The Los Angeles Chargers season is no longer hanging by a thread; it’s a lost cause. The Chargers are 0-5 and have scored more than 17 points just once this season. The Chargers have to start thinking about resetting the clock and offloading some players that can yield some draft capital in return. One of those players on this list, Justin Herbert, is a longshot but also justified. Here’s who else the Chargers should be considering trading ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
QB Justin Herbert
Potential landing spots: Jets, Eagles, Falcons
Hear me out. The Los Angeles Chargers shouldn’t want to trade Justin Herbert. The nature of this season, however, means nobody can be considered safe on this team. The Chargers are winless through the first five weeks and have to start thinking about how to move forward. Herbert, though he’s struggling, can still yield a decent return in a trade. The 2027 NFL Draft class is loaded with quarterback talent; the Chargers could land one and build a better team around one.
Herbert has seemingly hit his ceiling in Los Angeles, making four playoff appearances and winning zero. What more do they need to see from him amid a slow start? Philadelphia, the New York Jets and Atlanta all have reason to be in the quarterback market. The Jets could use a long term upgrade at quarterback, while the Eagles would have reason to trade Hurts to Los Angeles for a reset.
This is an interesting situation and I don’t think the Chargers will trade Herbert. That said, everything has to be on the table with how poorly the Chargers look right now.
EDGE Khalil Mack
Potential landing spots: Cowboys, Rams, Bears
Khalil Mack, though at the end of his career, can be a great depth pass rusher for a team that needs help in generating pressure. Right now, he’s being wasted in Los Angeles with them no longer looking like contenders. Several teams should be interested in landing him, including the Dallas Cowboys, LA Rams and the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys need help in the secondary first and foremost, but you can’t deny that this defensive line just hasn’t been as good as they’ve needed them to play.
As for the Rams, it would make sense because Myles Garrett is still on IR and hasn’t been designated for return yet. Adding Mack adds depth for a team that could use it, especially after trading Jared Verse as part of the Garrett deal. Without Garrett and Aaron Donald, this Rams defense could use as much help as possible. That’s not to say they have to make a move, but it wouldn’t hurt. When it comes to the Bears, they have been able to skate by with the current state of their defensive line, but as the season progresses, they can’t get away with a mediocre pass rush.
Bringing back Mack would make sense, as it would give them depth and a proven pass rusher to at least offset some of the struggles in the pass rush.
EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu
Potential landing spots: Browns, Packers, Jaguars
While Mack may be an aging pass rusher that gives a team depth, Tui Tuipulotu is a young one that could yield a good return and give a team some stable pass rush help. One of the first teams that comes to mind is the Cleveland Browns. The interior of their defensive line has been doing a really good job of generating pass pressure and even down a few of their top players; they still wreaked havoc against the Jets. The biggest problem right now is that Verse isn’t playing particularly well and adding a player to create pressure off the edge isn’t a bad idea for them.
The Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars are on this list because they too could find some value in adding a young pass rusher to be a cornerstone within the defense. Green Bay is still waiting on Micah Parsons to get back healthy and Jacksonville just isn’t getting the production from Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen that you’d expect. Tuipulotu already has two forced fumbles and two sacks this season. What team wouldn’t want to add that type of early season production?
Add us as a preferred source on Google