LA Chargers: 3 free agents who can step in for injured Mike Williams
Wide receiver option two: Taylor Gabriel
While he may not be a big bruising 50/50 ball catcher like Mike Williams and even Josh Gordon, Taylor Gabriel is a very interesting potential signing that the LA Chargers can make.
At only five feet eight inches tall, Gabriel must use a combination of craftiness and speed to break free from defenders and give himself plenty of space to make catches free of as much contact as possible.
Gabriel has been a solid receiver during his time in the NFL, especially considering the terrible offenses he was on in both Cleveland and Chicago. He had pretty decent per game numbers for someone relying on Mitchell Trubisky (who we here at Bolt Beat agree is a bottom three quarterback in football) to throw him the ball for two years.
Taylor Gabriel’s major concern is his health and most definitely his well-being after his football career is over due to repeated concussions. If the Chargers are to look into signing Gabriel, he most definitely carries the risk of getting injured again, and repeated head trauma like that does not spell out good things for life after football.
As much as we all want the Chargers to win games and not skip a beat without Williams, it would also be an absolute tragedy to watch this man have to bow out due to injury.
Gabriel should be good to go in terms of passing a physical to sign a contract with the team, but both he and they should be looking to get him into plays that reduce blindside, quick impact tackles, and getting the quarterbacks to make throws to keep he and all receivers out of harms way.
Gabriel is one of the fastest receivers in football, and if healthy he could be a dangerous option for the Chargers this coming season both with and without Mike Williams healthy.