Top tight end floated as potential Chargers trade target before the deadline

This year wasn't supposed to be easy. Under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, the L.A. Chargers were not expected to turn things around in a hurry. Yet, sitting at 3-3 still feels like a bit of a punishment for Chargers fans.

While the roster does have a good chunk of talent at key positions, it's still lacking. Offensively speaking, Los Angeles is way down toward the bottom of the league in points per game, averaging just 17.7. It's been tough sledding, to say the least.

In their three losses this year, the Chargers have averaged under 12.0 points per contest. In a word, that is ... unacceptable.

I'm not quite sure what was expected, though, when the offense gets rid of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Gerald Everett and Austin Ekeler all within the same offseason. But, here we are.

At their current record, the Chargers are far from being out of playoff contention. And, with the NFL trade deadline right around the corner, Los Angeles could opt to try and make the best of it by going out and adding talent.

Where would they start, though? There are a few different positions of need as it stands.

One particular NFL Media columnist seems to believe the Chargers could be in on finding another pass catcher for Justin Herbert prior to the trade deadline passing on November 5. Kevin Patra recently included the Chargers in his "buyers" segment of this latest trade fodder column.

An Evan Engram trade might be a game changer for the Chargers

"A pass-catching tight end in the mold of Evan Engram could also be nice, so that not every target goes to Will Dissly," Patra wrote.

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Engram, when healthy, has been one of the better tight ends in the league over the past couple of seasons. With the Jacksonville Jaguars likely to be sellers at the deadline (also according to Patra) this makes a ton of sense for the Chargers to shoot their shot.

"L.A. has eight 2025 draft picks (with three more compensatory selections potentially on the way) to dip into if it wants to make a move to boost its playoff chances in Year 1 of the new regime," finished Patra.

At the moment, the Chargers don't have a clear no. 1 option in the passing game. Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey is a talented player, but he doesn't possess that domineering skill set needed to really threaten defenses.

It might sound funny, but Engram is the type who could step into the no. 1 role right away. He's always been described as one of those "wide receiver in a tight end body" types, and for good reason. His quickness and athleticism make him deadly after the catch and he's always had the ability to make those spectacular grabs on occasion.

In his first two games after returning from injury, over the past two weeks, Engram has caught all 15 of his targets for 137 yards, clearly being a focal point for Trevor Lawrence. Still, the Jags are headed toward being a bottom-five team at the moment.