Los Angeles Chargers Saturday Mailbag: Adding Julius Thomas and more
By Tyler Schoon
For all your questions and topics surrounding the Los Angeles Chargers, here’s a weekly mailbag that covers it all, the June 2 edition.
Whether you’re returning from last week or just finding this for the first time today, welcome to the Los Angeles Chargers NFL Spin Zone Mailbag!
This weekly installment covers all things Chargers, from questions submitted by YOU!
If you’d like to be a part of the mailbag (you should), go ahead and send your submissions to any one of these three:
- Post in the comments section
- On Twitter to @tjscooter30
- By email (for longer submissions or multiple questions) at lacbag18@gmail.com
If you sent something in last week and do not see it answered down below, do not worry! It will be in the following mailbag OR will be turned into its own article. As for this article, let’s take a look…
Question 1: Hunter Henry will be missed in a huge way. The Chargers should have called Julius Thomas Last Week. He had Pro Bowl seasons when Peyton Manning was throwing him the football and I think he can have similar numbers under ‘The Wh17e Mamba’ Philip Rivers. What do you think? Thanks Tyler, GO CHARGERS! -Edgar
Julius Thomas…now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.
Clearly Hunter Henry needs to be replaced, and one of the simplest ways to do so is to sign a player in free agency. Thomas, having spent his first four years in Denver, racked up two individual seasons of 12 touchdowns and was elected to the Pro Bowl in each of those. Since moving on from the Broncos and inking a contract with the Jaguars (and later joining the Dolphins), Thomas has only caught 12 touchdowns in three seasons combined.
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While he hasn’t been nearly as productive, it’s clear that the drop-off from a premium Peyton Manning throwing him the ball to Blake Bortles and Jay Cutler (both quarterbacks beat the Chargers this year) was massive. The Chargers need a touchdown threat, and he could be it. While not the focal point of the Dolphins’ offense last season, Thomas actually took more snaps (640) than Henry (598) playing in equally as many games.
No one should expect Thomas (or whichever player fills the vacant spot) to have a season like Henry was projected to have in 2018, but he certainly could give the offense enough to fill a similar role to what Henry played in 2017. Philip Rivers has the gifted ability to make any receiver a legitimate weapon, and I have no doubt that Thomas would see a bump in receptions and yards if he got to catch from No. 17.
Question 2: Hunter Henry’s injury is a shame to see, but I feel the Chargers can make up for his production in other areas. His loss doesn’t mean more losses for the Chargers I think. What other players (besides Rivers) on the roster do you think would affect the Chargers most if they were hurt? Thanks and keep it up. -Etien
That’s a tough one, and I think it partially depends on the supporting cast around the position of the injured player. If I had to rank the most devastating losses with No. 1 being the most impactful, it would look like:
- Melvin Gordon
- Denzel Perryman
- Russell Okung
- Casey Hayward
- Keenan Allen
Allen is lower on the list because he’s got enough talent around him to not hurt the team too much if he were to get injured. Rivers’ numbers would decline, and the offense would be less efficient on third downs, but I believe two Williams and a Travis Benjamin would be enough to carry a sizable portion of the load.
Hayward is lower for a similar reason, but I believe he is more important to the team than Allen is. In short, Hayward wins his receiver match-ups more than Allen wins his corner battles. I would rather have a player that can eliminate every starting receiver in the league one on one than a single receiver.
Okung is a reigning Pro-Bowl player, but is higher on the list because there is nothing behind him that matches up to his experience and expertise. Sam Tevi filled in admirably for one game against the Jets, but I can’t imagine at this point in his career he’s going to be as capable a blocker for the most important player on this team. If he goes down, the AFC West becomes enormously more brutal.
Perryman may be a surprise to see so high on the list, but if you watched any Bolts games last year it was astoundingly apparent that No. 52 is possibly the key to this team. His health correlates with wins, and the Perryman-led defense was doing a number on the Chiefs in their second 2017 meeting before he left with an injury. Kareem Hunt proceeded to run all over the team when he left, and a tight game with a Chargers’ lead turned into a blowout.
The most important and irreplaceable (according to this roster) player on this team not named Rivers is Gordon. The team just doesn’t have a true lead back behind him, as both Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson are there to compliment him. Beating the Chiefs (something that hasn’t been done in four years) is the most important thing the Chargers should be focusing on this season, and Gordon has to be there thriving for the team to have any chance.
As I’ve said before, Rivers just can’t seem to keep himself in check and becomes desperate against the division rival. Taking the ball out of his hands and grinding it with Gordon (who has greatly improved ball security) keeps it a close game with a dominant defense ready to pounce on mistakes from Patrick Mahomes. If Gordon starts next season like he finished 2017, this team is golden for a run.
Question 3: What’s up Tyler. This isn’t a question but more so of a comment. As we make our way through June and only about 2 months away really from preseason, I’ve seen more than a handful of articles that talk about the talent and depth in our secondary. My first comment is on the lack of respect Trevor Williams is receiving. He was rated the No. 10 Cornerback in all of football by PFF. In my opinion, solidified himself as the number 2 Corner. Jason Verrett when looking at his frame is probably better suited to be a our Nickel Corner taking on the slot guy. At the very least, Trevor Williams should have to lose his job in a good ole’ fashion Traning Camp Battle. -Edgar
I have answered this question in a separate article, but I still feel it’s a good one to talk about here and I want to hear more of what you guys think on this topic. I have to admit that I was initially biased and preferred Verrett; he plays like a superstar when healthy, I’ve met him at various Chargers’ events, and I would like nothing more than for him to succeed.
However, I can’t deny Williams his chance. Coming from college as an UDFA in 2016 and becoming a top corner in the league in the midst of his first starting season in 2017 was astonishing. There’s a chance that he could get even better, and I don’t think Verrett deserves to immediately start over him simply because he shouldn’t lose his job due to injury.
I am surprised that the coaches seem keen on having him start across from Hayward considering his lack of on-field chemistry, especially when considering Williams couldn’t have had much better of a 2017 campaign. This will be one of the more exciting training camp battles we’ve had in years.
Next: NFL 2018: Ranking the 50 best pass rushers
That’s it for this week’s installment! Thanks for those who submitted questions, and I hope you found them answered to your satisfaction. It’s officially summer, and are less than 100 days away from true football action. Can’t wait for the season to start!