San Diego Chargers Dontrelle Inman deserves playing time

By Keith Demolder | Feb 27, 2015

With Eddie Royal becoming a free agent, the San Diego Chargers are in a desperate need of a receiver to replace Royal’s spot in the offense. I believe that Inman could be that could be that guy. He could be that “in” man in the Bolts offense.

Some may look at his stats from last year and ask “why does this guy still have a spot on the roster?” When we look a little closer though, one can see that Inman was actually an exciting addition to the Bolts in 2014. Since he was a rookie, it was only until the last weeks of the season in which we saw Inman really burst out.

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We saw his abilities in the final two games against San Francisco and Kansas City. In an overtime thriller versus the 49ers, DI caught seven of the nine passes thrown his way for 79 yards. Many of his catches came towards the end of regulation to send the Bolts into O.T. Against Kansas City, Inman matched his 79-yard performance with another 79-yard game on five catches.

Considering that Inman was just in his first NFL season, he did pretty well. And while he was considered a rookie, he is not a rookie by any stretch of the imagination.

At the University of Virginia, he didn’t get a chance to start until his senior season when he caught 51 passes for 815 yards and three touchdowns. During his first three seasons he hauled in 27 balls for 283 yards before having a solid senior year. After going undrafted, Inman then signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and was relatively successful with 771 yards and 5.5 touchdowns per season on 50 receptions in two seasons.

Inman was then released and signed with the Chargers with a potential for a contract. Thanks to a great three-catch, 107-yard performance that featured a 70-yard touchdown reception against the Cowboys, Inman made the opening week roster.

At 6’3″, 205, Inman is known for his size as well as his underrated speed.

According to ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams, “Inman has the size to make plays in the middle of the field, but also the speed to separate against fast corners on the perimeter.”

With that stated, Inman should be the next guy in the Chargers offense. Other than his skill and ability to come through in the clutch, Inman is a good choice because of convenience.

To go out to free agency and pick up a wide out is an expensive and often difficult endeavor. I think that San Diego should stay local and go with a guy still under his contract. Inman could be one of the primary kick returners with Keenan Allen being the primary punt returners.

The Chargers need to keep their passing game strong while the players are still around. Philip Rivers isn’t getting any younger and will need all the help he can get.

Next: Top San Diego Chargers Receivers of All-Time

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