3 positions the Chargers must upgrade via trade this season
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers have not gotten off to the kind of start that fans were hoping for but the season is still salvageable. A 1-2 record is not the best but there are so many other AFC playoff teams who are off to a slow start, meaning the Chargers are still in the hunt.
If the Chargers are going to make a run then they need to patch up some of the weak areas of the roster. Some of that will come internally but it might take external help in certain positions for the Chargers to get to where they want to be.
This is a team that showed it has no problem wasting a seventh-round pick on a third quarterback only to instantly cut them and sign them to the practice squad. The Bolts should have no problem trading a pick of similar value to actually get help this season. If they do, there are three positions the Bolts should target first.
3. The Chargers must improve the running back position
This is the smallest of the three improvements that need to be made but it is still something the Bolts should be looking into. The Chargers are great when it comes to the RB1 as Austin Ekeler still has gas in the tank and proved that in Week 1. However, he has not played since then and the running backs have not done much in his absence.
Joshua Kelley is fine as a between-the-tackles runner but he always benefits from being in a rotation with Ekeler. Anytime he has been asked to be the premier back in the offense it has not gone well, both in the running game and in pass pro.
Behind Kelley, the Chargers have a sophomore running back that they seemingly have no faith in (Isaiah Spiller) and an undrafted rookie who had a good camp but is still an undrafted rookie (Elijah Dotson). This Chargers team could really benefit from the boost of a veteran presence, which is why someone like Cam Akers would have made sense before he was traded.
Who exactly will be on the trade market depends on how the next few weeks go in the NFL. But one name to potentially keep an eye on is D'onta Foreman. He has a low cap hit, is a free agent after 2023, and is not being utilized by the Bears. The Chargers could do a conditional draft pick swap with Chicago to bring Foreman to LA.