San Diego Chargers: Grading Joe Barksdale signing

The San Diego Chargers have been busy trying to help Philip Rivers out this offseason, mostly by fortifying their offensive line depth with veteran additions. Orlando Franklin was the most important signing, and the former Denver Broncos guard and tackle will likely be a standout left guard for the Chargers next season. They didn’t stop there, as they also added former Buffalo Bills OL Chris Hairston as potential tackle depth.

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Yesterday, the Chargers brought in yet another veteran offensive lineman, as they ended Joe Barksdale‘s lengthy spell on the free agent market. Yahoo! Sports’s Rand Getlin reported the move, and the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added that Barksdale’s deal is a one-year, $350,000 deal with $1 million in incentives.

A cheap, one-year deal with no risks attached and modest incentives was always going to be the deal for Barksdale, who was rejected by the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans despite flirting with both teams, particularly the Rams, for quite some time. Barksdale’s chances of re-signing with the Rams were reduced to a “zero” after the team took Wisconsin right tackle Rob Havenstein in the second round of the draft.

The Chargers spent their first two picks on star running back Melvin Gordon, who is one of the very early Rookie of the Year favorites, and yet another inside linebacker in the hard-nosed Denzel Perryman. That left them with some room to sign a player as depth, and I guess Barksdale figured he has a good shot at playing right tackle as King Dunlap‘s bookend.

Signing Barksdale means that third-year pro D.J. Fluker wil have to kick inside to right guard, and that seems to be looked upon favorably by most Chargers fans. I mean, I’d rather have Fluker and Barksdale in the line up at guard and tackle, respectively, than Kenny Wiggins or Johnnie Troutman at guard and Fluker at tackle.

I’m sure Fluker isn’t too happy about the move, though, because there’s far less money to be made at guard. That said, he should be able to make an effective transition, as he’s a strong run blocker. Some even viewed him as a better fit at guard when he was a draft prospect, but he did play very well as a rookie after being a relatively high first-round pick in the 2013 draft.

As it stands right now, Rivers doesn’t seem to have much to complain about on the offensive line outside of the center position, which is still a question mark. Dunlap and Franklin should be fantastic on the left side, and the right side duo of Fluker and Barksdale will be competent at worst.

Barksdale’s $350,000 is a guaranteed signing bonus, but that’s a fair price for a tackle who is still just 27 years old and played well in his breakout 2013 season. He clearly regressed last year, but perhaps that was because he played on an offensive line that was terrible as a whole. The San Diego Chargers aren’t paying much in the hopes of a bounce-back season for a player who could provide some key value at a position that is always at a premium in the league today.

Even if Joe Barksdale doesn’t bounce back, he’ll still prove to be an upgrade for the Chargers offensive line, since he’s technically replacing Troutman or Wiggins in the starting lineup. Even though the Rams line played poorly last year, he was probably their best lineman and didn’t do a bad job of paving the road for last year’s promising rookie back Tre Mason. Gordon is used to strong line play, so, perhaps, Barksdale’s signing will help him even more than it will help Rivers, and that will be especially true if Fluker proves to be an even more valuable run blocker at guard.

Grade: B+

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