The Los Angeles Chargers feature a 23-year-old signal-caller that threw 5,014 passing yards and 38 passing touchdowns last season. The Chargers will prioritize retaining their top WR Mike Williams (76, 1,149, 9), but they will need more of a bolt in their TE room. The days of Antonio Gates are sadly gone.

The Chargers carry Jared Cook, but he’s 34 years old (two years older than Gronk) and clearly not a Pro Bowl TE at this stage in his career. The Chargers should really revamp their TE position and potentially bring in a more explosive, younger TE to help the potential MVP candidate Justin Herbert. With that said, who could the Chargers sign at TE? Well, here are a few options.

Evan Engram

I feel absolutely confident that Evan Engram would have a career season in year one with the Chargers. The athletic freak who runs a 4.4 40 time may wise to have a “prove-it deal” with a quality team like LA. The Giants recently cut Kyle Rudolph and they’ve been rumored to trade Saquon Barkley. In general, it’s obvious that they’re building and I would expect Engram to receive more money from an ascending team with a potent quarterback.

It’s also exciting for teams interested in Engram that he is only 27 years old, which noticeably younger than Ertz (31) and Gronk (32). If he excels early, it’s clear the Chargers have a new long-term “weapon” in Engram. Engram may also switch to slot WR, according to New York Post. He would surely be an excellent third receiving option in Herbert’s arsenal.

Zach Ertz

It will really not be easy for the Chargers to ink Zach Ertz, as he has a plethora of talented, potential suitors. Nonetheless, the Chargers could be a great combination of culture and money (second in cap space) to lure the Eagles legendary TE. They have also been very curious about landing Ertz in the past, as shown in the first Twitter link on this article.

Ertz recorded 763 yards and five touchdowns with the Cardinals/Eagles in 2021. He has stated that he would like to return to AZ, but it may be a challenge for the “Kyler Murray-led” Cardinals to afford Ertz. He could also decide to return to Philly as a TE2/WR3 and sort out a better contract.

Rob Gronkowski

It’s very hard to predict what Gronk wants to do in 2022. He expressed interest in the Bengals and the Bills, but he might have an unexpected team that wins his heart at the end. Gronk should feel confident that he can be the chess piece that can guarantee the Chargers at least a wildcard playoff spot next season.

It isn’t like the Bills are a clear Super Bowl favorite or very wealthy team at the moment, too (24th in cap space). The Chargers could swoop in and he could be enticed about the QB, location, and contract that the Chargers could propose.

The post Free agent tight end targets for the LA Chargers appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Rams bravely defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. Cooper Kupp shined in the Rams victory with two touchdowns and 92 yards. Kupp clearly deserved the MVP award as he nicely received it on the podium following the big win.

Sean McVay has finally won a Super Bowl and he proved to be the youngest coach ever to win a SB (36 years old). McVay, Kupp, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Odell Beckham Jr. notably boosted their legacy with their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Rams will enter the offseason with euphoria and goals to win more championships. With that said, they will face serious obstacles to repeat similar heights of success. The Rams are 28th in cap space with roughly -14 million, according to “Over The Cap”. Nonetheless, trust in Les Snead and McVay to get creative to acquire some players on a cheaper contract. Here are three free agents that the Rams should take a close look at this offseason.

Tre’Quan Smith

The New Orleans Saints third-string WR took a step back in 2021, but it didn’t help that he was playing on the 32nd ranked passing offense. It feels like yesterday Taysom Hill missed Smith for a wide-open touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. Tre’Quan Smith will likely seek more sound opportunities in 2022. The 26-year-old who recorded 377 yards and 3 touchdowns in 11 games last season could look to go to LA on a one-year prove-it deal. Smith could be seen as the great value version of OBJ, but he is still an ascending wideout looking for his best season.

Jared Cook

The Rams will most likely not retain Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason. The Pro Bowl WR isn’t only on a team getting Robert Woods back, but he also unfortunately suffered a torn ACL in the Super Bowl. So, the “cap-strapped Rams would be making a high-risk deal” with OBJ. I’d like to see the Rams bring in a cheaper weapon and a big body target for Matthew Stafford. They could have their guy with Jared Cook, who reeled in 564 yards and four touchdowns. Cook would be a nice complement to Tyler Higbee and McVay would be able to dream up matchups with the tight ends in the play-action game.

