Official 2026 Chargers Roster Discussion | Roster Build | Free Agency

[Fouts2herbert]

I think most of us are trying to fill the void in this downtime until free agency starts. None of us have a fucking clue what Hortiz/Harbaugh are going to do in free agency or the draft. I think it's good to hear others' ideas whether I agree or not. All of us are just spit balling shit until one of our spit balls hit and we can come back and say I told you so...lol.

We're so lucky right now and I'm as excited as anyone here, eagerly awaiting to see who these new Chargers are going to be and with the knowledge that this team is going to be even more physical and more dangerous than the last one...Herbert will have more weapons, the defense will get younger, they will shore up the trenches, etc...

I bought into Beathard and later into AJ Smith but my gut tells me this is going to be the best of those three eras...I especially like how Harbaugh and Hortiz are up front about what they want to do and they just go about doing it with as little bullshit as possible...

[Boltjolt]

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2024/10/23/24277660/cowboys-fan-tours-disruptive-players-interviewed-nfl

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/dallas-...h-parsons-espn

Geez, terrible GM and terrible owner. It would be funny if a handful of players asked for a trade because of that shit.

Long live Jerry..... The Cowboys will never win shit as long as he is alive.

[Fouts2herbert]

Does this mean we need to replace Alt and Herbert then??? They played as bad (or worse) than Smith against the Texans . . . . . . . . . one game does not a career make. Smith's performance in the PO's may make him more affordable . . . .

there is a such a demand for good O-line league wide that experts are predicting a bidding war for Smith's services, he could very well end up resetting the market for the guard position...I don't think the Chargers will get involved if it gets crazy like in the 23 mil APY type numbers...and since Smith was a 6th round pick who already has his Super Bowl rings, he might be looking to cash in on what would be his first big payday...I still think that KC will do what they can to keep him there as they already have too much to do to fix the O-line and can little afford to lose one of there best O-line players, we'll see, I'm just not convinced he'll even hit the market...

[Boltjolt]

folks are having a tough time adapting to the new reality, this is not the Telesco era anymore, these guys know what they are doing, they have a plan and they understand how to execute it effectively and without delay...

the one thing that people need to be patient about is that Hortiz is not going to mortgage to future either cap wise or draft capital wise, there will be no Telesco type desperation moves to fill gaps on the roster...

we need to keep reminding ourselves that basically they inherited like 4 great players from the Telesco era, Mack, Herbert, James, and Slater then maybe another 2 guys with potential to become great in Tuli and Henley AND finally 2 guys that could go either in the dumpster or emerge as superstars at their positions, Zion and QJ...the rest of the team just wasn't very good and that's not a lot to build around, granted having the franchise QB question answered is a huge deal and probably the biggest reason that Harbaugh and Hortiz took the job...

I want to talk about Higgins a bit, so many here are dead set on getting Higgins but I don't think he's even on our radar, this offense doesn't feature WRs, it features the TE position and the RB position so to me how do you justify paying 35mil to a guy that is not going to be the feature player in the offense, that and also how do you convince him to play for less and get less attention in the offense? Keenan didn't want to play in this offense and he was heavily invested in being a Charger, I just don't see Higgins wanting to play in LA, that an he's injury prone, it's the big thing everyone complained about out Mike Williams, but now they want to pay 35mil per for a younger Mike Williams...we could just bring MW back for like 10-13 mil per year and he already has rapport with Herbert plus will not cry about targets and shit like that...

Agree about Higgins.

But I think it's more the money than the offense. Keenan chose his 23 mil instead of the team..said he wasn't going to take a cut. Never said he didn't want to play in this offense.
Higgins will play here for the money but I agree we probably don't pursue him, or trade picks for another receiver.

If Adams is released, maybe we try and sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal but I won't hold my breath

MW agree is a cheaper option but he as well as Higgins miss games. So does Hollywood Brown who is meh. Don't think we pursue MW just agreeing with you on it.

