5 Free Agent Offensive Pieces LA Can Add For Justin Herbert In 2024
Let's face it, the 2023 NFL season has not gone as expected for the Los Angeles Chargers.
After blowing a 27-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round of the playoffs last year, the Chargers have never quite recovered.
Countless times, LA's past has come back to haunt them as the defense has struggled time and time again to put games away this season.
Right now, the team is 5-7 and has an incredibly tough road ahead to make the playoffs playing the Denver Broncos twice, the Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs.
If they continue to blow games, they will likely be eliminated from the playoffs and will be focusing on retooling this roster.
Moving forward, I decided to take a look at some potential players LA could add to help quarterback Justin Herbert and make sure this outcome doesn't happen again.
Signing Tee Higgins
After failing to put a contract together with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tee Higgins is set to hit free agency heading into his age-25 season next year.
There's no question that the Chargers have had their struggles at wide receiver due to the injury bug as Mike Williams is out for the year due to a torn ACL and Joshua Palmer has spent time on the injured reserve.
In the first round of last year's draft, the Chargers selected Quentin Johnston in the first round. Since then, drops have been a constant issue for the rookie catching just 26 balls on 44 targets for 242 yards and one touchdown.
Herbert and all-pro wide receiver Keenan Allen will need as much help as they can get from the production and health of their supporting cast for years to come.
Standing at six foot four inches and weighing 218 pounds, Higgins would be a perfect compliment to Allen and would make a great addition to win one one-on-ones in the red zone for LA.
Over the last two years, Higgins has been a two-time thousand-yard receiver for the Bengals and has remained a constant deep threat at the position averaging 13.8 yards per catch in his career.
Signing Tyler Boyd
Across from Higgins, LA could potentially target his teammate Tyler Boyd to take over reigns at the slot position as he is about to hit free agency as well this offseason.
Boyd has spent the past eight seasons playing for the Bengals, since then, he has been a thousand-yard receiver twice in 2018 and 2019 and caught over 800 yards in 2020 and 2021.
In his career, he has never officially been placed as the number-one receiver but mostly as a secondary option. When the Bengals elected to draft Ja'Marr Chase with the fifth pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, it ultimately forced Boyd to move into the slot position.
Throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Boyd had over 700 yards receiving with over 55 receptions in both years, proving to have a real effect on the Cincinnati offense.
If Mike Williams returns fully healthy next year, the potential of rolling out a receiving core that features Allen, Williams, and Boyd could put Herbert over the top next year and potentially make him an MVP candidate.
Signing D'Andre Swift
Speaking of the Eagles, D'Andre Swift is in the final year of his rookie deal that he signed with the Detroit Lions in 2020.
It's likely that Austin Ekeler's days of playing running back for the Chargers are coming to an end after failing to get a deal restructured before this season.
With a free agency class loaded with top running back talent across the board, Swift is probably one of the more underrated names available and could potentially be a cheaper option for the Chargers.
The running back position has been doomed over the last few years as players are only lasting into their late 20s due to the wear and tear they face in the position.
Right now, Swift is coming off a career year with the Eagles rushing for 783 yards with four touchdowns and 36 first downs, all numbers that are even or if not better than Ekeler has produced with the Chargers.
In the receiving game, Swift has nearly replicated Ekeler's performance this year, catching 36 balls for 208 yards.
Swift will be coming into his age-25 season while Ekeler will be 29 next year, which is typically when running backs start to decline.
With Ekeler, Saquoun Barkley, and Josh Jacobs all hitting free agency this offseason, Swift would likely be asking for much less than all three and would be an excellent piece to help continue out the Chargers running game in 2024.
Signing Dalton Schultz
With Kellen Moore still calling plays for the Chargers, a reunion between him and former Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz should be a move the Chargers make this offseason.
In 2018, the Cowboys decided to bring in their former backup QB and make him the QB coach and would later draft Schultz in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
Moore would then take over as the OC in Dallas in 2019 and in 2020, Schultz's name finally appeared on the scene.
From 2020-2022, Schultz caught over 500 yards with at least 89 receptions for the Cowboys.
This past offseason, both of them departed from Dallas, and are both doing a great job. Schultz has played a huge part in the Houston Texans offense and the development of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud this year catching 61 balls for 45 yards with five touchdowns.
Herbert has needed a tight end since the departure of Hunter Henry following the 2020 season. Bringing in Schultz wouldn't just mean having someone familiar with the scheme but also a productive addition to the tight end position in what could be one of the cheaper deals this offseason.
Signing Connor Williams
With Corey Linsey dealing with injuries and heading into free agency for the second straight season, the Chargers could look to move on from him and sign somebody else.
Buying Herbert time in the pocket could be everything for the Chargers this offseason and putting a center like Connor Williams in front of him for the next 5-7 years could make quite the impact.
According to Pro Football Focus, Williams is the highest-graded center in the NFL right now as he has played in 491 offensive snaps and has allowed just one sack while committing only seven penalties.
Linsey has been effective in his career by helping open the run game. This year, the Dolphins are ranked as the second-best rushing offense in the NFL averaging 143.3 yards per game.
Being able to open the run game up more for LA could be everything for Herbert as teams will have to acknowledge it and focus on scheming against it which will eventually open the passing game for Allen and Herbert.
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