Daily Charge: Johnathan Hankins still a possibility for Chargers?
By Travis Wakeman
Could Johnathan Hankins end up in a Los Angeles Chargers uniform after all?
The free-agent defensive end is a player many fans talked about the Chargers signing when the Indianapolis Colts released him back in March. There’s been nothing in the way of news regarding him all offseason, until now.
Hankins is making the rounds with few team visits and expects to sign with a team soon.
Free agent DT Johnathan Hankins says he's met with the #Chargers and #Browns, among others, and plans on signing with a team "pretty soon."
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) August 29, 2018
Along with the Cleveland Browns, Hankins has met with representatives from the Chargers. There could be other teams interested as well.
Hankins has been a free agent this long for reasons that are a mystery, but it’s possible that he was just asking for too much money. There’s little doubt that he’d be a good fit for the Chargers.
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Aside from tight end, if the Chargers have a concern, it might be right in the middle of the defensive line. With Corey Liuget set to miss the first four games of the season due to suspension and the seemingly declining level of play from Brandon Mebane, help could be needed.
Hankins is a former second-round pick of the New York Giants and after four years there, he lasted one season in Indianapolis. In five seasons, he has almost 200 career tackles and 12 sacks.
Though his conditioning would have to be checked out and put to the test, signing him to a deal has to be on the table for the Chargers. If teams can run on them like they did last year, it’s not going to matter how good the rest of the team is.
If the Chargers have met with him, there is interest. Of course, it could soon turn into a bidding war with another team or multiple teams and that will put into question how badly general manager Tom Telesco wants him.