Los Angeles Chargers have great insurance policy for potential bust candidate

Travis Wakeman

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Los Angeles Chargers have great insurance policy for potential bust candidate image

The Los Angeles Chargers have had to completely make over a couple of positions ahead of the 2024 NFL season. One of those is at tight end. 

That is to be expected as Jim Harbaugh has come aboard as the team's head coach and will employ a much different offensive style than what we have seen the last few seasons. That is part of the reason why the team moved on from Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler. 

At tight, Gerald Everett left via free agency. Shortly into the free-agent signing period, the team came to terms on a deal with Will Dissly. It is obvious why the Chargers signed Dissly and even though David Kenyon of Bleacher Report notes that in his most recent piece, he still calls Dissly a bust candidate. 

The Chargers have what they need at tight end

Dissly is going to come in and do what he does best — block. He was not signed to stretch the field in the passing game. He is there to enhance the rushing attack. 

But the Chargers didn't just sign one tight end this offseason, they signed two. After signing Dissly on March 13, they came to terms on a deal with Hayden Hurst just two days later. 

 

Hurst is not a tight end who is going to strike fear in opponents or be a name that jumps out for fans looking at the roster, but in the right setting, he can be sneaky good. 

Last year in Carolina, he caught only 18 passes for 184 yards, but he played with a rookie quarterback who was learning the ropes. He also played in only nine games. But the season prior, he caught 52 passes for 414 yards while playing with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. 

He can absolutely duplicate that kind of season catching passes from Justin Herbert in 2024 and that could give the Chargers a great combination at the tight end position. 

 

Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.