No idea if we even talk to Keenan but IF Herbert is asked, they will regardless of what we think.
Draft one, maybe sign a 1 year vet.

[Fouts2herbert]

Agree about Higgins.

But I think it's more the money than the offense. Keenan chose his 23 mil instead of the team..said he wasn't going to take a cut. Never said he didn't want to play in this offense.
Higgins will okay here for the money but I agree we probably don't pursue him, or trade picks for another receiver.

If Adams is released, maybe we try and sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal but I won't hold my breath

MW agree is a cheaper option but he as well as Higgins miss games. So does Hollywood Brown who is meh. Don't think we pursue MW just agreeing with you on it.

No idea if we even talk to Keenan but IF Herbert is asked, they will regardless of what we think.
Draft one, maybe sign a 1 year vet.

Harbaugh and Hortiz still wanted MW back after they failed to get him to sign for reduced money and then he took a 50% paycut from the jets anyways...some of that was him not wanting KA to become a cap casualty on account of him taking a pay cut, IDK, those two are close friends so once Keenan refused to work with the team it set a bunch of shit in motion...

later they were trying to get Mike back in the building before the trade deadline so that's twice that this administration has tried to bring him back, I think there is a strong possibility that the 3rd time is a charm...

if they can get Mike for 10-13mil and then draft another WR somewhere between round 3-5, plus we'll probably still have Fehoko and Rice around

MW

LM

QJ

DD

Draft Pick

Fehoko

Rice

that's a better room than what we had last year to start and now know that QJ has continued to grow and Ladd is a beast, yes, this is not a bad room

throw into the receiving corp a new TE and with Smart also improved and I think Herbert will be happy especially if he gets a new stud RB in the draft as well...

one thing is for sure, this offense is going to be much improved going into 2025...

[Boltjolt]

If Pittsburgh let Harris walk they have really no one behind him at RB. So it’s very feasible that DEN takes Loveland and PIT takes Hampton with the next pick. Somebody like Kenneth Grant will probably be there, but it’s not the worst idea to think about trading ahead of both of them….

Id argue Warren has been better than Najee. Then they draft another. Maybe it's a first rounder or maybe they draft a WR. Van Jefferson is meh and,.... They do have Roman Wilson but he was hurt all last year and missed pretty much all TC. I don't know what else they need.

[Bolt4Knob]

Agree about Higgins.

But I think it's more the money than the offense. Keenan chose his 23 mil instead of the team..said he wasn't going to take a cut. Never said he didn't want to play in this offense.
Higgins will play here for the money but I agree we probably don't pursue him, or trade picks for another receiver.

If Adams is released, maybe we try and sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal but I won't hold my breath

MW agree is a cheaper option but he as well as Higgins miss games. So does Hollywood Brown who is meh. Don't think we pursue MW just agreeing with you on it.

No idea if we even talk to Keenan but IF Herbert is asked, they will regardless of what we think.
Draft one, maybe sign a 1 year vet.

Not sure you can compare a 26 year old Higgins making 28-30m compared to a 32 year old Allen wanting 23m.

And I don't agree with the above that says this offense is RB / TE centric. I think it will be WR centric once the team has the WRs to make it WR centric. Herbert is best at play action and passing the ball down the field - 20+ yards. They need to get him the WR that can vertically stretch the field. Do not have it now.

And my guess if Herbert is asked who would you rather have Higgins or Allen - he would say Higgins. This nostalgia and sentiment stuff is for fans and media. Players, and the team want to win. Herbert has never had a WR with the ability of Higgins to get downfield consistently and make contested catches. MW in stretches was the closest.

As for Adams - he has been very durable and of the veteran WRs out there - he easily would be the best fit. So sure, you can get Adams for a couple years, and draft a WR - that would work. But the WR needs to be a true complement to Ladd. And the two best that fit that are Higgins and Adams.

