Sometimes, you have to shake things up in order to advance.
Take the San Diego Chargers, for instance. The Chargers aren't known as big players in free agency, nor are they a storied franchise with a rich history of Super Bowl trophies to show off. Since Philip Rivers took over, they've been pretty good but not great. That's not a knock; their consistency has been impressive and fans of the Washington Redskins or Cleveland Browns would trade placed with Chargers supporters in a heartbeat. But being pretty good isn't enough in the NFL. If the Chargers want to take the next step, Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders believes they should consider going after Ndamukong Suh in free agency.
"Back when the Chargers made annual appearances in the postseason, they had a dominant tackle in Jamal Williams," Kacsmar wrote. "He has never been truly replaced. While defensive coordinator John Pagano has primarily run a 3-4 defense, he could easily adapt to Suh's talents in a 4-3 scheme with Corey Liuget joining him along the interior. Liuget led a bland San Diego pass rush with 4.5 sacks last year. Suh has 36 sacks in his career, creating that rare pressure up the middle that can really bother quarterbacks.
"That's important in the AFC, as San Diego has to battle the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck just to reach a Super Bowl."
Signing Suh would be a ridiculously expensive endeavor, but it's not as if San Diego is cap strapped. The Chargers are expected to have around $25 million of financial wiggle room this offseason, according to Spotrac.com. Plus, San Diego could use a player of Suh's caliber. The team ranked just 29th in sacks last season with 26 and surrendered 124.1 rushing yards per game, the 26th worst mark in the league. They have the money and they have the need.
"Free agent Ndamukong Suh is a three-time All-Pro defensive tackle, and will only be 28 years old this season," Kacsmar wrote. "Maybe he never leaves Detroit, but any team in the range of contending for the Super Bowl has to consider a player of this caliber. Yes, he is known as a dirty player, but he has been pretty clean off the field - and impactful on the field. Detroit's run defense was ranked first in DVOA this season, and was one of the stingiest this century."
Suh is a game-changer. That doesn't mean that the Chargers are going to go out and uncharacteristically break the bank for him. But it is an interesting option to consider.
