By Bill Seals
Chargers are quiet at the trade deadline
Charger edge rusher Chris Rumph II trips up Denver tight end Andrew Beck on October 17, at SoFi Stadium. Chargers play Atlanta on Sunday
The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off their bye week and heading into Week 9 of the regular season with a 4-3 record and several key injuries to their top players. The Chargers could have used help at wide receiver or on the offensive line but were unable to strike a deal before the trade deadline on Tuesday at 1:00 PM.
It can be difficult to find a trading partner and the price the Chargers would have paid in terms of draft capital and in salary cap space was likely to high for General Manager Tom Telesco to pull the trigger on a trade.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Charger head coach attempted to explain the team's inability to find a deal that could help improve the current roster. "We made a lot of moves in the offseason," Staley said. "We made aggressive moves. I felt like we made a lot of smart moves that I think are paying for us right now, in terms of establishing the type of depth that you need. The trade deadline is something that is overblown in the league."
Staley added that, "We were in discussions, like the rest of the league. It just didn't make sense for us at the time. We feel confident in the guys that we're going to get back and that we have a lot of time to create the identity for the rest of the season."
The Chargers return to action on Sunday against the Falcons in Atlanta. The game will start at 10:00 AM PST and will be televised on Fox. The Falcons are 4-4 and in first place in the NFC South. The Falcons will compete and are 3-3 in games decided by less than six points.
This game will be the Oregon vs. Oregon battle. Former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who won the Heisman trophy in 2014 as the nation's best player, is the starting quarterback for the resurgent Falcons. Mariota was selected with the second overall pick in the first round by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. In the 2014 season, Mariota led the Oregon Ducks to a Pac-12 conference title and a Rose Bowl victory over Florida State, where he was named the Offensive MVP.
Charger quarterback Justin Herbert played at Oregon from 2016 through 2019. In the 2019 season, Herbert led the Ducks to a Pac-12 conference title and a victory over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl and was named the Offensive MVP in the victory. Herbert was the 6th overall pick in the first round of the Chargers.
The Falcons rank last in pass defense in the NFL, allowing 306.9 yards per game. They are ranked 31st in total defensive yardage allowed per game at 415.8 yards per game. If the Chargers were completely healthy, Herbert would easily throw for over three hundred yards against the Falcons. But with multiple injuries on the offensive side of the ball, it may not be that easy.
Herbert is still not completely healthy, as he plays through a rib cartilage injury suffered in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Starting wide receiver Mike Williams is out with a high ankle sprain. It is hoped that starting wide receiver Keenan Allen will be able to play, as he is still recovering from a hamstring pull.
The Chargers need to find a way to win this week, because it is not going to get any easier after this week. In Week 10, the Chargers face the San Francisco 49ers on the road, who just added star running back Christian McCaffrey to their roster through a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
Charger quarterback Justin Herbert tries to out run Seattle linebacker Cody Barton (#57) during a recent game at SoFi Stadium.
In Week 11, the Chiefs visit SoFi Stadium to play The Chargers. The Chiefs just added speedy wide receiver Kadarius Toney to their roster through a trade with the New York Giants. The Los Angeles Chargers were quiet at the trade deadline and hopefully that was the right move for the Chargers.