LA Chargers: Ranking the 2020 impact of offseason additions

Eighth-highest 2020 impact acquisition: WR/KR Joe Reed

While some fans liked K.J. Hill even more than Joe Reed, Reed’s versatility should make him an impactful player for the LA Chargers while he learns the intricacies of the receiver position at the NFL level.

Joe Reed has the ability to line up all over the field on offense. He has played in the slot, out wide, and in the backfield.

With good speed and excellent versatility, Reed will be used immediately as the gadget player that Travis Benjamin was supposed to be. Unlike Benjamin through, Reed has shown no trend of dropping passes (he never dropped a deep pass in college), and he is willing to take contact from defenders, which will keep him from losing significant yards on gadget plays.

Seventh-highest 2020 impact acquisition: RB Joshua Kelley

Joshua Kelley should start the season at the bottom of the running back depth chart behind Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. However, the Chargers did not spend a fourth-round pick on a running back just for him to be a reserve player.

It is clear that the Chargers’ offense is going to look significantly different in 2020 with a transition to a run-first offense coming.

In such a run-first offense, there should be opportunities to use the unique talents of Kelley. Kelley is a downhill, between-the-tackles running back, and he should get extra snaps due to that unique attribute.

Furthermore, with more carries, we can expect one of the two primary backs to need a week or two off due to injuries. Regardless, expect Kelley to be a fairly important piece in this offense.