Why the LA Chargers shouldn’t pursue a free-agent left tackle
By Jason Reed
2. The LA Chargers shouldn’t get in a bidding war for a left tackle
The LA Chargers do have a decent amount of cap space compared to other teams in the league and they can free up even more money by cutting Trai Turner, Casey Hayward and even Chris Harris. However, let’s not forget that every player that is cut also creates an open roster spot.
The Chargers also have to allocate around $10 million in salary-cap space for the incoming rookie class. According to Over the Cap, if the Chargers cut Trai Turner they will have $42.1 million in cap space.
Subtract $10 million for the incoming draft class, $11.5 million (estimation) on a Hunter Henry extension and around $7 million (estimation) for Michael Davis, who the team cannot afford to lose. That leaves the team with $13.6 million in cap space.
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They would still need to either re-sign Rayshawn Jenkins or find a cheap replacement as they won’t find that late in the draft and sign depth offensive linemen as there is very few on the actual roster.
If they cut Hayward and Harris they free up a combined $17.25 million but they would have to replace them with free-agent corners, so how much they would really save is yet to be seen.
It is also important to note that the Chargers currently only have 49 players on the roster. That is the second-fewest rostered players in the league. It costs money to fill out depth.
The Chargers can’t really afford to get in a bidding war at left tackle when they have the ability to simply take one at 13. And if they do end up spending a fair amount on an offensive lineman, there is a better, and cheaper, target for the team.