Chargers Insider Identifies Perfect Trade Target

After six weeks of NFL football team needs have become clear and with the trade deadline looming, it’s time they have to cook or settle for cereal. This is true for the Los Angeles Chargers .

Speaking of team building strategy, it has worked — on one side of the ball. The decision to keep Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa over Mike Williams and Keenan Allen is the perfect encapsulation of that. In short, the defense has been great. The offense, particularly the passing offense, has been bad, and in large part that has to do with the pass catchers.

Would Amari Cooper Fix The Chargers Offense?

Herbert has completed just three of his 11 throws of 20 air yards or more. That is a 27.3 completion percentage, the lowest mark of his career. In fact he isn’t getting much help on intermediate depth passes either. His completion percentage on throws between 10 and 19 air yards is just 35.7 percent, 32nd among starting quarterbacks.

Chargers receivers are 23rd in separation, 28th in contested catch rate, and dead last in FTN’s Created Catches statistic. They also haven’t done much when they do have the ball in their hands. They are 22nd in yards after the catch.

The Athletic Daniel Popper believes he has found the best answer to this question based on three criteria that would allow the Chargers to fill a need and has the added benefit of returning a compensatory draft pick, something Mr. Popper believes will be necessary in the near future.

“So two criteria: cheap base salary and expiring contract.” Popper writes. “And, of course, the player would have to fit some sort of need for the roster.

Cleveland Browns receiver Amari Cooper checks all three boxes. The Chargers need to add to their receiver room. The Browns restructured Cooper’s contract in July, moving signing bonus into future void years. His base salary in 2024 is $1.21 million, according to Over the Cap. The Chargers would only be taking on a fraction of that for part of the season. And, finally, Cooper is in the final year of his deal and is slated to become a free agent in the spring.”

Cooper is flying under the radar as a trade candidate as many good players do on underperforming teams. But he had one of the best seasons of his career last season, catching 76 passes for 1309 yards. His 2.21 yards per route run was his best since 2019.

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• Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh Briefly Exits Against Broncos