Chargers Bubble Watch: Does Dontrelle Inman stay in team’s plans?
By Travis Wakeman
The Los Angeles Chargers are officially loaded at the wide receiver position.
By getting a healthy Keenan Allen back and drafting former Clemson product Mike Williams with the No. 7 overall pick, the team will be able to add those weapons to a group that includes Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin.
Those four players are guaranteed a roster spot this year, in my opinion. The question is, how many more receivers will make the final roster? Does the team choose to keep five or six guys?
Chargers depth in a nutshell: Dontrelle Inman, who gained 810 yards in ‘16, is probably EIGHTH in line for targets
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) July 13, 2017
Either way, Dontrelle Inman is going to have to beat out a few young, hungry players if he is going to stick around. If you feel that Inman has a spot already locked up, I’d strongly disagree.
The team brought in three undrafted rookies, Artavis Scott, Andre Patton and Mitchell Paige. Beyond that, they have Javontee Herndon, a player who has regular-season playing experience, a kick return-specialist in Isaiah Burse and Jamaal Jones, who has already caught the eye of new head coach Anthony Lynn this offseason.
Inman played well last season as the Chargers began to run out of options. He caught 58 passes for 810 yards and four touchdowns. With three years of NFL experience under his belt, he’ll certainly have a big experience advantage over all of the guys looking to take his spot.
But if the Chargers choose to keep just five wide receivers, I feel that Scott will be the biggest obstacle for Inman to overcome.
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A college teammate of Mike Williams at Clemson, Scott was talented enough to be taken in the draft. NFL.com placed a fifth or sixth-round grade on him leading into the draft process. With 245 receptions in college, Scott has shown the ability to make plays.
How that translates to the professional level remains to be seen, but he could be a good option as a slot receiver for the team. In addition, he has handle punt and kick-return duties in the past, so the team could use him in that role as well.
Inman has made the final 53-man roster in each of his three years with the team. That said, this is likely the most fierce competition he will face, so he will have to reinforce the idea that he belongs on the roster.
Players like Scott and Jones aren’t going to go away easily.