The Chargers entered the draft with many expecting that they were going to select a left tackle.
Seven rounds went by and they came away empty-handed.
The decision to not pick a single offensive lineman left fans scratching their heads, wondering why Los Angeles elected to not address a positional group that has questions surrounding it.
After the draft, general manager Tom Telesco said that they like their in-house options as the reason why they didn’t select one. But he didn’t comment on whether or not the team will look to the free agency pool.
One intriguing option that has been connected to the Bolts for awhile is Jason Peters. Peters, who was released by the Eagles in February, remains a free agent.
Recently, Peters has talked to teams in recent weeks and threw the idea of being a starter while mentoring a young guy like he did with Philadelphia and Andre Dillard last season, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.
If that’s the case, that could entice the Chargers, who have former third-round pick Trey Pipkins slated to start. Even though Pipkins has some experience in the starting role, he could benefit from another year to develop and learn from one of the best left tackles before taking over.
Over the past three seasons, Peters has been the model of production. Since 2017, he has an 82.6 grade per Pro Football Focus, which is 12th among offensive tackles, where he has played 2,163 regular season snaps along the way.
Even at 38 years of age, Peters only allowed 21 pressures on 562 pass-blocking attempts last season. He had the fourth-highest grade in pass blocking and 17th-highest grade in the run blocking department, per PFF.
Durability concerns loom as he has dealt with numerous injuries in recent seasons. However, he has still started 29 of a possible 32 games the past two years, managing to still play at a fairly high level over that span.
The Chargers, who are one of the teams who have the most salary cap space available ($22 million), could benefit immensely from a borderline elite left tackle at the cost of very little without much long-term guaranteed money.
With the roster that Los Angeles has in place, adding Peters to a line that will now feature guard Trai Turner and tackle Bryan Bulaga, could put them in contention to make a deep run this upcoming season.
