Dec 22, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Dwayne Bowe(82) loses the ball as he is tackled by Indianapolis Colts cornerback Vontae Davis (23) during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The San Diego Chargers are not going to have a ton of money under the cap to make a big splash in free agency. Tom Telesco doesn’t seem to be the type to pick up huge names in free agency in the first place. The biggest name he picked up was Dwight Freeney and that happened because the market ran dry on him and we were in desperate need of a pass rusher.
The team likely will like to stock up the roster through the draft while adding some role players through free agency. Here are a few names in free agency that Tom Telesco might look at.
RB Anthony Dixon, San Francisco 49ers
Dixon is a 26 year old running back that has been behind the shadow of Frank Gore in San Francisco. He would be a solid option to fill in as a number 2 guy behind Ryan Mathews. We need someone on the roster to take on that role. Ronnie Brown was not the answer.
RB Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Vikings
Gerhart is a bulldozer. He will run people over but won’t get many opportunities to run behind Adrian Peterson. He would be an option in short yardage situations and could come in if Ryan Mathews were to get hurt.
WR Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs likely will not let McCluster walk away, but he would be a great player to steal from the division rival. Tom Telesco is looking to add more speed onto the roster and McCluster has that home run threat that he could be looking for. He also could help in the return game. He seems to be a perfect fit for our offense.
WR Jacoby Jones, Baltimore Ravens
If the Chargers want to add a deep threat, Jones could be that option to line up on the opposite side of Keenan Allen if Danario Alexander or Malcom Floyd are unable to contribute for us this season. Jones also is a threat in the return game.
DE Antonio Smith, Houston Texans
The 32 year old Smith might get more money staying with the Texans, but they have a new coaching staff and he might not fit into their plans. Smith is a solid 3-4 defensive end and could help in the rotation with Kendall Reyes and Corey Liuget. He would stiffen up that defensive front.
DE/LB Anthony Spencer, Dallas Cowboys
Spencer will be returning from a knee injury and might not get a lot of love in free agency. Spencer’s best season came as a 3-4 outside linebacker where he finished the season with 11 sacks just a couple of seasons ago. He might be looking to join a 3-4 defense again to get back to what he does best.
NT Paul Soliai, Miami Dolphins
The Chargers biggest needs in the offseason is at the nose tackle spot. There wasn’t enough production at the spot. Soliai has been playing the nose tackle position at a high level for a while and this is one position the team could invest some money toward. He grew up in Southern California and it could be a good time for him to come back.
NT Aubrayo Franklin, Indianapolis Colts
The Chargers allowed Franklin to walk last offseason to join the Indianapolis Colts. He is a solid player in the middle and could be picked up on a cheap deal. He knows the defense and knows a lot of players on the roster already. We could get a couple of years out of him and allow us more time to develop the other youngsters for the middle.
NT Terrence Cody, Baltimore Ravens
Cody comes from the Baltimore Ravens system and has been stuck behind Haloti Ngata. Cody will be looking for an opportunity to be a starter and he would get a good shot here. It would be nice to have his 350 pounds clogging up the middle.
CB Vontae Davis, Indianapolis Colts
Davis is going to make a lot of money in the offseason and it might push him out of the Chargers market. This is another position the team might want to put some money toward though. He played a couple of seasons with the Colts and I am sure that Tom Telesco did a lot of scouting on him already.
CB Captain Munnerlyn, Carolina Panthers
Captain was on the Chargers radar last offseason, but we decided to go with Derek Cox instead. Munnerlyn shined with the Panthers this season and would be a nice pickup despite his small stature.
FS Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis Colts
Bethea might be out of the Chargers price range, but those Indianapolis ties with Tom Telesco might kick in and Telesco might want to bring the safety over to San Diego to pair with Eric Weddle. Imagine a pair of Eric Weddles running around in the secondary. Not exactly a strong safety, but you bring in good football players and the coaching staff can figure it out.
SS Bernard Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Pollard is a veteran strong safety and is a better pair with Weddle. He brings the heat and poses fear to receivers across the middle of the field. He might rack up a few fines during the year, but the defense will be hitting hard in the secondary.
SS Donte Whitner, San Francisco 49ers
Whitner is another player that will look to light up defenders. He is another guy that will look to knock out players and could be an option for the Chargers.