2. Signing Bryan Bulaga
Once the Chargers were free from the clutches of waiting on Brady’s decision, they quickly came to terms with former Green Bay right tackle Bryan Bulaga. The deal is for three years and $30 million, which is an absolute steal.
The Chargers got Bulaga, the leagues second-highest graded tackle and 15th overall per Pro Football Focus, for the same price the Jets got George Fant and for less than the Lions got Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Both of those players have been career backups. The value of this signing cannot be overstated.
The Sam Tevi experiment clearly failed. To his credit, he showed flashes several times the past two years as a guy who could develop into a positive starter. But the flashes were far and few between the consistently poor play. Now he’ll look to make his mark as Bulaga’s backup.
The thing that some people are pointing to with Bulaga is the injury risk. He’s similar to Okung in this regard because he has only played a full 16 games three times in his career, one of which was his rookie year where he really only appeared in 12 games. That being said only two of his injuries were major and the rest have been minor bumps and bruises.
Even if there is some injury history, the team is getting a player who is elite at his position. Going from Tevi to Bulaga is a massive upgrade. He’ll pair with Turner to form one of the more formidable right sides of any offensive line in the league. This particular move should end up as the one that brings the biggest immediate impact to the Chargers as a team.
Grading the move: A-
Bryan Bulaga, Iowa pic.twitter.com/1kQY7gj8oR
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) March 19, 2020