The Los Angeles Chargers will open training camp in just about three weeks. It will be the team’s first under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The Chargers are expected to be a better team in 2024, but the roster will be evaluated until the season starts. That means a player could be added here and a player could be released there. Rosters in the NFL are never final, especially when they contain 90 players.
The Chargers still have some positions of weakness that could be tweaked. Here are four players that could bolster the depth of this team and none of them would cost the team an arm and a leg.
Free agents for Los Angeles Chargers to still consider
Deon Jackson, Running Back
The Chargers could still use another running back and if the team’s two former Baltimore Ravens don’t work out, rookie Kimani Vidal likely won’t be enough.
J.K. Dobbins has spent much of his NFL career injured, so the team is banking on him staying healthy. But a guy like Deon Jackson will not wow anyone, but he has experience and is still a young running back who runs hard. He could fit what Harbaugh likes to do nicely.
Russell Gage, Wide Receiver
Most analysts feel the Chargers have not done enough to address the wide receiver room this offseason, but much of that seems overblown. Still, the team could use another proven option in the passing game.
Can we please get Russell Gage back on an NFL roster?
— Zachary Krueger (@ZK_FFB) June 23, 2024
Russell Gage missed the entire 2023 season with a torn patellar tendon but he has been a consistent and durable option throughout his career. The 28-year-old has 244 career receptions.
Mike Purcell, Defensive Lineman
The Chargers figure to have an exciting pass rush but the interior of the defensive line is a question mark. Justin Eboigbe and Scott Matlock could figure into the team’s plans in a big way but both players are young. Poona Ford and Otito Ogbinnia are also there but the team could use another veteran option.
Mike Purcell could be a good choice for that role as he has logged thousands of NFL snaps and can be a terrific run defender.
Micah Hyde, Safety
This is probably the most exciting name on this list and it is a bit of a surprise that Micah Hyde is still looking for a team. Hyde spent the past seven years with the Buffalo Bills and is a two-time All-Pro.
He is 33 years old now, so his days of playing extensive snaps could be behind him, but he could be a nice addition to a safety group that has a lot of question marks beyond Derwin James.
Hyde has dealt with several injuries in recent years that have left his future in doubt, and he may only want that future to continue in Buffalo, but for the right amount of money, he could be swayed to finish his career up in sunny L.A.
