LA Chargers: Four players who could make their first Pro Bowl
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers have four candidates to make their first Pro Bowl appearance in 2020.
The LA Chargers have had some notable Pro Bowl players in the last few seasons and even had the most players represented in the 2019 Pro Bowl during the team’s 12-4 season. Four Chargers made the cut last season. Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen were starters while Melvin Ingram and Derek Watt were both alternates.
This was Watt’s first Pro Bowl season of his career and the year prior the Chargers had two first-timers — Derwin James and Adrian Phillips.
This year, there are four players who could potentially make the first Pro Bowl of their career for the Bolts. It is unlikely that all four get the nod, but we likely will see one or two of these Chargers earn the honors for the very first time.
LA Chargers’ first-time Pro Bowl candidate #4: Joe Reed
Joe Reed is the wild-card of the bunch and that is why he is the fourth-ranked player on this list. The Chargers selected Reed in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and while he might be the second-most exciting rookie receiver behind K.J. Hill, he has a better chance of making the Pro Bowl.
In my offensive rookies prediction piece, I actually did not tab Reed for that many receiving yards, which was definitely far short of being enough for a Pro Bowl nod. However, that is not what is going to get Reed to the Pro Bowl, if he does indeed make it.
Reed’s bread and butter for a Pro Bowl nod is his contributions to the special teams unit, in particular, his role as a kick and punt returner for the Bolts. Reed had five kick-return touchdowns in his collegiate career at Virginia, including two last season.
Reed averaged 33.2 yards per kick return last season, which far and away would be the best number in the NFL. Granted, it is not as easy at the NFL level, but that shows just how special of a returner that he is.
Reed did not return any punts in his collegiate career but with his success in kick returns, I would expect the Chargers to use him as a punt returner in some capacity.