Since becoming the ultimate decision-maker on personnel moves in 2003, San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith has been stubborn about spending big money on free agents during the offseason. With so many glaring weaknesses on the current roster, however, Smith would be wise to pursue at least of a few of the top names once free agency begins in March, or else he’ll most likely be forced to look for another job by this time next year.
In the past Smith was able to put an elite product on the gridiron without spending big in free agency, mainly because he had great success in the draft. But over the last five years, particularly 2007, 2008, and 2009, Smith’s drafts have been less than stellar-to-very poor, causing the Chargers’ talent level to diminish substantially as the rest of the division rivals have improved.
Smith is officially on his hottest seat right now, so this is the time to put the Chargers back in position to make a serious run at their first Super Bowl championship. He can put that into action by going after a couple of the following free agents this March:
1. Carl Nicks
Nicks is the preeminent offensive lineman expected to hit the free agent market in March, and he’s actually considered one of, if not the, best guards in the NFL right now. Since Drew Brees is expected to become the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, and the New Orleans Saints have already spent huge money on fellow guard Jahri Evans, there’s little doubt Nicks is on his way to another NFL franchise.
With Kris Dielman expected to retire, the left guard spot has opened up for Nicks to slide into for the Chargers. By signing Nicks, Smith would make a huge statement to the fan base that he’s finally taking a serious approach to making the Lightning Bolts a more formidable team in the trenches.
2. Calais Campbell
In my first piece for this blog I mentioned it’s time for the Chargers to release defensive end Luis Castillo. As I was writing that I was thinking the perfect replacement would be Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell.
At 6-8, 300 pounds Campbell will be 26 by next September, and he’s an ascending player who’s a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive linemen to block—as evidenced with his eight sacks and 72 tackles in 2011. Unfortunately, it’s rumored the Cardinals will franchise him before he can reach free agency. Until then, however, I can still dream about him donning the Chargers’ uniform.
3. Tyvon Branch
The strong safety position has been one of the most glaring weaknesses on the Chargers’ defense for a while now. Signing Branch would immediately turn that weakness into a strength.
Unlike San Diego’s strong safeties over the last few years, Branch can do it all, as some feel he has a similar game to Troy Polamalu. Branch is a sure tackler who also possesses the overall athleticism to excel in coverage, and he’s a monster on blitzes. He actually played cornerback during his college career at UConn, and the Oakland Raiders allowed him to return kicks last season—which is an extreme rarity for a strong safety these days.
Taking him away from Oakland would be an extra incentive, but the real enticement in adding him to the Chargers’ secondary is that he’s a young player on the rise who could be a fixture for many years to come.
4. Ben Grubbs
A 2007 first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, Grubbs is the second-best offensive lineman expected to hit the free agent market this March. The Ravens are likely to spend big dough on quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice, so Grubbs appears to be the odd man out.
If Smith can’t convince Nicks to join the Chargers, Grubbs would be a nice consolation prize. He’s started on Baltimore’s offensive line for the entire five years he’s been there, and some believe he was the Ravens’ most valuable offensive lineman in 2011.
5. LaRon Landry
Landry has similar skills to Branch, which is why Landry was the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. The main reason Landry isn’t ranked as high as Branch is because Landry has missed 15 games due to an Achilles ailment over the last two seasons, and there were worries that his career might be over when he was placed on injured reserve last December.
The Chargers don’t need another Bob Sanders to tease them in 2012, but if Branch stays in Oakland, and San Diego’s medical staff can determine that Landry will make a full recovery, the strong safety from LSU would be a fine addition to the Chargers’ defensive backfield.
6. Cliff Avril
Anyone who follows the Lightning Bolts knows the team’s pass rush has been impotent far too often since the 2008 season, when Shawne Merriman went on injured reserve and never returned as an elite outside linebacker. The soon-to-be 26-year-old Avril is an intriguing option to help fill the void Merriman left.
In his four years with the Detroit Lions Avril has produced 30.5 sacks, 20.5 of them coming in the last two seasons. At 6-3, 260 pounds he appears to have the athleticism to make a smooth transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 pass-rushing outside linebacker. He also has shown a knack for making game-changing plays, as he forced six fumbles and scored two defensive touchdowns in 2011.
With Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, Corey Williams, and Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Lions have already invested a ton of money on their defensive line, and superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson is first in line for a contract extension with just one year left on his rookie deal, so it’s definitely realistic to believe Avril will hit free agency come March. Yet, there are rumors Detroit is willing to slap the franchise tag on the emerging pass-rushing star. If not, Smith would be wise to place a high priority on pursuing Avril.
Classic Videos
For this edition of the blog I’m posting a February 2010, post-Super Bowl XLIV report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen on former Chargers quarterback Drew Brees’s devastating injury during his final game in San Diego on December 31, 2005. With Brees breaking Dan Marino’s 27-year-old single-season passing yardage record earlier this month, many football fans have denigrated the Chargers’ decision to move along with Philip Rivers as the starting quarterback following the 2005 season.
In addition to Rivers being an outstanding quarterback in his own right, many of the people who have criticized the move have failed to acknowledge that nobody could have been sure Brees would be able to play again after sustaining the destructive injury to his throwing arm. The man who operated on the arm, Dr. James Andrews, even mentioned the odds were clearly against Brees.
“He’s probably one in a hundred that could come back from that injury,” Andrews said.
Moreover, Brees was coming off a season in which he threw for 3,576 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, equating to a passer rating of 89.2. Those are good numbers, but nothing special, and it’s not a given he’d be performing at a higher level than Rivers has in Norv Turner’s offense. In fact, the year after Brees left, Rivers posted a higher passer rating of 92.0 for the same offensive coordinator (Cam Cameron) Brees played for in San Diego.
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