The Chargers have reached a point in the season where Joe Hortiz and the front office need to make a decision and it has to be as soon…as the trade deadline is approaching. 

Should the Bolts start looking at ways to improve the roster, or would it make more sense to sell off players and focus on the future? 

They should be buyers, not to save this season necessarily, but to build for the future. Meaning both instances in that question could possibly be fulfilled. Sometimes, opportunities to acquire certain players only come once in a blue moon. So taking the chance and helping the future makes the most sense. 

Why Chargers should be trade deadline buyers

I understand why some fans might want to see this team sell at the deadline. When things aren’t going the way you expected, it’s easy to start thinking about draft picks and next season. Wanting to clean house is a natural reaction when a team is not doing the greatest. 

But I don’t think that’s where this organization should be looking right now. There is still too much talent on this roster to start treating the season like it’s already over. Even if it is, buying in on playmakers for next season could work out in their favor. 

At some point, the front office has to look at the roster and ask itself what can actually be done to make this team better. Maybe that means adding help along the offensive line. Maybe it’s finding another dependable target in the passing game. Depending on how the defense is playing, there could be an opportunity to bring in somebody who makes an immediate impact on that side of the ball, too.

Giving away valuable draft capital for a player who doesn’t solve an actual problem would be a mistake. But if a legitimate opportunity comes along, I don’t think the Chargers should be afraid to take it. There is also something to be said about the message a move like that sends to the locker room. Players want to know that the organization believes in what it’s building. Bringing in somebody who can help right away shows that the front office is still invested in competing instead of simply looking ahead to the offseason. 

Of course, buying at the deadline doesn’t guarantee anything. One trade isn’t going to magically fix every issue, and the team still has to prove it can put everything together on the field.