Time To Make Some Moves! Free Agency and Draft Possibilities

The San Diego Chargers have a lot of free agents coming up at the end of the season and there are a lot of holes that need to be filled.

This is a pivotal year for GM AJ Smith and company to make a push for that championship, and I expect a different approach to free agency. I expect us to make some noise with some key additions to our team. Here is a list of players that I see as a possibility for the Chargers to make a play on:

Middle Linebacker: Starting linebackers Stephen Cooper and Kevin Burnett are both free agents and the Chargers may not be able to sign them both. Here are some potential replacements for them in the middle of the defense.

LB Takeo Spikes – He is getting up there in age and is looking for a championship caliber team. He finished the season with 108 tackles and 3 interception and he is already familiar with the new defensive scheme that is going to be brought in by nre defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. Spikes would be a beast in the middle of the defense and would help slow down other teams from running up the middle.LB Kirk Morrison – He is an SDSU alum and is a monster up the middle. He is coming off a career low 88 tackles this last season, but he has topped 100 tackles in each of the 5 seasons before that and would add some toughness to the middle of the defense. He has not made it to the playoffs in his career and may be looking to find a team to bring him there.Safety:We need to re-sign Eric Weddle in the offseason and then find a player to make plays at the other safety position.

CB Nnamdi Asomugha – I doubt that this happens, but just the fact that it has been rumored is exciting. He is arguably the best corner in the league and would allow Quentin Jammer to slide over and play safety.

CB Champ Bailey – I wonder if Champ remembers how it feels to win games? It has been a while since he has been in the playoffs, and he keeps looking up in the standings and there are the Chargers. I wonder if Champ is ready to start playing some safety? If he is ready to start winning some games and ready to start playing some safety, then the Chargers would make a nice fit.

S Darren Sharper – Sharper lost his starting position with the Saints, but he is still better than anything that we have on our roster to play the safety position. He brings a toughness and attitude and playoff experience. He would also be able to compete for a starting position and get another opportunity for a championship.

Other Players:QB Alex Smith – If we are not able to bring back Billy Voleck to back up for Philip Rivers, then Smith would be a good player to target. He has worked with Norv in the past and had a good season with him as his head coach.

RB Leon Washington – Darren Sproles‘ price tag is just too high for the Chargers to keep and Sproles was not as effective in the kick return game as he used to be. The Chargers watched Washington run back 2 back kickoffs against them in the season. He also would add depth to the running back position which only has Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews and Curtis Brinkley.

WR Jacoby Jones – Our top 3 receivers (Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, and Legedu Naanee) are free agents and we might not be able to bring back all 3 receivers. Jones fits the mold of a San Diego receiver, he is tall and very athletic. He would also be a threat returning punts.

K Adam Vinatieri – All he does is win! He is the best clutch kicker in the game and I just wonder if we are tired of Nate Kaeding yet? Kaeding still has some value and could be traded for a late draft pick.

Draft We need to find impact players to add to our defense. We need to cause more turnovers and add more pressure off the edge from out linebacker position. We need to find someone to make plays from the defensive end position as well. We have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds and we need

1st Round:Here are 3 players to target with our first pick in the draft:LB Aldon SmithLB Von MillerLB Akeem AyersMy favorite of the 3 is Aldon Smith. He is a strong kid and tall and just reminds me a lot of Shaun Phillips. He attacks the quarterback and is good against the run.

In the 2nd round, we should look to pick up that defensive end. Here are some possibilities:DE Cameron JordanDE Allen BaileyDE Jabaal SheardOne of these guys could be able to compete for the starting position in training camp and could make an impact for the defense.