Chargers' 2023 draft mistake made even worse thanks to Week 8 injury

The 2023 NFL season is not even halfway complete and there are already a lot of question marks about the LA Chargers draft class. There are several selections in the 2023 draft that the team would probably already take back. Fans certainly would.

There were some pretty obvious needs that the Bolts had in the 2023 NFL Draft that were completely ignored. One of those needs was at the tight end position, as the depth behind Gerald Everett was legitimately bad for the team in 2022.

Despite the 2023 class being a historically deep tight end class, the Chargers opted not to take a single tight end. In fact, the team did not bring in any tight end help at all throughout the offseason. The Chargers rolled into 2023 with the same disappointing cast as the year before and it took only six games for Tre' McKitty to become a healthy scratch.

Now the Chargers might have to make another tight end inactive in Week 8 and not as a healthy scratch. Starting tight end Gerald Everett was not seen practicing for the Chargers on Wednesday after injuring his hip against the Kansas City Chiefs. His status for Week 8 is up in the air.

Chargers' decision not to draft a tight end is coming back to bite

The Chargers desperately needed to cash in on this historic tight end draft class not just to give the team a long-term option at the position, but to provide depth for the 2023 season as well. Now that the team needs a backup tight end to step up, it is becoming increasingly more obvious that the Chargers made a mistake.

There were two different instances in which it made sense to take a tight end. The Chargers could have taken someone like Dalton Kincaid or Michael Mayer in the first round instead of Quentin Johnston. Los Angeles needed receiver depth, though, so taking a wideout made sense.

The more glaring opportunity was in the third round. Darnell Washington slipped all the way to the third and the Chargers had a chance to draft him. Instead, the team took a linebacker in Daiyan Henley who showed potential in the preseason but has not played at all on defense this season.

Henley may one day blossom into a talented linebacker but the Chargers needed someone who could help contribute right away as well as in the future. Washington was the much better selection in that regard but alas, the Bolts went with the linebacker.

Would Washington have been able to step up as a passing weapon in place of Everett like Kincaid or Mayer would have? Probably not. But he instantly would have been the best blocker in the entire position group, which would have made life without Everett a lot easier.

Now, the Chargers are at risk of throwing out the worst tight end room in the league on Sunday if Everett is unable to go against the Chicago Bears.