LA Chargers: Five players who could be the third receiver in 2020

2. Taylor Gabriel

With Benjamin moving on to San Francisco, the LA Chargers need a receiver with some nice speed. That could be Taylor Gabriel. The former Bears and Falcons receiver is looking for a new home after Chicago cut him in a move to save cap room.

Gabriel is a nice slot target who would make a difference almost immediately. Having no good slot options after Benjamin and Inman went down last year hurt the team. Gabriel is a really nice complement to the possession and jump ball receiving that Allen and Williams offer. He’s a deep threat that can produce separation pretty well. Gabriel was ranked 12th in target separation amongst receivers last year.

Gabriel was also 19th in the league in QB rating generated. That’s pretty great, considering his quarterback was Mitchell Trubisky for most of the year. It seemed that Trubisky was at his relative best when he was on the field. Now imagine what Gabriel could do with a quarterback who’s generally competent!

The idea of Gabriel playing a more complementary role than a leading role is something that is important. His best days were in Atlanta where he was effectively the slot receiver with Julio Jones and Mohammed Sanu on the outside. Chicago generally misused him while not taking into account what he was really good at.

After a year that was taken by a concussion and bad offensive team play, Gabriel could use a rebound in a good situation like Los Angeles. He’s a relatively cheap, short term option that doesn’t affect the cap. Putting him in the slot will certainly yield better results than the last few years of Benjamin.

Missing Sports Right now you guys Be Safe #Godwilling pic.twitter.com/eIDjXC6hKN

— Taylor Gabriel (@TGdadon1) March 21, 2020