ESPN pitches two underwhelming trade ideas for Chargers ahead of deadline

The LA Chargers have proven in the first season under general manager Joe Hortiz that things will be different than they were before. After watching Tom Telesco make only one trade for talent during the season in 11 years, Chargers fans were thrilled when Hortiz made two trades in one day to kickstart the 2024 season.

Hortiz has made it clear he will work around the roster infringes to improve the product on the field. With that in mind, Chargers fans are starting to circle potential trade targets for the Bolts ahead of November's trade deadline. The most notable of which is a familiar face.

There are more trade possibilities for the Chargers. ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently outlined 12 potential trades throughout the NFL (subscription required) and pitched two ideas for the Bolts that follow this aggressive mindset but may not exactly move the needle for the team.

ESPN's pitched trades for Chargers would not move the needle

The Chargers are projected to receive three compensatory picks in the 2025 NFL Draft so it makes sense for the team to trade late-round capital to bolster the roster. However, in doing so, the Bolts need to ensure the trade is actually moving the needle.

These proposed deals would not move the needle much for the Bolts. While there is some potential there, these are the kind of fliers the team needs to take in free agency (like Kristian Fulton), not at the trade deadline.

Forbes is a former first-round pick who had all the potential in the world coming into the league in 2023. However, he has been unable to piece that potential together and has only played 72 defensive snaps for the Commanders as a result.

Sure, Forbes has potential the Chargers tap into, but that is something that would be better worked out in training camp on a flier contract, not in a trade in which the Bolts are sending draft capital. It is hard to acclimate to a new system midseason so the Bolts need someone who can actually produce, not someone who needs to learn.

Pascal is a bit more proven in the NFL as he has been in the league since 2018 and has produced at a serviceable clip before. However, Pascal only has 19 catches for 169 yards in his last 37 games played. The Chargers don't need to trade draft capital for someone who has averaged 4.66 yards per game over the last three seasons.

Instead, the Chargers would be much better off trading slightly more to get Mike Williams in the building. It would cost more than a late-round pick swap, but it would at least give the Chargers an impactful pass-catching option.

Pascal would simply be another mediocre receiver who would blend in with the several mediocre receivers already on the roster.