The Los Angeles Chargers are going to be without star wide receiver Mike Williams after he went down with a knee injury during Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Los Angeles’ official website confirmed on Monday that Williams suffered a torn ACL in the game and will be out for the remainder of the season.
Williams injured his knee late in the third quarter after catching a pass from Justin Herbert. An MRI on Monday confirmed the diagnosis.
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This is a massive blow for the Chargers. Williams had recorded 19 receptions for 249 yards while boasting a 73.1% catch rate before going down to injury. From 2018-22 with the Chargers, the former first-round pick averaged nearly 900 receiving yards and six touchdowns per season.
By definition, Williams has acted the part of Los Angeles’ WR2 behind Pro Bowler Keenan Allen throughout the vast majority of his career. At 1-2 on the season, the Chargers are now in desperation mode as it relates to finding a replacement. It could come internally or externally. Below, we look at three options.
Quentin Johnston steps into bigger role for the Los Angeles Chargers
A first-round pick out of TCU this past spring, Johnson has played sparingly this season (five receptions, 26 yards). In fact, the big-bodied 6-foot-4 pass-catcher has seen action on 48 total snaps through three games.
There were reports during training camp and the preseason that the youngster was struggling to find his way up the depth chart. Now with Mike Williams’ injury, it might be a necessity for the Chargers to throw him into the fire. Wheather Johnston can step up and perform in a more premium role remains to be seen.
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There aren’t really any top-end options available on the NFL free agent market. Los Angeles could look to move Allen outside from his slot position and add someone like Jarvis Landry to the mix. But it makes more sense to go after a natural boundary receiver.
Prior to struggling in two seasons with the New York Giants (43 receptions, 602 yards) after signing a lucrative contract, Golladay was a solid threat for the Detroit Lions. From 2018-19, he tallied 135 receptions for 2,253 yards and 16 touchdowns. Buying low on the veteran to see if he can revert back to that form would make sense for Los Angeles.
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Los Angeles Chargers look to pull off blockbuster trade
We already know that Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is firmly in the hot seat. He might have saved his job with Sunday’s win over the Vikings, but instant contention has to be the name of the game moving forward.
General manager Tom Telesco could also find himself on the hot seat should the Chargers go through another late-season meltdown. The short of it is obvious. Los Angeles’ power duo is feeling pressure from the top right now. This could lead to a desperation move.
The likes of Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals), Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills) and Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders) have been bandied about to a certain extent on the NFL trade block. None of the three are likely to be moved. Perhaps, someone like Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could make sense. Expect the Chargers to kick the tires on all possibilities leading up to the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.