Will miss: DeAndre Carter
DeAndre Carter signed a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders as they continue their trend of signing the Chargers' leftovers in free agency. In this case, though, Carter is more than just leftovers as it would have been nice to see him return to the powder blue for the 2023 season.
Carter had his flaws as an offensive weapon last season but fans also have to keep in mind that he was the WR5 on the roster heading into the year. He was never meant to have such a big role in the offense and he was able to step up and produce for the team.
And let's not ignore the fact that without his breakout performance in Week 1 in place of the injured Keenan Allen the Bolts may have lost that game and it could have changed the complexion of the entire season. Carter was valuable last year.
He did leave more to be desired when it comes to kickoff returns but in reality, most kickoffs are touchbacks anyway so there is already limited value. Carter was great on punt returns for the Bolts and filling that void is going to be tough.
The Chargers currently have three NFL-caliber receivers on the roster and none of them are returning punts. While there are promising prospects in the draft that could replace Carter, it is far from a guarantee that a rookie with no NFL experience can replicate what Carter did last season.