What the Chargers should do with the remaining $9.4 million to spend

2. Sign DeAndre Carter

There were reports that the Bolts were potentially interested in signing DeAndre Carter, who would essentially serve as a replacement for Andre Roberts. Roberts was fantastic for the LA Chargers last season and while it would be more than okay to bring him back, there are reasons to pursue other options at a similar cost.

First is the age factor as Roberts is 34 years old and there is a very real chance that he regresses quickly next season. While he was great for the Bolts in 2021, he did make perhaps the worst special teams mistake of the season in Week 18 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The second reason is the fact that Roberts adds no offensive value. Los Angeles ran five receivers on the depth chart all year and the fifth receiver for half of the season could not be used in the offense at all. That really thins out the depth and instead, the Bolts should be trying to get a returner who can add an offensive impact.

Carter has not shown the ceiling that Roberts has as a returner but he was still pretty good for Washington last season and also added something on offense. Carter averaged 25.1 yards per kick return with one touchdown while averaging 8.4 yards per punt return. Offensively, Carter made 24 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns.

Carter is going to be 29 when the season starts and he is likely going to get a two-year deal at his age. I would project Carter to get a two-year, $5 million contract. To keep it simple, we will assume he carries a $2.5 million cap hit in 2022, meaning that the Chargers have $5.4 million left to spend.