[Bolt4Knob]

Harbaugh and Hortiz still wanted MW back after they failed to get him to sign for reduced money and then he took a 50% paycut from the jets anyways...some of that was him not wanting KA to become a cap casualty on account of him taking a pay cut, IDK, those two are close friends so once Keenan refused to work with the team it set a bunch of shit in motion...

later they were trying to get Mike back in the building before the trade deadline so that's twice that this administration has tried to bring him back, I think there is a strong possibility that the 3rd time is a charm...

if they can get Mike for 10-13mil and then draft another WR somewhere between round 3-5, plus we'll probably still have Fehoko and Rice around

MW

LM

QJ

DD

Draft Pick

Fehoko

Rice

that's a better room than what we had last year to start and now know that QJ has continued to grow and Ladd is a beast, yes, this is not a bad room

throw into the receiving corp a new TE and with Smart also improved and I think Herbert will be happy especially if he gets a new stud RB in the draft as well...

one thing is for sure, this offense is going to be much improved going into 2025...

Did you look at Mike Williams actual stats last year. 21 catches for 298 yards. So sure he had a very good ypc but it was truly feast or famine. A bunch of long catches and not much else
He is not the answer for the WR room - especially at 10m plus

Now if MW wants to wait until after the draft and sign for an incentive laden 5m deal - thats fine if all other options have been looked at.

Chargers need to get better and that WR room is not getting better.

[Lefty2SLO]

there is a such a demand for good O-line league wide that experts are predicting a bidding war for Smith's services, he could very well end up resetting the market for the guard position...I don't think the Chargers will get involved if it gets crazy like in the 23 mil APY type numbers...and since Smith was a 6th round pick who already has his Super Bowl rings, he might be looking to cash in on what would be his first big payday...I still think that KC will do what they can to keep him there as they already have too much to do to fix the O-line and can little afford to lose one of there best O-line players, we'll see, I'm just not convinced he'll even hit the market...

I agree - Hortiz wont be involved if the numbers get into this range . . . . . . . . . . there will be other options, and like you I'm always leery of guys in this position. We've been the 'soft landing' far too often in the past . . . . .

[Jack Burton]

Id argue Warren has been better than Najee. Then they draft another. Maybe it's a first rounder or maybe they draft a WR. Van Jefferson is meh and,.... They do have Roman Wilson but he was hurt all last year and missed pretty much all TC. I don't know what else they need.

I could also see PIT going Luther Burden right there…
Their offense has some serious needs.

[Fouts2herbert]

Did you look at Mike Williams actual stats last year. 21 catches for 298 yards. So sure he had a very good ypc but it was truly feast or famine. A bunch of long catches and not much else
He is not the answer for the WR room - especially at 10m plus

Now if MW wants to wait until after the draft and sign for an incentive laden 5m deal - thats fine if all other options have been looked at.

Chargers need to get better and that WR room is not getting better.

I'm not going to judge MW coming off injury learning a new offense with an asshole for QB and then going to a different city and starting from scratch midseason with another asshole for QB...


He'll be a full season removed from his injury, and he's the type of boundary guy that the team needs, he's a good run blocker that doesn't bitch about targets, and plus he already has a ton of rapport with Herbert...there's a reason that Harbaugh and Hortiz have tried twice to bring him back...also, 10 mil for a WR nowadays is not considered very much, I know it's ridiculous but that's what's happening with WR contracts at this point in time...

[Fouts2herbert]

I agree - Hortiz wont be involved if the numbers get into this range . . . . . . . . . . there will be other options, and like you I'm always leery of guys in this position. We've been the 'soft landing' far too often in the past . . . . .

the health concerns that he had and what made him drop so far in the draft when he had top 50 type talent is something that crop up at any minute and those types of things don't get better with age, there have been other NFL players that have had these blood clot issues come back later in there careers, if KC doesn't even try to re-sign him it might be an indication that they are not going to throw money into that pot...

plus you are correct, lower round guys that hit the lotto later in their careers have at times been bad investments for teams, not always, but Trey already has 2 Super Bowl rings, if his only remaining motivation is money that could be a problem for whoever signs him...I've seen that play out before...