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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Chargers WR Keenan Allen Cleared For OTAs

May 16th, 2017 at 6:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen has been cleared for organized team activities as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Allen, who suffered his knee injury during the first game of the 2016 season, is now ahead of schedule, but Los Angeles is still using a “cautious approach,” per Williams.Keenan Allen (Vertical)

“It was good to see [Allen] back,” head coach Anthony Lynn said. “He’s been released by the doctors, so he’s full go. We’re just working him in a little bit at a time.”

While Allen has been a force when on the field, he’s appeared in only nine games over the past two seasons due to injury. In 2015, Allen had already managed 67 receptions, 725 receiving yards, and four touchdowns in eight contests before going down with a lacerated kidney. Still only 25 years old, Allen is signed through the 2020 season after inking a four-year, $45MM extension last summer.

While the Chargers may not have another receiver of Allen’s caliber on the roster in the event that he is forced to miss time, Los Angeles has acquired an enviable amount of depth at the wideout position. The Chargers used the seventh overall pick on Clemson pass-catcher Mike Williams, who will team with Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, and Travis Benjamin as the Bolts’ wide receivers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/17

May 16th, 2017 at 5:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: DL B.J. Dubose

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Redskins

Chargers Moving Matt Slauson To G?

May 15th, 2017 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

After parting ways with Orlando Franklin with three years remaining on his deal, the Chargers are going to have a revamped offensive line in 2017. But they will be doing some rearranging on their own as well. Matt Slauson functioned at center for the 2016 Bolts, but the former Jets and Bears guard looks like he’s going to be moving back to his original position. The second-year Charger worked at left guard during the team’s voluntary minicamp last month, Dan Woike of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes. Franklin lined up at left guard the past two years for the Bolts. Slauson played center, and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 18 player there last season, but he was a left guard starter for his first five-plus seasons in the league. Slauson moved to center with the 2015 Bears due to a Hroniss Grasu injury. New Bolts HC Anthony Lynn was the Jets’ running backs coach throughout Slauson’s time with Gang Green.

Chargers Release G Orlando Franklin

May 15th, 2017 at 9:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have released offensive lineman Orlando Franklin, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). After drafting two guards, the Bolts apparently felt that Franklin was too pricey to keep. The Chargers will save $3MM against the cap by releasing Franklin, but they are still on the hook for $3.5MM in guaranteed cash."<strong

[RELATED: Chargers Sign S Tre Boston]

Franklin, 29, came to the Chargers as a free agent prior to the 2015 season. The veteran had three seasons to go on his five-year, $35.5MM pact but his release doesn’t come as a huge surprise after two lackluster seasons. In 2015, he missed six games due to injury. Last year, he appeared in every regular season contest, but he graded out as one of the seven worst qualified guards in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Chargers are now committing to a youth movement on the offensive line with draft picks Forrest Lamp (second round) and Dan Feeney (third round) set to take on prominent roles. Los Angeles is also expected to find a starting spot for offensive lineman Max Tuerk who missed his entire rookie season.

Chargers Sign S Tre Boston

May 12th, 2017 at 4:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Tre Boston has found a new home. The safety took to Twitter on Friday to announce that he is the newest member of the Chargers. The Bolts confirmed the move.Tre Boston (vertical)

[RELATED: Chargers Sign Forrest Lamp, Three Others]

Boston was released by the Panthers earlier this month and that came as a big surprise since the Panthers did not draft a safety last month. There could be more to the story, but if there were unknown factors that led to Boston’s pink slip, then they obviously didn’t bother the Chargers.

The Chargers took safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Desmond King in the middle rounds of last month’s draft, and they do have Dwight Lowery returning, but Lowery did not fare much better than Boston in 2016 in terms of Pro Football Focus’ metrics, and he turned 31 in January. Lowery was decidedly better in coverage than Boston, but PFF indicates that Boston made up for much of that with high marks in pass rushing situations.

The Steelers and Bills also had interest in Boston before he signed with Los Angeles.

