One of the more understated question marks going into the off-season for the Los Angeles Chargers was who in the world was going to take up the #3 wide receiver position – or what the depth chart would like in general after that point. While the answers are starting to get clearer, we still don’t know for sure who will be out there come Week 1 after the two obvious starters, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. So here, we’ll quickly recap what things looked like last year, and then we’ll take a look at the current Chargers wide receivers roster and try to make predictions about who will make the final roster and who will be starting.
Looking at the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receivers
Last Year
Keenan Allen and Mike Williams last year were an excellent wide receiver duo – in fact, they were the first Chargers duo to both get 1,000+ yards each since Charlie Joiner and John Jefferson way back in 1980 (though Vincent Jackson and tight end Antonio Gates both crossed the threshold in 2009). Of course, this could’ve been been a product of just how nonexistent the depth chart was after those two.
Originally, the third wide receiver was supposed to be Travis Benjamin, but he did very little and then got hurt very quickly. Then they tried rotating in Andre Patton and Jason Moore, both of whom were mostly ineffective, especially the former. Running back Austin Ekeler basically became the de facto third receiver… and somehow almost got 1,000 yards himself. Despite all the love Ekeler got, there had to be more actual depth added to the Chargers wide receivers lineup.
The Rookies
Surprisingly, the Chargers did not make any wide receiver moves in free agency. But they did snag two receivers in the Draft (albeit it in the latter half of it). The first was Joe Reed, a fifth-rounder out of Virginia. He was arguably more notable as a return man than as a receiver. Still, he did lead his team in receiving in his senior year. The Chargers seem to hope to use him as sort of a gadget player, including using him at the running back spot. While the Chargers will likely be able to find some good uses for his skill set, it’s difficult to see him becoming a major player at receiver, except maybe in the slot position.
K.J. Hill was the other rookie taken, this time in the seventh round. He was quickly considered a big steal for the Chargers; despite being a bit undersized at 6’0”, he left Ohio State as their all-time leading receiver, surpassing even Cris Carter and David Boston. The main problem might still be that he may not be able to do much as an outside receiver. But he certainly has a better chance of being a good slot receiver, which would indeed help fill the need for the Chargers.
Everybody Else
There’s a bunch of other guys right now on the roster, and obviously, most of them won’t survive final cuts. They still have Moore, Patton, and Jalen Guyton from last year’s final roster. Out of all those, Moore seems the most likely to stick around. Patton proved to be ridiculously ineffective during the 2019 season, as he had only six catches in 13 games. Moore only had two catches (both in one game). However, he still showed more upside in those two catches than Patton ever did. Plus, as opposed to Patton, Moore scarcely got any opportunities after that. Then there’s Guyton and Tyron Johnson, both of whom have zero career catches so far.
The Chargers did add one very minor receiver addition in free agency – Darius Jennings. Mostly used as a return man, he has 235 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. However, his experience gives him a little bit of a leg up over most of the other guys. The only thing is that his role may prove to be redundant and ultimately unneeded if Joe Reed ends up being the return specialist instead.
They also added Jeff Cotton and Dalton Schoen as undrafted free agents, but they are virtual unknowns. Without much to go on regarding them, we’ll just have to wait and see how they fare come training camp and/or preseason (assuming those things happen as planned).
Last Word
Beyond the obvious of Allen and Williams making the roster, it’s a little bit of a crapshoot. Not even Reed or Hill are necessarily guaranteed locks to make the roster. But they do have the lack of competition weighing heavily in their favor. More likely than not, they will make the roster – and Hill is the more likely candidate to be starting at the third wide receiver/slot receiver spot.
The Chargers usually only keep five receivers on the active roster, so that leaves only one more spot. Jennings, despite being a veteran compared to most of the others, may not survive roster cuts simply due to a lack of need. That will leave it most likely to come down to Moore or Patton, while the odd man out will likely make the practice squad (along with some of the others mentioned earlier like Guyton). The Chargers may end up opting for Patton based on experience, but based on what we’ve seen in regular-season action, they’d be better off sticking with Moore. Regardless, unless there’s a lot of injuries, it’s unlikely that “fifth receiver” will see much action anyway.
Final Wide Receiver Roster Prediction (In Order of Starting Position): Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, K.J. Hill, Joe Reed, and Jason Moore.
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