Chargers Sit Still (Almost) at the Deadline
Photo Credit: Keith Birmingham, SCNG
The Chargers were once again non-participants during the trade deadline this season. With multiple moves that could and possibly should have been made, the question is: Why?
One might believe that the Chargers have forgotten this season, given that most are unhappy with the coaching and the record does not reflect what the team might be capable of. Failing to make a move at the deadline could only bolster that case, but that might not be true. If the Chargers had truly given up on the season, they would have most likely been sellers at the deadline, getting rid of contracts that weighed them down. If they had been ready to tank for the next season, they would have gathered more draft capital for the future.
No, the Chargers are going to still make an effort to make this season a success by fighting for a playoff spot. Perhaps the biggest indicator of this is there recent releasing and signing. The Chargers have waived TE Tre’ McKitty in order to make space for TE Nick Vannett on the active roster. This might seem like a slap in the face to fans who were waiting for a trade and were instead given something as underwhelming as this move, especially considering McKitty was a former third round pick. But this is certainly a move in the right direction.
Vannett will not reinvent the offense by any means, but he gives the Chargers what they needed the most on offense: a blocking tight end. The veteran Vannett has put in solid reps as a blocking and special teams specialist for multiple teams, and the Chargers expect the same. With 90 receptions and almost 900 yards and six touchdowns in his career, he is certainly no Kelce, but he can also add a passing threat to his already impressive blocking performance that defenses will have to prepare for. Within this roster switch that the Chargers have made, they found a way to improve their offense and fill a need without giving away any future capital.
They did not give away any capital because there is certainly a question as to who will lead this team in the future. It is no secret that Staley is sitting on a very hot seat right now. If the Chargers were to make an off-season firing, the last thing they would want to do is give a new coaching regime a limited future and less draft capital to build their team with. Instead of selling their future for a coach and a team that people are not happy with, they made no trades, keeping the next season in mind.
There are certainly still questions to be asked. Joey Bosa, who has not lived up to his contract by any standard, was one that speculators certainly thought would be pawned off. While his injury and high-priced contract certainly decreases his value, a trade that involved him in return for a much-needed receiver or a body on the offensive or defensive line would certainly have been smart for the right price. Make no mistake, there were trades the Chargers could have made.
But while these questions need to be answered and fans have the right to be mad, the Chargers lack of activity should not just be attributed to negligence and bad managing. There is certainly a plan of keeping the roster the same for the sake of fighting for a playoff spot while also keeping the future of the program intact. They have already attempted to make themselves better by adding a blocking tight end, a move that many expected to see by the trade deadline, but they did so without any cost to next season. Whether this very balanced and neutral approach by the organization is the right move for a team that faces throwing away this season for the next or going all in with the expensive players and the questionable coach they have is anyone’s guess. Only time will tell.
