Our WR's

[Craig440]

I like Guyton for a third or forth guy. He caught some deep balls. Who can forget that one against the Giants? That was special from Herbert and Guyton.


(13) Jalen Guyton- 2020 Highlightsᴴᴰ - YouTube

[Steve]

Ffrench runs a 4.4 40 and was a projected round 4/5 draft pick in 2020 but went undrafted. He signed as an UDFA with KC, but was let go. He runs well with the ball and has some experience as a return man from his college days. I kind of like his traits as a player, but if we only keep 5 WRs on the 53 man roster, it will be tough for him to take a spot.

Joe Reed has some appeal as he has some return man ability and might be able to handle some RB carries as a change of pace. Reed runs a very respectable 4.47. That said, Reed has not emerged so far as much of a receiver for us for whatever reason even though he has some some physical gifts.

Carter is the return man we signed from WAS this offseason. Unlike Roberts last year, and despite being small, Carter plays some WR snaps during games and he had over 40 targets last year. Carter ran a 4.48 at the combine and 4.44 at his pro day. He also produced a 1.45 10 yard split, making him very, very quick from a dead stop.

Bandy is a slow slot possession receiver (4.62) with not a great deal of athletic talent in NFL WR terms.

Moore is a big bodied, but slower WR (4.57).

Guyton and Palmer are legitimate NFL reserves and Guyton did play over 900 snaps in 2020 when we had injuries to Williams and/or Allen. Guyton is the clear #3 WR in terms of snap count (155 more than Palmer last year). Guyton is also the team's fastest WR as he runs in the 4.3s. He is particularly good in the deep passing game with Herbert and has good contact balance.

Palmer is a solid and well-rounded reserve WR and a better route runner than Guyton overall. He is not totally slow (4.51). He is decent at several things, but does not really excel at anything. He faired better in the deep passing game in college than he did last year as two deep balls that Palmer could have made a play on turned into INTs.

From watching Bandy last preseason, he has excellent quickness. Sort of like Ekeler or Welker, but he lacks long speed. Traditionally, that suggests ability in the slot.

The issue at WR is not necessarily speed. Lots of guys who have speed never learn to be NFL WR. Route running is key. Every DB in the NFL can deal with JUST speed. The combination of good route running and speed is devistating.

[Steve]

I really feel Palmer is going to continue to grow with Herbert. If they continue to stay after practice working on timing, they will show us how good they can be.

He really showed improvement last season. He just needs to keep it up and keep improving. Sort of like KA did after his rookie season.

[Boltinloudguy]

I’m really hoping for Reed to find his footing this year after being injured last year. I think they only carry 5 WRs again. Maybe 6 if they can find out creative ways to use players like Carter and Reed.

[Guest]

From watching Bandy last preseason, he has excellent quickness. Sort of like Ekeler or Welker, but he lacks long speed. Traditionally, that suggests ability in the slot.

The issue at WR is not necessarily speed. Lots of guys who have speed never learn to be NFL WR. Route running is key. Every DB in the NFL can deal with JUST speed. The combination of good route running and speed is devistating.

I agree with your take regarding Bandy and, in fact, identified Bandy as a slot WR.

I think it would be beneficial to have a second burner as we saw what happened against HOU when Guyton could not play. Presently, the WR group is strange in that Guyton is not our best WR, but he might be our most important one because he does what the other WRs cannot do nearly as well in terms of winning deep with speed.

And I did focus on speed in my WR discussion because the OP specifically asked about our WR speed.

[Steve]

I agree with your take regarding Bandy and, in fact, identified Bandy as a slot WR.

I think it would be beneficial to have a second burner as we saw what happened against HOU when Guyton could not play. Presently, the WR group is strange in that Guyton is not our best WR, but he might be our most important one because he does what the other WRs cannot do nearly as well in terms of winning deep with speed.

And I did focus on speed in my WR discussion because the OP specifically asked about our WR speed.

