Metcalf, Adams and Kupp: Chargers are a top destination once again

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If the last month or so has shown NFL fans anything, it’s that Jim Harbaugh has made the Los Angeles Chargers appealing as a destination for trade candidates and free agents again.
Those Chargers and the Justin Herbert-led offense have been linked to an almost staggering list of big names in one fashion or another.
One report says New York Jets wideout Davante Adams has the Chargers on his shortlist of trade destinations. Some inside the NFL have consistently mentioned the Chargers alongside Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf. And oddsmakers have given the Chargers very good odds to land Los Angeles Rams star wideout Cooper Kupp.
Some of those are more logical from a cost-and-fit standpoint than others. But it all follows a theme – top names have eyes for the Chargers, or those in the know do for them. Herbert’s offense desperately needs another top option besides Ladd McConkey and the potential upside for all involved is huge.
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Provided every single one of these early examples isn’t just using the Chargers as leverage plays to actually go somewhere else, it’s safe to reason that top names at other positions beyond wideout make sense, too.
Think, top tight ends and interior offensive linemen, for starters. But every level of the defense might fit the bill too now that coordinator Jesse Minter has already produced an elite unit under Harbaugh during his debut.
Whether the Chargers actually go after big names or stay humble with a more conservative approach that led to last year’s remains to be seen. But if they want them, the Chargers should have access to stop stars like the above.

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Chris Roling has covered the NFL since 2010 with stints at Bleacher Report, USA TODAY Sports Media Group and others. Raised a Bengals fan in the '90s, the Andy Dalton era was smooth sailing by comparison. He graduated from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and remains in Athens.
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