The LA Chargers need to learn something from past two champions

The LA Chargers are one of the most exciting teams in the NFL as we head into the 2021 season. Justin Herbert took the league by storm and with a new head coach and a solid offseason, the Chargers have a lot of potential to make some noise.

All in all, the Chargers have done a really good job navigating the offseason thus far. While they have made all the right moves thus far, there is a looming storyline that is hanging over the front office’s head: potentially trading for star wideout Julio Jones.

I have already made it clear that I think this is a no-brainer as the Chargers would create the best receiving corps in the NFL. Even if the team gets outbid for Jones, there is still a philosophy that they should be following if they want to be legitimate contenders.

A philosophy that the last two Super Bowl Champions — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs — have both had.

What the LA Chargers can learn from the Chiefs and Buccaneers:

The logic is simple: surround Justin Herbert with as many weapons as possible, even if it gets to the point where it seems like they are overdoing it. Of course, the salary cap is something that almost must be considered but the Chargers have plenty of cap space to make more additions.

That is why the team is able to add Jones and why they ultimately should. The goal should be to surround Herbert with as many weapons as possible and they have a legitimate chance of getting a future Hall of Famer who still produces at a high level. If either the Chiefs or Bucs could do this, they would.

And that is why the Chargers should do it.

It is more than Jones, as mentioned. The team should not hesitate to bring in more help throughout the year when more options become available, and they will. There will be a disgruntled running back or receiver that gets released and the Chargers should not turn their nose up to them.

Heck, Todd Gurley is still a free agent and at this point is probably going to be pretty cheap. There is absolutely no harm in the team signing someone like Gurley with an elite past to help the team’s depth.

The Chiefs and Bucs have operated with this logic. The Chiefs brought in LeSean McCoy two seasons ago and Le’Veon Bell last season. And while neither had a massive impact, having that depth and the potential of them having a big impact is worth it in upon itself.

Tampa Bay is the perfect example. They traded for Rob Gronkowski when they did not even need a tight end and most people in the football world mocked the move. He caught two touchdowns. The other receiving touchdown went to Antonio Brown, another player the team signed to add to its riches.

There was one more touchdown in that game and who did it belong to? Leonard Fournette, the running back that had a Pro Bowl year with Jacksonville, regressed and then broke out in the playoffs for Tampa Bay and was exceptional.

And that is why these moves are so huge for contending teams. They might not put up huge regular-season numbers but they are another option in the playoffs and sometimes, like with Fournette, you strike gold at the right time and get big contributions on someone you brought in for virtually nothing.

Jones is an extreme example of this but it is part of the philosophy. Get as much help as possible, especially when there are established players available for cheap.

The worst-case scenario is the LA Chargers get a veteran depth piece. The best-case scenario is what we saw with Tampa Bay.