Chargers Sign Forrest Lamp, Three Others

May 11th, 2017 at 6:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After locking up their top draft pick, first-round wide receiver Mike Williams, earlier Thursday, the Chargers went to work on signing a few other selections, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. The club inked four more rookies to deals, including second-round pick and former Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp. Here are the others:

Forrest Lamp (Vertical)

Lamp drew plenty of first-round buzz entering the draft, but the team that seemed to like him more than anyone else, Miami, cooled on him at the 11th hour. The Chargers ended up selecting Lamp 38th overall, and he could be an immediate factor – perhaps at right guard – on a line that Football Outsiders ranked among the NFL’s worst last season.

With Lamp, King, Tevi and Rochell now under contract, only two of the Chargers’ seven picks are without deals.

Chargers Sign Mike Williams

May 11th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Unlike last year, there won’t be a drawn-out contract dispute between the Chargers and their first-round pick. The club has signed wide receiver Mike Williams, the seventh overall selection, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Mike Williams

The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Williams thrived at Clemson, particularly during a 98-catch, 1,361-yard, 11-touchdown 2016 campaign that concluded with a national championship. He’s now in line to earn just under $20MM in guarantees on a four-year contract, including a signing bonus worth upward of $12.5MM, and join an impressive Bolts receiving corps that also includes Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin and Dontrelle Inman.

Ideally, the Chargers will get a full rookie season from Williams, which wasn’t the case with their first-rounder a year ago. The Chargers chose ex-Ohio State pass rusher Joey Bosa third overall in 2016, but he didn’t sign until late August because of an ugly contract battle. As a result, Bosa didn’t debut until October, though he still turned in an excellent rookie year with 10.5 sacks in 12 games.

10 Centers The Saints Could Pursue

May 8th, 2017 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints center Max Unger went under the knife to help fix an issue with his foot, and that surgery will cause him to miss the start of the season. With no exact timetable in place for his return, the Saints will likely consider out-of-house options to help fill the void.

With some help from PFR’s Dallas Robinson, here are centers that New Orleans could look into acquiring:

  • Nick Mangold (free agent): Mangold remains on the open market and he stands as the most obvious choice for the Saints to consider. The Saints would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a resume as impressive as Mangold’s and the seven-time Pro Bowler probably wouldn’t cost all that much at this stage of the offseason. At the same time, there’s a reason why he is still available here in May and word of clubs asking him to change positions isn’t exactly encouraging. "<strong
  • Jason Kelce (Eagles): Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com was quick to connect the dots on Monday morning after word of Unger’s injury broke. The Eagles reportedly have had Kelce on the trading block for some time now and the Saints would now be a logical landing spot for him. The Eagles beat writer suggests that a Kelce deal could see running back Mark Ingram going to Philly, but I personally have a hard time seeing that happen. If the Saints are unable to meet the Eagles’ asking price for Kelce, however, they might be able to swing a deal for another interesting option on their roster.
  • Stefen Wisniewski (Eagles): If the Eagles were to trade Kelce, Wisniewski or guard Isaac Seumalo would be the top candidates to step into the starting role. However, Wisniewski himself would make lots of sense as a stopgap for the Saints. Wisniewski was a starter for five straight years with the Raiders and Jaguars before landing with the Eagles as a reserve. In addition to that starting experience, he also offers experience at guard, so he could be used at multiple spots once Unger returns to action. Pro Football Focus ranked him 39th among 72 eligible guards last season with strong marks for his pass blocking skills.
  • Joe Hawley (Buccaneers): The Buccaneers are moving Ali Marpet to center and he could very well wind up as the starter. There’s also Evan Dietrich-Smith and guard/tackle Ken Pamphile to consider for the No. 1 job and that could make Hawley expendable. The 28-year-old (29 in October) has been the Bucs’ primary center for the last two years, but he could be on the outside looking in after camp concludes. This offseason, he re-signed with the team on a two-year, $5.5MM deal with just $1MM guaranteed. It’s an affordable deal that the Saints could easily wiggle out of next year, if need be. Alternatively, the Bucs may want to dangle Dietrich-Smith in New Orleans’ direction.
  • Tim Barnes (49ers): Barnes just showed up in San Francisco, but indications are that the Niners will use Jeremy Zuttah as their starting center in 2o17. Before getting cut this offseason, Barnes spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as the Rams’ starter. Another Niner, Daniel Kilgore, could have appeal for the Saints.
  • Cameron Erving (Browns): The Browns are planning to move Erving to right tackle now that J.C. Tretter is in town, but perhaps the Saints would be interested in seeing what he can do in the middle. Then again, he was shifted to right tackle last year after performing poorly in 12 games at center.
  • Matt Slauson (Chargers): Slauson isn’t guaranteed to start this year thanks to the presence of Max Tuerk, Forrest Lamp, and Dan Feeney. All three players are rookies (Tuerk didn’t play in 2016 thanks to his knee injury) but the team is high on each of them. In theory, Slauson could be shifted over to guard with Tuerk starting in the middle, but it’s also possible that Feeney starts at right guard over him. Slauson would be a valuable swing reserve for Los Angeles, but the Bolts might also be willing to trade him thanks to their glut of O-Line options.
  • Joe Berger (Vikings): Vikings coach Mike Zimmer sees third round rookie Pat Elflein as a center, and that could potentially make Berger expendable. Berger, 35 later this month, has started 68 games over the course of his career. He graded out as the 12th best guard in the entire NFL last season, according to PFF. He earned an even stronger overall score in 2015 when he primarily played in the middle. Berger still has plenty in the tank, so it would be harder to pry him away than some of the other names on this list.

