How Will San Diego Approach the Draft?

San Diego holds the 18th pick in the draft. With the roster moves that GM Smith and coach Turner, expect this off-season to be chaotic. Free-agency may leave some serious holes for the team to fill. At the moment, San Diego has needs on both the offensive and defensive lines as well as in the secondary. The pass rush needs to be upgraded as well. We really won't know for sure what will happen until we get a clearer picture of the re-signings and departures from the team in the coming months. San Diego is in a prime position to either move up or down in this draft. If someone is looking to get a quarterback early, San Diego may be able to trade down. More picks would certainly help build the back half of the roster and provide critical depth at several positions. For now, we just have to wait and see what unfolds.

San Diego Already Active in Reshaping the Roster

The San Diego Chargers are already making changes to the roster for next year, and in a big way. The team appears to be cleaning house. This is evident especially by the moves to not resign Vincent Jackson and the talks of several veteran players being asked to restructure contracts to free up salary cap space. It seems that the Chargers are going all in for next season with some risky roster moves. It seems that the team is willing to take a high risk high reward approach to next season. It should make for an interesting off-season. To give you an idea as to just a few of the changes.....

1) San Diego appears prepared to cut tackle Marcus McNeill. Mcneill also held out in 2010 for a better contract. He has twice been selected to the Pro Bowl, but missed time this year due to a neck injury. He has only played in 20 of the 32 games over the last two years. Expect San Diego to move quickly to sign Jared Gaither to be the starting left tackle (a job he excelled at last season).

2) Vincent Jackson, who has been asking for big money for the last two years, is once again a free agent. The Chargers were not interested in giving him that long-term contract for the last two years and it seems the team doesn't want to at this point either. Too many teams are in need of a high caliber receiver, and the list of free agents makes Jackson much easier to replace. In the end, this seems to be a decision that works out well for both parties. Jackson gets his money, and San Diego keeps valuable cap space as they rebuild the roster. There is certainly still a chance that the Chargers resign him, but I think this marriage is done.

3) Turner officially announced that Darrell Stuckey is expected to start at strong safety next year. Goodbye Steve Gregory. Stuckey stood out on special teams and has earned a shot to start. I am excited to see how this kid performs.

4) Several veterans may be asked to restructure their contracts to free up cap space. This list is rumored to include DE Luis Castillo and ILB Takeo Spikes. If either of these two refuse, and San Diego cuts either of them, the Chargers will have some serious holes to fill. Guard Kris Dielman may have the same situation presented to him. It does look like the team expects Dielman to play, but expect the team to look for some insurance either through the draft or free-agency.

Turner and Smith appear to be going all out to make this team a contender again. The only thing that is for certain is that it will be a busy off-season for the Chargers.

Vincent Jackson Rumored out of San Diego

Sources report that the San Diego Chargers are not interested in bringing receiver Vincent Jackson back and are ok with letting him enter the free agent market. San Diego has had issues with Jackson over the last few years, most notably his refusal to report two seasons ago. The departure of Jackson, if this is indeed true, leaves San Diego with a big hole to fill in the offense. Expect Malcom Floyd to be resigned very soon in order to preserve some depth in the receiving corps. Some are still saying that he will be signed to a long-term deal, but only time will tell. For now, we play the waiting game. If Jackson is cut, there are three teams that truly stand out to me as a destination for Jackson. St. Louis has a great young quarterback in Sam Bradford, and Jackson would give him a reliable target down the field. Jacksonville also has a young signal caller in Gabbert and the same applies here. To round out the trio, Minnesota finds itself in the same situation. ponder is the future of that team, and with the injury sustained by Adrian Peterson, this team may have to throw the ball more. The intriguing thing about the Vikings is that they do have Percy Harvin on the roster, so they have some flexibility and options to take some pressure off of Jackson, or the other way around. This issue isn't going away any time soon, so stay tuned for further updates.

San Diego and the Strong Safety

The Chargers are in the same position they were in last season in regards to the strong safety position. Bob Sanders was brought in to bring his physical style of play, but only lasted 2 games before succumbing to injuries yet again. This left Steve Gregory once again as the starter during the season. Gregory only had 13 starts this season and split time with Paul Oliver at the position this year. Both are free agents and I would be surprised to see Gregory resigned. His play has been inconsistent. I expect the Chargers to let him walk. Coach Norv Turner likes the progression of Darrell Stuckey, who played exceptionally well on special teams last season. Stuckey was injured his rookie season and was impacted heavily by the lockout in terms of development. Stuckey seems to have a great shot to earn playing time this season going into camp. There is also the possibility that the Chargers could move corner Quentin Jammer to safety, but I doubt that it will happen this year. If Stuckey doesn't pan out after this season, that move may take place, but for now, it seems like Stuckey has an inside track to start at strong safety next season barring a big draft move or free agent signing by the Chargers.

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Ricky Williams to Retire

While not a Charger, one of the most intriguing players of the last decade or so is announcing his retirement. Ricky Williams has announced that he will not take the option for a second year in Baltimore and will retire from football. Williams is one of 26 players to rush for 10,000 career yards and broke that record in the Ravens final game of the season against the Bengals. Williams is often most remembered by two things, Mike Ditka trading the farm to get him in New Orleans (where he spent the first 3 years of his career) and for his multiple drug suspensions while with the Dolphins. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Williams was the fact that he accomplished what he did while dealing with social anxiety disorder, of which we only learned about late in his career. There is talk of Williams being a Hall of Fame player, but only time will tell. So here is to Ricky Williams, a great player and intriguing person, kick back and enjoy yourself.

New Linebackers Coach

Something that may have been lost during all of the Super Bowl hype would be the Chargers hiring a new linebackers coach. Joe Barry was hired February 4th to be the linebackers coach for the Chargers. Barry held the same position at USC from 2010-2011 and has 10 years of NFL coaching experience, with   two as a defensive coordinator (Detroit, 2007-2008). Barry served as the linebackers coach for the Buccaneers during their Super Bowl season and tutored under Monte Kiffen. It will be interesting to see what Barry brings to the table.