A few weeks ago the Chargers decided against trading for players who might’ve helped Justin Herbert in the season’s second half.
When Chargers coach Brandon Staley was asked about his employer’s decision not to add talent before the deadline, he noted the front office obtained several veterans this past offseason. He said several injured players should return this year, boosting a stretch drive. So last March, when the Chargers obtained veteran end Khalil Mack by sending the Bears their 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick, they’d ventured outside their comfort zone.
That’s because the Chargers don’t work the NFL system nearly as well a handful of teams that routinely add “compensatory” draft picks, enabling in-season trades and expanding other options in pursuit of talent.