Chargers See Williams As Legit Backup Option

May 7th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Chargers experienced major injury issues at running back last season. In addition to Melvin Gordon failing to finish a season for the second time in as many years, injuries shelved Danny Woodhead, Branden Oliver and Dexter McCluster. Woodhead and McCluster are no longer with the Bolts, and the team did not use a draft pick on a back. Part of this equation involves the Bolts’ belief Andre Williams can be a viable Gordon backup, Eric Williams of ESPN.com notes. After spending most of last season on the Chargers’ practice squad, the former Giants fourth-round pick rushed for 87 yards in the season finale against the Chiefs. Bolts coaches observed Andre Williams giving the defense fits in practice last season, per Eric Williams. Los Angeles did add former Eagles backup Kenjon Barner in free agency, and he joins Kenneth Farrow, Oliver and Williams as potential Gordon backups.

Tre Boston To Visit Three Teams

May 7th, 2017 at 8:37am CST by Rory Parks

Tre Boston, who was released by the Panthers last week, has free agent visits lined up with three clubs. The 24-year-old safety (25 in June) tweeted that he visited the Steelers several days ago and plans to meet with the Chargers and Bills shortly.

Tre Boston (vertical)

Boston appeared in 15 games (10 starts) for Carolina last season, and he was projected to return as the team’s starting free safety in 2017. As such, his release came as something of surprise, especially since the Panthers did not select a safety in this year’s draft.

Boston graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 46 safety last season, putting him in a three-way tie with Jairus Byrd and George Iloka. Boston’s coverage grades were not as strong as Byrd’s or Iloka’s, but he made up ground with a better showing in terms of pass rush. Boston’s 78.1 overall score stands as a career high, but he was on roughly the same plane in 2014 and 2015, his first two years in the league (though he started just five regular season games in 2014 and only one in 2015).

It therefore seems as if Boston could be a serviceable starter in the league, or, at the very least, quality depth. He would likely serve as a depth piece with the Steelers, who have Mike Mitchell and Sean Davis penciled in at the starting safety positions. The Chargers selected safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Desmond King in the middle rounds of last week’s draft, and they do have Dwight Lowery returning, but Lowery did not fare much better than Boston in 2016 in terms of Pro Football Focus’ metrics, and he turned 31 in January (though Lowery was decidedly better in coverage than Boston). Buffalo, meanwhile, signed Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer this offseason to revamp their safety tandem, but Boston could certainly compete with Poyer for the team’s starting free safety job.

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