Are the San Diego Chargers in Rebuilding Mode?

Dec 30, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers inside linebacker Takeo Spikes (51) yells while escorted off the field by tight end Randy McMichael (left) after being ejected during the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The offseason is far from done and there are plenty of moves to be made, but are the Chargers moving in the right direction this offseason? Or are we in a straight rebuilding mode? A lot of people are questioning it.

The Chargers have let go of a lot of vets and made even more holes on the roster, but they also are giving more opportunities to some of the youth. The moves in free agency haven’t exactly had us singing from a mountain top, but depth has been added in big areas of need. Our biggest cancer and waste of money, Jared Gaither, is still on the roster. Are we moving in the right direction? Are we getting any better?

First things first, things aren’t done yet. Free agency is a long process and we will be looking to sign guys throughout the whole offseason.

I think things are going along right as planned and we will be competing next season. The AFC West looks like it will be going to the Denver Broncos, but the Wild Card isn’t out of the question. In the playoffs, you just need to get hot.

Lots of the players that we have let walk are replaceable. Louis Vasquez was tough to lose, but we don’t need to spend money like that on a guard that is just OK. We can probably draft a better one in the second round this year. Chad Rinehart may not be a big signing, but he is already better than Tyronne Green and I know barely anything about him. That is how bad Green was as a starter.

Antoine Cason was decent and we replaced him with a better player in free agency. Quentin Jammer is another year older and will get replaced with fresh legs. It will either be Shareece Wright or another player in the draft.

The draft will fill out a lot of the holes that we have been waiting to see filled. I can see at least 3 starting jobs being filled from the upcoming draft. We are going to have to rely on the younger players more than we did in the past. It is not a bad thing.

The passing game already got better with the addition of Danny Woodhead. Woodhead is going to give Philip Rivers a dynamic option in the passing game and will give him someone to dump the ball off to that can create yards. Danario Alexander still needs to sign his deal and that will definitely make things a little more comfortable on offense.

The loss of Takeo Spikes sucks, but he definitely had his weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. He was a sure tackler, but wasn’t a playmaker. Demorrio Williams made more impact plays than Takeo last season. Bront Bird can fill in for the time being if needed, but I am sure that another player will be added on the roster via the draft or free agency.

The biggest sign to tell if the Chargers are going in the right direction is that offensive line. We aren’t done working there. Depending on who we get in the draft and in free agency will be our easy way to see if we have gotten better. Right now, we only have depth at o-line on the roster and no real starters. If they were starters, this team would be real suspect.

Let’s see who we get for o-line and we will know where we are at. I think we will be doing alright.