When thinking of team needs and free agent targets for the Los Angeles Chargers, wide receiver is not a position that gets brought up often. Justin Herbert boasts one of the top pass-catching duos in the league in the ever-reliable Keenan Allen and the playmaker Mike Williams. Allen has just made his fifth straight Pro Bowl and Williams posted a career year as he thrived under the new offense.
However, depth after this pair of stars is pretty thin, with Jalen Guyton, Josh Palmer and Andre Roberts rounding out the position. Williams is a free agent as of now, and while everything points towards him being brought back either with a franchise tag or a new contract, there's still a scenario where he's not back with the Chargers for 2022.
Regardless of if Williams is on the roster, the Chargers' wide receiving corps could be bolstered. The draft is always the best place to get quality wide receivers at their best price, and some Chargers fans have even suggested the team should draft someone like Jameson Williams from Alabama if he's there at 17.
As much as there is to like about some of the receivers of this year's draft class, there are too many holes on the defense that the team should prioritize. That is why Tom Telesco could look to the free-agent market to find a WR3 or even a replacement for Williams should he depart.
There are important traits and characteristics lacking in the Chargers' receivers right now.
The lack of speed is the biggest area of opportunity. Besides Guyton, no one else can really take the top off a defense. There's also little Yards After Catch threat right now. Having a player that can make a house call on any given touch, force the defense to respect the deep part of the field, or that can shed some tackles when given the ball on screens and short passes can make Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi's life so much easier.
At the very least, the Chargers need a third wide receiver that can make a difference when Williams is banged up or on a quiet run, or when Allen is double covered on every snap. These are five options on the free-agent market that GM Tom Telesco could target.