Khalil Mack trade and 9 other genius Chargers moves Tom Telesco nailed
By Jason Reed
8. Chargers trade for Khalil Mack
The Khalil Mack trade is not perfect and is certainly looks worse in hindsight then it did at the time. Mack is making a lot of money and is going to have a massive cap hit next season. Meanwhile, Uchenna Nwosu out-performed Mack last season for the Seattle Seahawks for a fraction of the cost.
That being said, every situation is different and Mack had little to no help in the pass-rush department for most of the 2022 season. Teams were able to really hone in on Mack and make sure that he was not the one that beat them.
While the trade is not a bonafide grand slam like fans originally thought, it is still a solid move that is worth recognizing.
7. Chargers draft Justin Herbert
I know, this is much lower than you expected to see Justin Herbert on this list. After all, he is the team's franchise quarterback and is the sole reason why the Chargers actually have a chance to win a Super Bowl in the next half-decade.
While all of that is true, it is hard to rank the Herbert selection any higher on this list. Sure, Telesco didn't take the bait of drafting Jordan Love or trying to do something cute and taking Isaiah Simmons. But at the end of the day, the Chargers were always going to end up with the third quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.
A lot of fans don't like to admit it but there is a world in which the Miami Dolphins did the right thing and took Herbert, leaving Tua Tagovailoa to be drafted by the Chargers. And let's not lie: many Chargers fans would have celebrated that at the time.