Adding speed, at any position is always a good thing. But just like every other position, speed, by itself is useless. It has to be coupled with position skills. I'm not sure where you can add both at this point. Some speed guys are still kicking around, but can you develop the skills to do anything at this point. If you want to go the FA route, Will Fuller and John Ross are both available, although they both qualify as "mostly harmless" in my book. Beckham and Jarvis Landry are probably the 2 best WR left as FA, but neither of them was ever much of a burner.

A guy like Bandy, on the other hand, can have a similar sort of impact. Quickness is can have a huge impact in terms of making plays. But while guys with great quickness can be exciting and makes some plays, it's doesn't help other players make plays like a speed guy does.

[Velo]

(I posted this in another thread; I didn't see this thread.)

To those who don't think the Chargers have good WRs - think again, it's one of the deepest, if not the deepest, corps of WRs in the league. Staley obviously believes so to - not a single player drafted is a WR and there's only one WR among the undrafted signees.

[northerner]

(I posted this in another thread; I didn't see this thread.)

To those who don't think the Chargers have good WRs - think again, it's one of the deepest, if not the deepest, corps of WRs in the league. Staley obviously believes so to - not a single player drafted is a WR and there's only one WR among the undrafted signees.

I agree. we fully addressed the WR position when we signed MW to a big extension - which i think was the right move (keep the chemistry together and MW wanted to be here). in fact, we have guys i would like to see more of (Palmer and Guyton) being limited by the depth chart.

I think the #1 need for the passing game is giving Herbert time to throw, and we addressed that in the draft. Another need would be having a running game to keep defenses honest, and that was another draft focus. IMO we did help the passing attack with this draft.

[blueman]

Worried about our ability to score late in the game when it’s needed for the W. Returning the same group of WRs, impressive as they can be, seems short-sighted. Maybe Palmer comes on, I would expect him to in year two (he’s actually the guy I would pick to be the most improved this season, he’ll likely get opportunities to start). Also we didn’t have Everett who could be a difference-maker, also Parham was out late (could’ve used him against the Raiders, absolutely). And, really like that the two RBs we drafted have some receiving chops. So hoping the complimentary players make that much needed difference. Not making the playoffs again cuz we kick a field goal instead of an extra point should cost someone their job IMO.

[Velo]

When evaluating WRs, keep this in mind:

Cooper Kupp ran a 4.6 40 at the Combine, and didn't display the explosiveness teams want at WR. That is why he was a 3rd round pick.
Davante Adams ran a 4.56 40
DeAndre Hopkins ran a 4.57
Michael Thomas ran a 4.57
Justin Jefferson ran a 4.43
Stefon Diggs ran a 4.46
Deebo Samuel ran a 4.48

The list of WRs who are tops in the league right now who don't have elite speed (sub 4.0 40 time) is quite long. Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill...it is nice to have that elite speed, but it's not necessary for success in the NFL.

Josh Palmer speed and measurables fall into a category of WR that has had a lot of success in the NFL. He's 6-1, 210lbs, 4.51 40 time. Those are Hopkins, Adams, Kupp and Thomas type measurables. Palmer as a rookie displayed his ability to track the long ball really well, and can impose his will on DBs. That is why I think he is going to have a breakout season in 2022.

Then there is timed speed vs game speed. Mike Williams' timed speed was 4.59. But with the ball in his hands, I think he's faster. There were a few instances in 2021 where he outran DBs after the catch - DBs whose 40 times were faster than Mike's.

So don't fall too much in love with elite speed in a WR. 4.5 or 4.6 for a WR is a fast enough, there are other factors/attributes/skills that are more important than elite speed. Kupp showed us that in 2021.

[TTThunder]

I think Palmer will be 'something' this year, so I am not worry about our WR...

I am more worry about our LB, esp Murray...

Go Bolts!!!

[SuperCharged]

I think Palmer is going to continue to grow in this offense. However we are lacking one thing. I haven't look at any stats. I can say outside of MW's splash plays. Our YAC as a team isn't that good. I would guess below average.