The Chargers sat most of their starters through the preseason, giving their young wide receivers a chance to take meaningful reps.
Though the Chargers are down Travis Benjamin, Artavis Scott, and Dontrelle Inman, the offense looks to be able to move forward at the No. 3 wide receiver spot without much drop off.
The reason: All the preseason action the reserve receivers were able to get in August. While the Chargers sat their valuable starters, other lesser-known players were given the chance to work within this offense.
Last week, Jason Moore caught two passes for 43 yards.
In his most recent game played (injured the last two) Andre Patton caught two passes for 22 yards.
Geremy Davis, the team’s long-time special teams contributor, has chipped in three catches for 38 yards over his past two games.
No, none of those are particularly outstanding numbers, but they do add up, especially as the team moves further and further down its depth chart to replace injured starters. This week, with Benjamin officially out of the lineup, one of those three receivers will have a chance to seize a sizable role within the Chargers offense.
None of them are expected to go over 100 yards this Sunday, but each can find a way to catch a key pass here and there, and each clearly has Rivers’ trust. Patton, in particular, has Chargers fans the most excited.
Tom Telesco should look to the 2020 NFL Draft to get his next receiver, but for now, the offense can manage with the players it has. Thanks to some meaningful preseason snaps, as well as a quarterback who can make any receiver look serviceable, that aforementioned trio is going to continue to be a solid wideout-by-committee for the No. 3 spot.