Perhaps Jim Harbaugh was waiting for this week to make this move official after all. The Los Angeles Chargers brought in veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the same veteran wide receiver who has experience playing with half of the league, before they took on the Buffalo Bills.
Pitting their former player against the Bills might not guarantee them a sure-shot advantage, but they need all the help that they can get with a 0-2 start.
Chargers WR Room Update: Marquez Valdes-Scantling to Active Roster
The Chargers head coach decided to finally give their last month’s practice squad-signed veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling a chance, adding him to the active roster, per Schefter’s report. They desperately need all the veteran experience they can with the horrible condition their offense is in.
Ladd McConkey‘s doing fine with Justin Herbert. They’ve spent considerable time working on their chemistry, and it shows on the field. However, it has yet to translate into something successful.
McConkey hauled in 3 catches for 35 yards on just 3 targets in the Week 2 loss to the Raiders, playing through a painful rib issue that already has him banged up.
McConkey falling behind is one of the many reasons why it has been so easy for the other team’s defense to tilt the coverage entirely toward McConkey, snapping the balls right from his hands. Besides McConkey, the Bolts have Quentin Johnston and young target Tre’ Harris, who, again, are not working out.
Valdes-Scantling has all the resources and the experience to step in and potentially fix all these receiving corps woes at once. The reason is simply his familiarity with so many teams’ defenses.
The veteran has started games for Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Dropping Marquez Valdes-Scantling straight to the active roster right before a showdown vs. the Bills wasn’t just about finding a better WR—it’s a classic, low-key psychological chess move from Harbaugh.
It gives the Bolts the slight inside intel advantage, and as a starving 0-2 offense, they will take any little edge they get to pull off a win. They have a new, more experienced wide receiver, sure, but the real question is whether Justin Herbert can overcome his own problems this season and build a rapport good enough to get the Chargers a much-needed first win of this season.
While they just patched up their wide receiver depth, a massive headache is looming large over the rest of the offense with a severely depleted tight end room.
Chargers TE Updates: David Njoku on IR, Charlie Kolar Still Active
Jim Harbaugh rolled out the official announcement Wednesday that David Njoku is on Injury Reserve, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, meaning he will be out for at least a month. He injured his fibula and knee early in the second quarter, bad enough that he had to be carted off the field on Sunday.
But that wasn’t the only gut punch the Chargers suffered this Sunday. Their other proven tight end, Charlie Koler, who was also initially expected to be put on IR, had to undergo surgery for his injured forearm.
Luckily for Harbaugh, Koler dodged the IR and remains on the active roster. However, he still underwent surgery, meaning he could take a while before coming back in full force.
That left Harbaugh with just one tight end on their active roster, prompting an urgent signing of tight end Hayden Rucci from the Jaguars’ practice squad.
Chargers’ Marquez Valdes-Scantling Move Means Sneaky Edge Against Bills