings and Bills. He made his NFL debut this past season for the 49ers, in which he made all three field goals.

Kessman, an undrafted rookie, hit a career long and Pittsburgh school record 58-yard field goal and converted 12 of 18 kicks of 50 yards or longer in his collegiate career in 2020, which is the best rate in NFL history.

It doesn’t sound as enticing of a position battle compared to others, but it will be vital to the Chargers’ success rate in 2021.

[like54ninjas]

[Xenos]

This was an article by the Vikings beat writer but there was something that caught my eye. It certainly explained our low UDFA pickup this year.

https://theathletic.com/2595557/2021/05/18/why-would-a-vikings-team-that-needs-to-win-now-draft-so-many-project-players/

Many of these players won’t make the roster, instead competing with undrafted free agents for spots on the practice squad. Again, that’s to be expected. The draft class this year was smaller than it has been in decades. In most years, teams spend sixth- and seventh-round picks on players they grade as priority free agents, and it’s likely that this year, they spent fifth- or even fourth-round picks on priority free agents. Some teams even exhausted their pool of free agents, with some signing fewer than four free agents — or none at all.

It might seem like an unusual practice to spend a fifth-round pick on a player you don’t even expect to make the roster, but it’s unlikely that they’d be able to trade for future picks given the consensus across the NFL that future picks are more valuable than normal. Good luck finding a trade partner when everyone agrees that the asset you want costs more than normal.

[dmac_bolt]

This was an article by the Vikings beat writer but there was something that caught my eye. It certainly explained our low UDFA pickup this year.

https://theathletic.com/2595557/2021/05/18/why-would-a-vikings-team-that-needs-to-win-now-draft-so-many-project-players/

thats weird, i don’t recall a single article or comment by a single expert that 4th rounders this year are typical UDFA PS candidates. Fortunately, our 4th rounder is a lock at probable pro bowl yr2, chance at HOF. How TT was able to load his draft with future pro bowlers in late rounds is even more amazing with this revelation.

#eternaloptimist. #glasssfull

[Xenos]

thats weird, i don’t recall a single article or comment by a single expert that 4th rounders this year are typical UDFA PS candidates. Fortunately, our 4th rounder is a lock at probable pro bowl yr2, chance at HOF. How TT was able to load his draft with future pro bowlers in late rounds is even more amazing with this revelation.

#eternaloptimist. #glasssfull

It has to do with the opt outs and the uncertainty of 2020. The top tier guys like Sewell and Slater were always going to get drafted high. The later rounds were the problem. I believe Albert Breer brought up the same concerns in one of his articles.

[eaterfan]

It has to do with the opt outs and the uncertainty of 2020. The top tier guys like Sewell and Slater were always going to get drafted high. The later rounds were the problem. I believe Albert Breer brought up the same concerns in one of his articles.

I think that's part of it, the uncertainty made the late round picks more difficult, but that uncertainty existed for all the rounds. Let's say there's a 25% greater chance a player busts this year. There's definitely a much higher chance the late round picks bust, but it's much worse to get an early round bust. That explains why this year's draft picks aren't worth as much, but not as much why this class wasn't as deep and why UDFAs weren't signed. Those are all fliers anyway.

I think the reason is because the NCAA offered an additional year of eligibility and more guys opted to come back so a better evaluation could have them move up in the draft next year. I think fewer players applied to be eligible for the draft this year than any time in recent history. This obviously leads to a shallower draft and UDFA class.

This leads to my next point, the Chargers are in great shape next year. All those players who didn't enter the draft this year will enter next year or the year after that. Two draft classes with lots of better than usual late round picks. The Chargers have tons of late round picks next year to take advantage.

The Chargers have been both smart and lucky the last few years which has allowed them to take advantage of unusual situations. They moved on from Rivers at the perfect time. This allowed them to be well under the cap in a year when it was a buyer's market. They were in a position to get a top 3 QB in a 3 QB draft. This year they needed a LT and a CB when those were 2 of the 3 deepest positions. Hopefully, they take advantage of these situations and hit on their draft picks and FA signings, but they've done a good job of putting themselves in a position to succeed.

[Formula 21]

This was an article by the Vikings beat writer but there was something that caught my eye. It certainly explained our low UDFA pickup this year.

https://theathletic.com/2595557/2021/05/18/why-would-a-vikings-team-that-needs-to-win-now-draft-so-many-project-players/

I call BS on this opinion. The teams did not waste a draft year, that would be crazy. They drafted using the best available information, just like every year.

[Xenos]

I call BS on this opinion. The teams did not waste a draft year, that would be crazy. They drafted using the best available information, just like every year.

It’s more about the third day guys. I think there is some merit given that we usually do get more UDFA. This is reflected in other teams as well.

[Xenos]

Surprised they didn't put a floor at the same time. If the cap only goes from 182 to 188 - thats not much - with a ceiling 20m higher.

Could be why the FO is holding onto the additional $10 million just in case the floor doesn’t raise that high next year.

[Bolt4Knob]

Could be why the FO is holding onto the additional $10 million just in case the floor doesn’t raise that high next year.

Very true. Not that I think the Chargers will trade for a player like Julio Jones - it does give them the ability to sign a player if the need arises. Regarding Julio Jones - at least Breer today had some common sense that the trade value is closer to a 2nd than a 1st.