3 receivers Chargers need to add to solve their offensive problems

A feel-good season for the Los Angeles Chargers came to a nightmare end on Saturday afternoon, as DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans defense toyed with Justin Herbert in an ugly 32-12 Wild Card loss. L.A. laid quite the foundation in year one under Jim Harbaugh, and there's plenty to feel good about entering the offseason. But this was never supposed to a contending season, and now it's time to get back to work and take another step forward.

Item No. 1 on that list: Find Herbert some more help, both on the offensive line and, most crucially, in the passing game, where the QB simply didn't have enough viable targets to throw to outside of the always reliable Ladd McConkey. That was laid bare against Houston, as Herbert completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw more interceptions (four) than he did in the entire regular season (three). Herbert definitely bears some responsibility for that ugly stat line, but it's also inarguably true that this current group of pass catchers limits the offense's ceiling.

So, how can Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz fix that ahead of 2025? From free agency to the trade market to the 2025 NFL Draft, there are plenty of options to choose from.

4. Colston Loveland

OK, maybe this one's cheating. But while Loveland isn't technically a receiver, he could still be a dynamite weapon in the passing game for a Chargers team that didn't get enough from the duo of Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst at the tight end spot. Especially with Hurst set to hit free agency, L.A. needs to find a replacement, and what better place to look than Harbaugh's old stomping grounds in Ann Arbor?

Loveland's numbers at Michigan this season won't jump off the page, but the Wolverines' offense set football back decades; it's hardly his fault he had to catch passes from Davis Warren and Alex Orji, and he was still a very reliable target despite all the dysfunction around him. He's a smooth route runner who always has a knack for getting open, and he could quickly become Herbert's new best friend.

3. Luther Burden III

Of course, if the Chargers decide they'd rather address wide receiver with their first pick at No. 25, they should take a long look at Burden III, one of the most dynamic playmakers in the SEC over the past couple of seasons at Missouri. He's not the sort of prototypical X receiver you might dream about in the first round, but he's electric with the ball in his hands, whether over the middle or as a return man or even taking handoffs. He's a big play waiting to happen at any time, and that's the kind of juice this offense could really use.

2. DK Metcalf

There are other needs for this team in the draft, and it's not shaping up to be an all-time receiver class. If Hortiz opts to go in a different direction, he could still give Herbert a new top target via trade, where it sure seems like Metcalf is on the outs in Seattle as he enters the final year of his contract.

Given the growth of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Metcalf's inconsistencies, the Seahawks don't seem to be too eager to lock him up with another long-term deal. And if that's the case, they'll likely look to trade him in March rather than lose him for nothing in 2026. The 27-year-old caught 66 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, and while those were his worst numbers since 2021, he's still a physical freak with a ton of upside who would bring something to this Los Angeles receiver corps that it currently lacks.

1. Tee Higgins

Of course, all of the preceding names here are just a consolation prize. The real target is Higgins, easily the best free agent set to become available this offseason. The door isn't totally shut on a reunion with the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Chargers are flush with cap space, and you could hardly come up with a better way to use it than to splash Higgins with enough cash to convince him to come out west.

Higgins and Herbert would be a match made in heaven, a preeminent ball winner on the outside paired with one of the best arms in the entire league. He's also a perfect fit with McConkey, and would get to shine vertically in a way he was never really asked to in Cincy. If the Chargers pull this off, the sky is the limit in 2025.