Chargers Have an Overlooked Top-90 Free Agent They Can’t Afford to Lose

The heavy-hitting free agents for the Los Angeles Chargers aren’t hard to figure out.

It’s the lesser-known ones who could have a massive impact.

The last few years for the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz serve up a pretty good example. A “big signing” like Mekhi Becton backfired. A smaller one like Teair Tart has turned into two contract extensions and one big payday already.

So, how do we apply this to the Chargers offseason right now?

Chargers’ overlooked free agent is a top-90 player

First, a glance at the biggest names the Chargers have going to free agency:

Khalil Mack
Odafe Oweh
Zion Johnson
Keenan Allen
Trey Lance

These are household names most fans would know. Oweh is arguably the most important, given their initial investement by trading for him.

Now, how about a smaller name:

Jamaree Salyer

It’s actually Salyer who cracks the top 100 on a free-agent list from NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal:

“Salyer’s stretch on the blind side for the Chargers late last season changed my opinion of him and should change his market. He’s definitely a left tackle, and teams could do a lot worse with Salyer as a third tackle or bridge starter.”

Well-deserved, too.

Salyer isn’t a household name nationally, but he’s a former sixth-round pick who has been a fan favorite. Fans have seen him at tackle in past, then had to practically beg the Chargers to give him run at it again last season.

Los Angeles guard Jamaree Salyer — Jamaree Salyer | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Key swing offensive tackle depth isn’t easy to come by in the NFL. The Chargers found that out the hard way last year when Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater went down, then Trey Pipkins battled issues of his own.

Letting Salyer, a 25-year-old, versatile backup, go would be a silly self-inflicted wound, especially for a team that managed to see the worst-case scenario in front of Justin Herbert unfold multiple times last season.

Considering the Chargers need to focus so heavily on finding starters for the interior of the line, inking Salyer and preventing him from going to the market should be a top priority before things get wild.

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