Cordarrelle Patterson

The Atlanta Falcons WR/RB ousted a career year in receiving yards (548), rushing touchdowns (6), receiving touchdowns (5), and rushing yards (618). Patterson, who is also a two-time All-Pro returner, is the ultimate swiss army knife-free agent target. It would only be fitting if the most versatile free agent joined the most creative offensive coach in the NFL. Patterson would cost more than Tre’Quan Smith and less than OBJ. His money figure is worth 6-7 million per season, which would be about half of Odell’s contract number per season. Nonetheless, everybody should expect McVay to get more out of Patterson than any other team with his unique presence.

The post 3 free agent targets for the LA Rams appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

by Michael Obermuller

In 2020, Stefon Diggs led the NFL in receptions with 127 during his inaugural season in Buffalo. It was a legendary campaign for Bills’ new WR1, but he’s still more of a newcomer when it comes to this honor. The recent king of catches has been New Orleans Saints star Michael Thomas, and he’s the only player to actually top Diggs’ 2020 output.

It was a rough 2020 for MT, starting with a high ankle sprain in Week 1. Then, after an altercation on the practice field before his expected Week 5 return, Thomas was benched and fined for breaking team rules. Things got worse from there, as the wide-out did not end up returning until Week 9 (injury flare ups). After six games on the field, Thomas finished the year off it again, joining the injured reserve before Week 15.

“Can’t Guard Mike” was the receptions leader in both 2018 and ’19, and there’s no reason to believe that he cannot take back this title again in 2021. Here’s why.

1. Career Consistency

The New Orleans Saints WR1 caught 149 passes two seasons ago, totaling 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns through the air. The next closest pass-catcher was running back Christian McCaffrey, with 116 receptions. This was not just a career season by MT, it was a campaign that will go down in the NFL history books as one of the greatest of all-time. Thomas was never a one-hit wonder either. He also led the NFL in receptions in 2018 (125), and finished third in 2017 (104).

In fact, since his rookie season in 2016, MT has only caught less than 100 passes twice; 92 as a rookie (which is actually pretty ridiculous) and 40 during his injury-ruined 2020 campaign. This is one of the most consistent players in all of football. Not wide receivers, players. No wide-out has been as steady as Thomas in terms of receptions though, and that includes rivals like DeAndre Hopkins and Davante Adams. He is currently averaging 7.3 receptions per game throughout his career, with a 77.6 percent catch rate.

2. Stats Without Brees

One of the arguments against Thomas has always been that he plays with future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, but this is an unfair critique of MT’s game. Whenever Brees has missed time in recent years, his top wide receiver has performed just as impressively without him, if not more so.

The stats above are from three games with Teddy Bridgewater in 2019. Thomas averaged 8.3 catches per game during that span, which is actually higher than that 7.3 career average. Brees also went down in 2020, and MT produced yet again (and with lingering injuries and Taysom Hill at QB this time). During four games with Hill throwing the ball, Thomas caught 30 passes for 343 yards, which averaged out to 7.5 receptions per game.

Clearly, MT doesn’t care who’s throwing him the football, so why would it matter if Jameis Winston (or Hill again) is his quarterback in 2021? If anything, Winston is known as a gunslinger who actually led the NFL in passing yardage in 2019. The Saints may also play from behind more with Jameis or Taysom at QB, which generally means more passing attempts and wide receiver targets. Thomas will be just fine without Brees, after all his nickname is Can’t Guard Mike for a reason.

3. Sean Payton

NOLA general manager Mickey Loomis extended Thomas in 2019. The five year deal was worth a record-breaking $96 million-plus. That is an expensive weapon, and don’t think for a second that head coach Sean Payton won’t milk that weapon for every penny so long as he’s wearing a Saints jersey. We are talking about one of the most creative offensive minds the game has ever seen, with one of the best pure route runners of the NFL today.

Whichever route New Orleans goes at quarterback, Thomas will be a major part of it. Outside of 2020, MT has averaged 150.5 targets per season in Payton’s offense, and the HC has already proven he can win without Brees just like the wide-out has proven he can put up numbers without his former QB. This is not meant to disparage Brees, but instead credit a couple of the key influencers on his career. The Saints have also lost WR2 Emmanuel Sanders and TE Jared Cook in free agency, meaning Payton may have to rely on his WR1 more than usual this season.

Two things are for certain; the Saints offense will score in 2021, and Michael Thomas will catch many passes so long as he’s on the field. He may even reclaim his crown.

The post Michael Thomas Will Return to the Reception King in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.