Following six seasons of personnel decisions by Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, we continue looking at his best and worst moves, moving on to No. 7.
Last week’s article covered the eighth best and worst decision by Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco. Now, the good and bad moves get better and worse from here on out.
These will not involve moves he didn’t make (ex: Not signing an upgrade at interior defensive linemen in 2018), but rather personnel decisions in the draft and free agency that helped or harmed this franchise.
Let’s see who comes up next on the list as we move on to the No. 7 decisions on both ends of the spectrum.
No. 7 Best Decision: Signing RB Danny Woodhead in 2013
Man, wasn’t this guy just the coolest thing ever while he was in San Diego? If not for Philip Rivers and Eric Weddle, I’m certain Woodhead would have been the fan-favorite on the Chargers. In 2013, Telesco took over and was looking for a strong complementary piece to Ryan Mathews to boost a rushing attack that only gained 1,461 rushing yards at 3.6 yards per carry the year prior.
Woodhead was brought in and instantly became the Darren Sproles-like piece that was so desperately missing from the offense, carving out 1,034 all-purpose offensive yards at an average of 5.68 yards per touch.
If Rivers needed an outlet, Woodhead was the guy (8.0 yards per catch). One of his most important contributions came in the form of pass protection, regularly taking on the much bigger blitzing defenders and buying his quarterback more time. Even at 5-8, Woodhead found ways to shift and sneak behind his offensive line to average 4.0 yards per carry in 2013. It’s a skill set that I find surprisingly similar in Austin Ekeler, who looks to hold the same role heading into 2018.
Woodhead’s 70 total yards and two touchdowns were a part of the last time the Chargers had ever beaten the Chiefs in Kansas City. Fans will remember Seyi Ajirotutu’s 28-yard go ahead touchdown, but it was Woodhead’s shifty catches for 19 and 14 yards a few plays prior that set up the game-winner.
Unfortunately, despite his two strong seasons (the aforementioned 2013 and another 1,091 yards in 2015), Woodhead was oft-injured, twice being lost for most of the season due to untimely injuries. If he had played more games, he would be higher up on the list of “good decisions” by Telesco. Still, appreciate the move for what it was. And boy was it a fun one.
No. 7 Worst Decision: Drafting D.J. Fluker in the first round of the 2013 Draft
I don’t want to knock this selection as hard for who wasn’t taken, as hindsight always shows who the “correct” picks were. But, here’s a few players Telesco could have had over Fluker:
- DE Sheldon Richardson, picked 13th
- WR DeAndre Hopkins, picked 27th
- C Travis Frederick, picked 31st
Instead, the rookie general manager took an offensive tackle in Fluker 11th overall, a mistake that, to this day, the team has not truly overcome. Why isn’t he way higher on the list then? Because he wasn’t completely terrible, and because of this gem:
never forget DJ Fluker body slamming a Raider🙏 pic.twitter.com/vzzu9ckIJE
— LosGeez (@LosGeez) March 12, 2017
Fluker only missed five games over four years with the Chargers, playing both right tackle and eventually right guard for the team. He always tried hard and showed up for his team, but never regularly played up to his draft status. There were times when Fluker looked the part (and with his massive frame, that wasn’t too hard) and was a bright spot on the future of a team that had just won its first playoff game in years the same season he was drafted.
Next: NFL 2018: Each team's best offseason move
It truly comes down to answering one question: Was he worth the 11th overall selection? Nope.
It was a reach, no matter how desperately the Chargers needed offensive linemen. Right tackle has continued to be a consistent issue and draft need even today. But as I said before, because Fluker didn’t bust as bad as the following six poor decisions, he’s only here at No. 7.