Football is finally days away, and the Chargers still have a lot of positional battles going on to get prepared for the season.
It is likely that the Chargers keep at least 5-6 receivers when they make the cut down to 53 players for the season, but the receivers cut will likely be kept on the practice squad in case of any more injuries to the receiving corp.
Keenan Allen
The Chargers second-longest tenured player with 7 years on the Chargers, Keenan has become one of the best receivers in the league and the best route runner in the entire NFL.
He is the lead man in the receiver room, and he is looking to build more chemistry with Taylor and new rookie QB Herbert. Allen has been an ironman for the last three seasons and has been a top receiver in the league over that time. With the Williams injury, he will likely have to step up and take a majority of the passing targets with Ekeler, for the duration that Williams will be out.
Mike Williams
Mike was the Chargers top-10 pick back in the 2017 draft. He was a standout at Clemson and has had a really good career with the Chargers when he is able to stay healthy. That has been his biggest issue so far, and it looks like it will be a problem to start the year.
Williams went down with a collarbone injury in practice last week and it is looking like he will likely be out 2-4 weeks. However, Daniel Popper, believes that the injury will sideline Williams for 6 weeks and that he will miss most of September.
He will definitely be making the roster because he is a rare breed of receiver with his size, speed, and game-changing ability. However, his injury history could give the Chargers brass pause when considering his 5th-year option and extending him as a Charger in the future.
K.J. Hill
Hill has been discussed in some previous articles when looking at his draft profile. He has had a solid camp so far, and with the injury to Mike Williams to start the year, he has a legitimate chance to start at receiver in Week 1 vs the Bengals.
He played slot receiver his entire colligate career, and that is the role that Keenan usually rotates into during the game. Hill will need to show his ability to play outside the receiver or his role might be limited with him only being able to play the slot role.
Joe Reed
Reed is another player that has been discussed in previous articles, both of the Chargers receivers drafted in the 2020 draft will likely not only make the roster but also have an opportunity to make an impact in games early this season.
Reed was an impressive “gadget” at the University of Virginia, and the Chargers staff plans to utilize him similarly, by getting him involved in some run plays, short receiver screens, and his return ability on special teams. Reed is going to be a fun player to watch on the Chargers this year, and he should take the Charger’s special teams to a new level.
Jalen Guyton
Guyton has been one of the guys to step up after the Chargers made a surprising cut when they released Andre Patton. Guyton has been a practice squad guy his entire career, but it looks like he is finally getting his shot. He has played a lot of snaps as the third receiver on the 1st team in training camp so far and will likely move up into the second receiver role with the injury to Williams.
Guyton is one of the faster receivers on the roster, running a 4.35 40-time when coming into the league, he will just need to work on his hands if he wants to be relied on by Taylor in the passing game.
Jason Moore
Moore was a UDFA for the Chargers last year, he managed to make the team, but did not play a big factor in 2019. He comes into his second season, with there being targets up for grabs with the departure of Benjamin and now the likely 6-week injury for Williams.
There will be an opportunity for all of these guys at the backend of the receiving core. Moore is a big-bodied receiver from a small DII school. He makes a great red-zone target.
Darius Jennings
Jennings was a FA signing in the spring by the Chargers, he has played in the NFL for 4 seasons, mainly used a return man. He is very similar to Joe Reed, both are from the University of Virginia, and both were primary return men and broke a lot of records. Jennings is likely on the outside looking in, due to the Chargers drafting Reed about a month after they signed Jennings for the purpose of most likely returning kicks. Reed appears to be moving into that role, which could affect Jennings.
Tyrod Johnson
The second Tyrod on the Chargers roster, Tyrod Johnson was a former 5-star recruit going into college and then transferred from LSU to go to Oklahoma State.
The Chargers added him to the practice squad back in December. There isn’t much film on him, but he is a deep-threat receiver, he lacks solid route-running skills, but he has elite speed and can take the top off the defense.
Featured Image: ---
