LA Chargers: Ranking the 2020 impact of offseason additions
By Tyler Gallagher
Fourth-highest 2020 impact acquisition: OG Trai Turner
Trai Turner, who was acquired via trade from the Carolina Panthers, is expected to take over the right guard position for the Chargers in place of departing free agent Michael Schofield.
Of all of the positions on the offensive line, guards tend to be the least valued, as they do not face edge rushers, and they do not have the responsibility of calling protections that the center has.
Despite this, guards play an incredibly important role in protecting the quarterback and opening up running lanes. Nothing is more devastating for a quarterback than a successful interior rusher.
Fortunately, the Chargers should not have that problem on the right side of the line in 2020 with Turner who was named to the Pro Bowl each of the last five seasons.
Despite this, Turner is coming off of a relatively down year in 2019 in which he received a 63.9 grade from PFF. That, along with the lowered value of the guard position, puts Turner at four on this list below the top three free-agent additions.
Third-highest 2020 impact acquisition: CB Chris Harris Jr.
Chris Harris Jr. has been one of the best cornerbacks in the AFC West for years now, and the Chargers successfully stealing him from the Denver Broncos makes the Chargers secondary one of the most feared in the NFL.
Harris is a versatile defensive back who has effectively played both as a slot corner and as an outside corner. Last year, he primarily played as an outside corner for the Broncos.
The Los Angeles Chargers reportedly told Harris that they plan to use him primarily in the slot. This is probably the best place for Harris, who was elite at that position a year ago.
Yuh, Chris Harris Jr. dominated from the slot last year. pic.twitter.com/NQuGixrcPH
— PFF (@PFF) February 14, 2019
However, there are some unanswered questions about Harris. Harris just passed into the wrong side of 30, which is particularly problematic for a corner in a division filled with speedy receivers. Furthermore, he would probably be more impactful for the Chargers playing out wide (replacing Michael Davis) as opposed to playing in the slot (replacing Desmond King).
Despite these questions, expect Chris Harris to make a big impact on this Chargers defense, providing the team with a second elite cornerback.