It's become an annual tradition for sports blogs to write gotcha April Fools' Day posts on April 1 with a piece of "news" meant to evoke an emotional reaction out of fans. We here at Bolt Beat are refraining from such a practice, as the last thing we want to do is erode any trust in Chargers fans who make us part of their daily routine.
That being said, we would be remiss if we didn't at least touch on the holiday in some capacity. Instead of writing a fake post about Philip Rivers becoming the new head coach of the Chargers (we probably would have run with that idea 10 years ago), we wanted to look at a move so bad that we wish it were an April Fools' Day joke.
And there's only one move that fits the billing.
Chargers' Cole Strange signing is so bad it feels like an April Fools' Day joke
If you are a frequent reader here on Bolt Beat — first of all, thank you — you have definitely read up on the Cole Strange signing. In an offseason where the Chargers entered free agency with the most cap space in the league, the best solution the team could come up with at guard is discarded New England Patriots first-round pick, Cole Strange.
This strange and peculiar signing somehow got even worse days before April first when Jim Harbaugh confirmed that Strange is in line to start at right guard this season. Again, in an offseason with $100 million in cap space, Strange is who the Chargers are trusting to protect Justin Herbert.
The entire thesis behind signing Strange is his scheme fit under Mike McDaniel due to his year in Miami in 2024. The only problem with that working theory is that Strange was just as bad last year as he was year prior. It's not like he took a leap under McDaniel. Nope. He ranked 75th among 81 guards with a 42.2 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade last season.
Sure, Strange has the potential to be an above-average run blocker, but the real motivation here is to protect Herbert. At least it should be.
There is also the working theory that McDaniel doesn't value guards and can scheme around them, reducing the need for the Chargers to spend legitimate capital on one in free agency. That's a great tool to have in the toolbox if a team has no money to spend and can't upgrade the guards via free agency.
But do you know what's better than scheming around bad guards and making it work? Having good guards who can do well in the scheme and succeed without having to be schemed around!
If I told you in February that Strange is the best guard the Chargers signed in free agency, you'd call me asinine. You'd say I was making up a fake story as if it were April Fools' Day just to get a rise out of you.
Nope, it's the reality the Chargers find themselves in.