Official 2025 Chargers Discussion | 2025 Roster Build | Training Camp

[Boltnut]

Sure!

I like Hampton alot too. You think JH2 would use 22 on Hampton if no Loveland over a lineman of either side?

Yeah, probably. They say they want to run the ball. That would do it. Take some of the load off Dobbins... maybe keep him injury-free.

[Boltnut]

Nice break down and thank you for posting!

After careful consideration this would be my strategy in the offseason.

1) At the beginning of free agency, I'm re-signing these players:
a) Khalili Mack
b) Poona Ford
c) Troy Dye
d) Elijah Molden
e) JK Dobbins

The rest I'm letting hit the market and see what happens.

2) Also, at the beginning of free agency I'm keying in on these free agents:
a) Tee Higgins, WR
b) Trey Smith, OG
c) Javon Holland, S
d) Chris Godwin, WR
e) D.J. Reed, CB
f) Josh Sweat, Edge
g) Chavarius Ward, CB
h) Drew Greenlaw, LB
I) Drew Dalman, C
j) Will Fries, OG
k) Kevin Zeitler, OG
l) Nick Bolton. LB

I'm not saying I'm signing all these players, but these are the guys I am targeting. Any of them are upgrades over the Chargers I didn't resign. There are probably a few more you could add to the last and that's fine.

3) I'm going into the draft filling holes and getting BPA for depth. I'm going to wait later to add draft picks. With 10 draft picks they can find starters and add some nice depth pieces.

4) After the draft, if any of the Charger players we didn't re-sign at the beginning of free agency I would look to re-sign them or other FAs to fill in the holes that are still left and to build depth.

You could go over to OverTheCap and plug some of these guys into their cap calculator.
But remember, for every high-caliber signee, there are 2 or 3 solid (less expensive) players you can't sign.
I suspect you'd be a few roster spots short of 53 (even with draftees)... or you'd have to fill several spots with really cheap and ineffective players.

[dmac_bolt]

I am against trading for DK or throwing a ton of cash at Higgins. We don't need that splashy WR1. We can add sensibly to the WR corps with a guy like Slayton or Amari Cooper + a draft pick. I think Egbuka is going to be a stud and he would be my #1 choice in the first round.

Trey Smith and Dalman. Now if neither is available, that changes things a bit but I would still be reluctant to trade for an aging DK who isn't even extended yet. I don't want that hassle. No thanks.

Go young/exciting on offense:

1) WR Egbuka
2) TE Taylor
3) RB Judkins

I’m not a Cooper fan. Did you call DK old? dude is a chiseled rock of speed and fury.

[Chargers8491]

You could go over to OverTheCap and plug some of these guys into their cap calculator.
But remember, for every high-caliber signee, there are 2 or 3 solid (less expensive) players you can't sign.
I suspect you'd be a few roster spots short of 53 (even with draftees)... or you'd have to fill several spots with really cheap and ineffective players.

I probably will play with the calculator when I get some time. I will probably find out most on that list are high priced FAs..lol

[Boltnut]

I probably will play with the calculator when I get some time. I will probably find out most on that list are high priced FAs..lol

It's fun to play around with. Gives you a better idea of what we can really afford.
It also helps you understand how many roster spots we have to fill. Lots of Chargers' free agents this year... with all of those "prove-it" 1-year deals. That's one of the reasons why I brought back so many of our own free agents. IMO, some of those guys did "prove-it".

[Steve]

ok, lets use your selected example. First contract year cap hit circled for your convenience.

image.png

Supply and demand is what this years FA will be about. There is no supply, the demand is getting larger and larger.

cap space for teams
NE has $120 mill
LV has $92 mill
Wash has $87.5 mill
Cards have $71 mill
Bears have $64 mill
All have need at IOL, and only the Raiders have a need at QB. They have money to burn, and a short window on cheap QB's (except the Cards). That isn't even considering that teams like the Bengals, Titans and Giants all have $40+ mill each and needa at IOL.

If Smith is going to get a $60 mill signing bonus, then his prorated part of the contract is $12 mill the first year by itself. Even if the signing bonus is lower, the guaranteed contract money in the 1st season or 2 or 3 still adds and the cap number is going to get jacked up.

There is such a huge drop from Smith to guys like Will Fries and Teven Jenkins, so if you want to get the player, a GM has to separate his bid from the other teams, and you do that with the bonus and moving up the guaranteed money earlier in the deal. New coaches and need to get bums in seats, you are kidding yourself if you think the old rules for contracts apply. every couple of years teams go insane burning a ton of cap space. It's due.

And guys who are as good as Smith just don't make it to FA.

[wu-dai clan]

Facts.

