LA Chargers: One free agent to pursue at every position

OG: Joe Thuney

While the outside line options aren’t great, the interior options are pretty solid. Brandon Scherff is technically available, but it’s hard to see the Football Team letting him walk. Joe Thuney is the next best option available.

Thuney will be somewhat pricey. Spotrac has his market value at about $13.9M per season in average annual value. It’s actually quite affordable for the team even if it seems like a lot on paper. Remember, the team can cut Trai Turner with no dead money. If the cap ends up at $185 million instead of $175M, it’s even more affordable.

Chargers fans may be wary of big money offensive line signings after Bryan Bulaga’s injuries last season, but Thuney just doesn’t have the same red flags. For one, Thuney has never missed a game. Since he was drafted in 2016, he’s played all 16 games for five straight seasons. The North Carolina State product is also three years younger than Bulaga.

The difference between having Thuney at left guard instead of Forrest Lamp is less of a gap and more of a cavern. Thuney had a better overall PFF blocking grade than Lamp by 25 points. Comparing the difference between their run blocking scores, it’s almost a 30 point difference in favor of the Patriots’ free agent.

This year, Thuney played over 100+ snaps at center and 850+ snaps at left guard. He can be put at a few of the potential Chargers’ holes on the line with his versatility. Thuney also played every spot on the offensive line in college from left tackle to right tackle.

A bargain option for the Bolts if they don’t want to go all out for Thuney is free agent Bills’ guard Jon Feliciano.