Chargers: Five free agents of interest to pursue this offseason

Sheldon Richardson:

Of all the team’s weaknesses last season, run defense was by far the most apparent. This problem arose because of the team’s lack of athleticism at linebacker, and because of the lack of a run stuffing presence on the interior of the defensive line.

Adding defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson would improve the latter. Richardson is coming off of a bounce-back season with the Seattle Seahawks that saw him thrive as a 4-3 defensive tackle, as he previously played 3-4 defensive end for the most part.

Because of this, it only makes sense that he would be a perfect fit in Gus Bradley’s defense, which is the same system he played in during his tenure in Seattle.

Adding Sheldon Richardson to the defensive line that already possesses the best pass rushing duo in the league would ensure that the Chargers possess the best defensive line in the NFL next season, and It probably wouldn’t even be close.

Richardson would go a long way to help their run defense woes, but he is also a top-tier pass rusher on the inside. The team would effectively be improving the best aspect of their team, something many teams do that end up being among the league’s elite (e.g., the Eagle’s improving their already stacked line last season by adding Bennie Logan and Derek Barnett.)