LA Chargers: Mohamed Sanu could be a bargain receiver option

The LA Chargers should be one of the teams interested in Mohamed Sanu.

Some receiving help could be on the way for the LA Chargers.

On Wednesday, the New England Patriots shockingly cut Mohamed Sanu after trading a second-round pick for him in 2019. Some speculate that this was due to his cap hit for the 2020 season. Others suggest that he simply never ended up fitting New England. Either way, he’s on the market with just a week until kickoff.

There are reasons for the LA Chargers to look at bringing in a veteran receiver. For starters, Mike Williams is hurt. A one-year deal with Sanu could give the Chargers some breathing room and let Williams fully recover from injury.

Frankly, even if Williams is healthy for Week 1 at Cincinnati, it still might make sense to bring Sanu in. Keep in mind the incredibly small amount of NFL snaps that wide receivers three through five on the depth chart have played.

Jalen Guyton, K.J. Hill, and Joe Reed are all inexperienced at the NFL level. They’re all young players that each have quite a bit of development to do. Guyton is fast, but he has a tendency to often catch with his body. His route running can also be a little bit erratic. Hill and Reed are both rookies that are working with a shortened offseason that they’re being eased into.

Sanu could help the Chargers’ receiving depth quite a bit. Some might question his production due to his stint in New England, but he definitely has had some good years in recent memory. In 2018, Sanu caught 66 passes for 838 yards.

Keep in mind, this was both with Julio Jones on the field and first-round pick Calvin Ridley. Austin Hooper was a favorite target of Matt Ryan’s as well.

Sanu is also a tough blocker, which the Chargers value a lot. He’s tough to tackle in space as well. He’s not a speedy wideout, but proficient route running is what he’s all about.

This clip of Mohamed Sanu celebrating the TD as soon as he makes the block for Julio is ? @Mo_12_Sanu @juliojones_11 pic.twitter.com/kfL8IuKTY4

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) August 12, 2020

Ultimately, he wouldn’t be expected to do a lot with the Chargers. Being the third or fourth rotational receiver until the young wideouts show signs of development isn’t a lot to ask of him. He’s not a necessity for the Chargers, but it’s rare to have a receiver with his football IQ available so late into the offseason.

Playbook creativity could be fun with the former Rutgers’ alum as well. In high school, Sanu played quarterback. We’ve seen a number of plays where he’s been able to throw the ball deep downfield in his career, both in Cincinnati and Atlanta. He’s like Taysom Hill, but actually consistent in his playmaking ability.

It’s ultimately not a necessity for the Chargers to bring in Sanu, but it feels pretty helpful in a few key ways. It gives the Chargers more depth at receiver and assists with any potential injury bugs to Williams or any other receiver.

He also has significant veteran experience that the projected bottom three receivers on the depth chart do not. Finally, he’s a good blocker who has some trick play ability in his game if Shane Steichen wants to get crafty.