What to do with that money?
Donald Butler should be someone we bring back. He is a free agent and we don’t have anyone else on the roster that can do what he does.
I think the Chargers should go after a nose tackle with their money. THey can get after Terrance Cody, Paul Soliai or Aubrayo Franklin. I would love to bring in any of them to solidify that defensive front. Bringing in Franklin would be a temporary fix, but it could buy us some time for Kwame Geathers. Franklin is probably the most likely of the three.
In the secondary, I would look at Bernard Pollard. The man is a presence in the middle of the defense and he would allow Eric Weddle to do what he does best. Pollard could help support the run and strike fear in players going over the middle. Marcus Gilchrist can then play that nickle role that he is better suited for. I would also look at the possibility of adding Mike Jenkins off of the Oakland Raiders. Jenkins used to play for the Cowboys as well and is a solid option.
Finally, I would want to get some depth at wide receiver and would add a receiver like Anquan Boldin. He would be a threat in the red zone and would be a perfect vet to add to a young group of receivers. Without Eddie Royal and possibly Malcom out, the depth at receiver is thin. Keenan Allen, Vincent Brown and Boldin would be a solid group to work with though.
We aren’t going to buy an expensive player off of free agency. We’ll find complementary pieces and then add stars through the draft.
Picking up these vets and we would be able to select the best player available at draft time. We could find that corner in the draft and let him work. We could select that left tackle of the future. We could take that pass rusher.
Here is what our lineups would look like:
OFFENSE:
QB Philip Rivers/Brad Sorensen RB Ryan Mathews/Danny Woodhead LT King Dunlap/Mike Harris LG Johnnie Troutman C Nick Hardwick RG Jeromey Clary (assuming they rework that deal) RT D.J. Fluker/Mike Harris TE Antonio Gates/Ladarius Green WR Keenan Allen WR Anquan Boldin or Malcom Floyd if he doesn’t retire WR Vincent Brown
DEFENSE: DE Corey Liuget NT Aubrayo Franklin/Sean Lissemore/Kwame Geathers DE Kendall Reyes/Lawrence Guy LB Dwight Freeney/Jarret Johnson LB Manti Te’o/Reggie Walker LB Donald Butler LB Melvin Ingram/Thomas Keiser CB Shareece Wright/Marcus Gilchrist CB Mike Jenkins/Steve Williams SS Bernard Pollard/Jahleel Addae/Brandon Taylor FS Eric Weddle
Now add a solid batch of rookies to that group.