San Diego Chargers Should Trade for Josh Gordon

The San Diego Chargers find themselves without a quality number one wide receiver. Should they consider trading for Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns?

The San Diego Chargers were dealt a major blow when star wide receiver Keenan Allen went down with a season-ending ACL injury. The loss may prove to be detrimental to the team’s playoff hopes moving forward, as the young wide receiver was set to play a major role in their high-octane passing offense. The Chargers, without their starting wideout, will now have to look elsewhere for production.

Without the 24-year-old split out wide, San Diego’s offense now lacks a number one wide receiver. Prior to the disheartening injury, the team was already lacking depth at the position, with Keenan Allen and Travis Benjamin being the only players that truly deserve the opposition’s full recognition in the passing game.

Now, with Allen shelved for the length of the season, Benjamin will likely be the player to fill the void for the Chargers at wide receiver. And while the former Cleveland Browns receiver has proven to be a reliable target on passing plays, he’s not necessarily a player that is capable of turning in big games on a week-to-week basis – he’ll put up big numbers on occasion, but he is by no means as talented as Allen.

As the Browns top option last season, Benjamin posted the best numbers of his career, hauling in 68 receptions for 966 yards and five touchdowns in 16 contests. On the flip side, appearing in just eight games, Allen managed to post similar statistics with 67 catches for 725 yards and four scores. Benjamin had a solid campaign, there’s no denying that, but the numbers show that he’s simply not on the same level as Allen.

At best, Benjamin is a high-end number two receiver, while Allen is a surefire number one in terms of production and ability. With Allen shelved for the season, the Chargers lose their starter and their depth at the position is abolished, as Benjamin will now be forced into action as the team’s top wide receiver.

This leads me to believe that San Diego must make a move to acquire another wide receiver to play alongside Benjamin for the remainder of the season. Instead of targeting aging veteran free agents like Roddy White and/or Brian Hartline, I believe that they should consider making a trade for Josh Gordon.

Such a move would certainly be a gamble, yes, but with the current state of the team’s receiving corps, it’s a gamble worth taking. At only 25 years old, he’s still young enough to make a long-term impact for the team. He has proven to be a top-tier player when he’s in the lineup, and that was with questionable quarterback play.

Despite missing a year and a half of playing time due to suspension, Gordon showed that he still has game-breaking ability during the preseason.

Even if the Chargers have to part ways with a second round draft pick, I believe that it would be worth it. In 2014, when he competed in 14 games, he posted elite numbers. Gordon accumulated 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. He averaged 18.9 receiving yards per catch, while amassing 117.6 receiving yards per game.

His play style and ability to create separation looked much like it did in 2014 during the preseason. If he brought that level of intensity to the receiving corps of the San Diego Chargers, things would become much easier for Philip Rivers and company.

It may be one of the rare situations in which both teams benefit. The Chargers would get a number one wide receiver for the year (as well as a potential long-term starter opposite of Keenan Allen moving forward). And the Browns would acquire a high draft pick for the annual rebuilding process that takes place in Cleveland.

If the Browns had any real chance of winning in the near future, they’d be crazy to trade him. But, since that doesn’t seem realistic as of now, they might as well get something in return for him.