[Boltx]

I’m not a Cooper fan. Did you call DK old? dude is a chiseled rock of speed and fury.

He's what, 27-28? On the back half of his career. And big body WRs like him tend to wear down fast. Plus he's one well timed drug test away from a suspension.

We are 2-3 years away from having a push year, if at all. By then DK Metcalf will be 30+ years old. DK is a trap, don't fall for it. Hard, hard pass from me. The big money should go towards trenches or a pass rusher like Sweat. Or just use it to extend some of our guys. It's madness to me to trade away draft picks when we have so many holes. All for an aging WR with only one year left on his contract.

Look at Cooper's numbers the last few years in Cleveland with shit QBs throwing to him. Yeah he's older than DK but he would just be a veteran presence for a couple of years. Think Keenan McCardell for us.

I would sign both Cooper and Slayton, AND draft Egbuka. WR is now light years ahead of last year and you have insurance against QJ being benched at some point next year.

[FtheTurds]

He's what, 27-28? On the back half of his career. And big body WRs like him tend to wear down fast. Plus he's one well timed drug test away from a suspension.

We are 2-3 years away from having a push year, if at all. By then DK Metcalf will be 30+ years old. DK is a trap, don't fall for it. Hard, hard pass from me. The big money should go towards trenches or a pass rusher like Sweat. Or just use it to extend some of our guys. It's madness to me to trade away draft picks when we have so many holes. All for an aging WR with only one year left on his contract.

Look at Cooper's numbers the last few years in Cleveland with shit QBs throwing to him. Yeah he's older than DK but he would just be a veteran presence for a couple of years. Think Keenan McCardell for us.

I would sign both Cooper and Slayton, AND draft Egbuka. WR is now light years ahead of last year and you have insurance against QJ being benched at some point next year.

This!!

[dmac_bolt]

Supply and demand is what this years FA will be about. There is no supply, the demand is getting larger and larger.

cap space for teams
NE has $120 mill
LV has $92 mill
Wash has $87.5 mill
Cards have $71 mill
Bears have $64 mill
All have need at IOL, and only the Raiders have a need at QB. They have money to burn, and a short window on cheap QB's (except the Cards). That isn't even considering that teams like the Bengals, Titans and Giants all have $40+ mill each and needa at IOL.

If Smith is going to get a $60 mill signing bonus, then his prorated part of the contract is $12 mill the first year by itself. Even if the signing bonus is lower, the guaranteed contract money in the 1st season or 2 or 3 still adds and the cap number is going to get jacked up.

There is such a huge drop from Smith to guys like Will Fries and Teven Jenkins, so if you want to get the player, a GM has to separate his bid from the other teams, and you do that with the bonus and moving up the guaranteed money earlier in the deal. New coaches and need to get bums in seats, you are kidding yourself if you think the old rules for contracts apply. every couple of years teams go insane burning a ton of cap space. It's due.

And guys who are as good as Smith just don't make it to FA.

And why can’t we spend $18M 2025 cap space on a pro bowl OG? Give him a competitive offer, fly him from the dirty salty crusty KC snow out to the sunny LA beach in mid March, work the Harbo Charm … it’s possible. No guarantees in life, gotta go grab what ya want in this world.

edit - can still draft the Big Mambo … btw we need THREE new IOL players, not one

[Bolt4Knob]

It's fun to play around with. Gives you a better idea of what we can really afford.
It also helps you understand how many roster spots we have to fill. Lots of Chargers' free agents this year... with all of those "prove-it" 1-year deals. That's one of the reasons why I brought back so many of our own free agents. IMO, some of those guys did "prove-it".

I don't mind bringing back players on veteran deals like last year - meaning Bozeman, Dye and the like - but I don't think you need to sign those players before free agency. There will always be solid veterans willing to take the vet minimum. And if Bozeman, Dye and some will take the vet minimum before free agency, fine

But I think the Chargers need to assess what they get in free agency and the draft before truly hitting the veteran minimum market

[Boltnut]

I don't mind bringing back players on veteran deals like last year - meaning Bozeman, Dye and the like - but I don't think you need to sign those players before free agency. There will always be solid veterans willing to take the vet minimum. And if Bozeman, Dye and some will take the vet minimum before free agency, fine

But I think the Chargers need to assess what they get in free agency and the draft before truly hitting the veteran minimum market

I'm not interested in bringing back Bozeman. He's not a starter... and there are some nice developmental IOL in the mid/late rounds.
But bringing back a lot of the defensive free agents... I'd be interested in that. A lot of them fit very nicely in Jesse's defense.

If you sign them before the official start of free agency, then you don't have to bid against anyone and they don't count against the compensation formula. Find guys that want to be here for reasonable/fair deals. Depth is super important.