The Athletic predicts Chargers to sign top offensive lineman, lose three in free agency
With free agency kicking off next week, The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia made his signing predictions for his top-50 free agents.
In this scenario, Kapadia predicts the Chargers to make a splash by signing center Corey Linsley.
The Chargers made the right move not using the franchise tag on Hunter Henry. They need to prioritize their offensive line above all else. Linsley started 99 games in seven seasons for the Packers and went from underrated to first-team All-Pro in 2020. He’s great in zone-blocking schemes and in pass protection. Pairing him with Justin Herbert for the next few years is a no-brainer. As for fixing the rest of their line, the Chargers might need to look to the draft and the trade market.
With Dan Feeney set to be free agent, it creates a glaring hole at center. Adding Linsley would go a long way to remodeling a weak offensive line.
Voted first-team All-Pro and rated Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 center, from 2020, Linsley didn’t allow a sack or a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage vs. the run, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Los Angeles is in good standing from a financial perspective, and they should be prepared to pay him in the ballpark of $10 million per year. However, he would be worth that amount.
While L.A. signs one of the top players on the market, they lose three of their own to other teams; tight end Hunter Henry, edge defender Melvin Ingram and cornerback Michael Davis.
Henry signs with the Jaguars, giving the presumed No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence a top target. Ingram goes to the Seahawks to add a much-needed pass rusher. Davis joins the Cowboys to shore up their secondary.
I believe L.A. will re-sign one of their own, with Davis being the most likely option out of the three.
Buckle up. Free agency, which begins on March 17, is going to be quite the ride.
