Welcome C Andre James

[powderblueboy]

James showed some promise early in his career but he really, really tailed off last season. All the way to the bench. This is very much a Bradley Bozeman type signing. Hopeful he can get back to what he used to be, but even what he used to be was just ok. Like Bozeman, a useful backup and utility player


TG

They did bring in a high draft pick who wasn't really doing much at guard .... there was an added incentive to bench him.

3 years 24 million is not even a salary Bozeman would ever dare dream about, he being positively giddy about his 2 year/ 4 million dollar heist recently.

[Berserker76]

Without reviewing any past games on the laptop I seem to remember that James was a decent center for the Raiders. Definitely a big-step up for us.

[powderblueboy]

Without reviewing any past games on the laptop I seem to remember that James was a decent center for the Raiders. Definitely a big-step up for us.

Yeah, decent / solid ..... and equally important is that he's been doing it for a while;

He's clearly the 3rd best center in the post Hardwick era .... you can't even classify the others as centers, unless you count the 3 - 4 games they got out of Rich Ohrnberger.

4 - 5 years of solid center play, out of the last 13 years. Its not a coincidence that they went to the playoffs in 3 of those years.

[Ghost of Quacksaw]

He was better in 2023 because they ran a gap scheme similar to us. Then the scheme changed in 2024. I would still draft a future Center if possible. But it’s not as big of a priority.

I think you mean 'necessity'.

[Xenos]

Good info. Thanks Xenos

Here’s Steven’s breakdown using PFF flawed grading.

[Xenos]

I think you mean 'necessity'.

Sure. We’ll go with that instead.

[Leslie Grossman]

James will have Becton crashing down to help him, Alt and Dissly can move left. So many options they will have after adding a TE.

[Xenos]

They did bring in a high draft pick who wasn't really doing much at guard .... there was an added incentive to bench him.

3 years 24 million is not even a salary Bozeman would ever dare dream about, he being positively giddy about his 2 year/ 4 million dollar heist recently.

Bozeman did get a 3 year $18 million contract with the Panthers.

[powderblueboy]

Bozeman did get a 3 year $18 million contract with the Panthers.

That annoying fact hardly diminishes the trajectory of my point.

[Xenos]

That annoying fact hardly diminishes the trajectory of my point.

I think the point is that James, like Bozeman, is a reclamation project with us this year. Maybe he’ll do better and have a year similar to his 2023 season. Just like some of us hoped Bozeman would recapture his 2022 Panther season when he was better. Or maybe not 🤷♂️

[sonorajim]

Here’s Steven’s breakdown using PFF flawed grading.

Thanks. James' grades look good. Hortiz signed him after we signed Bozeman so I'm thinking he sees an upgrade. I think we'll draft a 4th round or later C project.

[Formula 21]

Chargers mocked by AFC West fans for questionable move

The Los Angeles Chargers are being mocked by rival fans for one of their recent moves in NFL free agency.

Matthew Schmidt | 3 Hours Ago



The Los Angeles Chargers recently made a new addition to their offensive line, signing former Las Vegas Raiders center Andre James to a three-year, $24 million contract.
James will compete with Bradley Bozeman for the starting role, but based on the deal the Chargers handed him, they likely expect him to win the job.
This is apparently music to the ears of Raiders fans, who are happy to be rid of James after a rather rough year in Las Vegas this past season.
Just ask Austin Boyd of Just Blog Baby, who clearly feels Los Angeles made a mistake here.
"By all accounts, James is a good teammate and doesn't cause any drama. For a team like the Chargers, he should fit right in," Boyd wrote. "That said, the Chargers must've not considered that James just isn't that good at football. He had a 55.6 Pro Football Focus grade last season, which was 46th among centers. There are only 32 starting centers in the NFL."
To be fair, it's entirely possible that James merely had an off year in 2024, as he posted a 74.6 overall grade over at Pro Football Focus the season prior. In the five years prior to that, he was in the 60s.
"Christian Wilkins should be licking his chops when the Raiders play the Chargers," Boyd continued. "Sure, there's no guarantee that James will end up as the starting center but Los Angeles is paying him a lot of money so that's a win for the Raiders too."
James wasn't good during his final campaign in Vegas. There is no doubt about that. But just stopping short of calling him one of the worst centers in the league is probably a bit of an exaggeration given his solid track record for most of his NFL tenure.