Building the ideal LA Chargers offensive line for 2021
By Jason Reed
Ideal LA Chargers right guard: Austin Blythe
Cutting Trai Turner is the biggest no-brainer that the LA Chargers could make. The team can free up $11.5 million in salary-cap space by cutting a player that was injury-prone last season and was terrible when he did play. Turner has no dead cap hit. It really is not that complicated.
Some might be disappointed to see Austin Blythe as my ideal right guard, but we have to be realistic. The Chargers cannot spend every single draft pick on an offensive lineman and they only have so much salary-cap space.
With other roster needs and other potential signings, they are going to have to be somewhat cheap with right guard. And of the cheap right guard options, my favorite is Blythe, for multiple reasons.
First of all, there is a small connection with Brandon Staley as Staley was the defensive coordinator of the Rams last season. Second of all, Blythe is still young (28), with fewer miles on his legs there is a smaller chance of injury.
Most importantly, Blythe’s best season came when the Rams only played him at right guard. Blythe has played center and left guard as well and when he played more center his output suffered.
It is not a fail-proof metric, but the Pro Football Focus grades help showcase this. In the one season where Blythe only played right guard, he posted a 76.4 overall grade, a 73.9 pass-blocking grade and a 71.8 run-blocking grade. He did not allow a single sack and while 30 pressures in 1,101 snaps are not great, it could be worse.
Again, the Chargers are not going to get the best option to play right guard and it would be a position battle in camp. Among the realistic cheap options, I prefer Blythe.