Los Angeles Chargers: Tom Telesco’s best and worst decisions, No. 6
By Tyler Schoon
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. 6.
Last week’s article covered the seventh best and worst decision by Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco. The moves get better and worse from here on out.
I have to reiterate that these will not involve moves Telesco 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 made the list this week as we get to No. 6 in each category.
No. 6 Best Decision: Signing UDFA WR Tyrell Williams
Telesco aside, fans were incredibly excited about this kid. Tyrell Williams was a huge, fast player coming out of Western Oregon that somehow fell out of the draft without being selected. The Chargers scooped him up and, although he bounced around the roster for most of his rookie year, he made an impact the second he hit the field.
His first reception was an 80-yard touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos. It’s what he was brought in to do, and he’s been excelling at it ever since:
https://twitter.com/Chargers/status/939979216182849536
Williams is the perfect complement to the route-running perfection of Keenan Allen, and was even a worthy replacement when Allen went down with injury (69 catches, 1,059 yards in 2016). While an important piece of the Chargers offense moving this season, Williams may exceed his current contract (a second-round tender) and could leave the team next season seeking a bigger contract that he deserves. Enjoy the exciting playmaker while you can.
No. 6 Worst Decision: Signing FA CB Derek Cox to a four-year, $20 million deal
The signing came on the heels of former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith busting on big contracts like tackle Jared Gaither and wide receiver Robert Meachem. The Bolts were in a cap catastrophe, with few available funds to attract free agents to a 7-9 squad who just fired their head coach. Cox was the “splash signing”, but never amounted to anything positive.
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Cox was eventually benched during the Week 9 loss to the Washington Redskins in the same year he was signed. He had difficulties recognizing route concepts and never possessed the speed required to keep up with deep throws.
If anything positive came from this move, it’s that Telesco learned from his mistake and has had a stellar track record of finding corner talent in both free agency and the draft. He rarely gives out fat contracts to unproven players, one of the biggest reasons the Chargers’ cap is very healthy for both immediate and future needs.