Los Angeles Chargers

5 Los Angeles Chargers who could have larger roles in 2017

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:41 p.m. ET

Fansided, Travis Wakeman/FanSided via Bolt Beat

The Los Angeles Chargers had a rough 2016 campaign, but the team has plenty of hope for the future.

A new head coach and a new city should help shape the future of the organization for years to come. Plus, it won’t hurt matters to have Philip Rivers back as the team’s quarterback.

In today’s NFL, roster turnover is high. That’s the way the NFL wants it. The New England Patriots —despite all of the success that has come the way of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady—just won the Super Bowl with 30 players that had never played in a Super Bowl. And the team just won one two years prior!

With that said, the Chargers will likely have a new look next season as well once free agency and the NFL draft commences. But here, I am going to take a look at five players who are already on the roster that could have a bigger impact next season.

Each of the players listed had virtually no role or a minimal role on the team last season. But could they be ready to be a bigger part of the team’s future? You be the judge.

Jun 14, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end Jeff Cumberland (85) smiles as he talks with quarterback Philip Rivers (17) as tight end Hunter Henry (left) looks on during minicamp at Charger Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Cumberland, Tight End

Jeff Cumberland was signed as a free agent prior to the start of the 2016 season after spending the previous six seasons with the New York Jets.

The Chargers had Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry and that will still be the case in 2017, but Cumberland was signed for a reason and the team would ave had him on the field in certain sets last year if he wasn’t lost for the season with an injury.

The Chargers could decide to have Gates an Henry together on the field on multiple occasions next year, but adding Cumberland to the mix would give the team a new wrinkle in its two tight-end sets.

Cumberland has good blocking skills but he can catch passes as well, which will force defenses to stay honest. A third tight end never emerged for the team in 2016, but Cumberland could certainly change that next year.

Jun 14, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers center Max Tuerk (62) looks on during minicamp at Charger Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Max Tuerk, Center

Max Tuerk was the No. 66 overall selection of the Chargers last year in the third round of the draft.

Center was one of the team’s biggest needs going into the draft and Tuerk was a logical pick at the spot where the Chargers got him. However, free-agent signing Matt Slauson played the center position instead and he played it very well.

Slauson is capable of playing other spots on the offensive line, so if the Chargers were to bench an under-performer such as Orlando Franklin or D.J. Fluker and move Slauson to their guard spot, Tuerk could move into the starting lineup at center.

Tuerk, who played at Southern California, will also be returning to Los Angeles to play his home games this year.

Oct 30, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; San Diego Chargers strong safety Dexter McCoil (23) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Dexter McCoil, Safety

Dexter McCoil came to the Chargers last season straight from the Canadian Football League, where he actually helped the Edmonton Eskimos win the Grey Cup in 2015. Still, he faced long odds to make the Chargers’ final 53-man roster.

Not only did he do that, many analysts felt he made the team easily. He put together a decent 2016 season, recording 25 tackles and an interception while seeing limited snaps.

The safety position may be the most uncertain position on the team in Los Angeles, as Jahleel Addae is set to become a free agent and Dwight Lowery is far from a shoe-in to be a starter in 2017. That leaves the door open for someone to step through, and while the Chargers may turn to free agency or the NFL draft to find a solution, a guy like McCoil will certainly get his chance to turn some more heads.

Caraun Reid, Defensive End

Another player who had their season cut short due to injury, Caraun Reid was well on his way to earning more snaps with the defense last season.

Reid was picked up off waivers after the Detroit Lions cut him prior to the start of the season. He played in seven games for the team, registering one sack while also returning a fumble for a 61-yard touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Chargers have Joey Bosa, Corey Liuget and Brandon Mebane entrenched as starters on the defensive line, but Reid should get an extended look next summer as a guy who could come in and spell one of those players from time to time to bring extra energy to the defense while putting pressure on the quarterback.

Andre Williams, Running Back

I realize I may be reaching for straws with this one, but I still like what Andre Williams can potentially bring to the team.

Williams was released by the New York Giants prior to the start of last season, and the Chargers signed him on waivers. He spent nearly the entire season on the practice squad before being called up to the main roster prior to the season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs after the team experienced a myriad of injuries at running back.

In that game, he carried the ball 18 times for 87 yards.

The Chargers have Melvin Gordon as their lead back for the foreseeable future, but there’s not much behind him. Danny Woodhead is set to become an unrestricted free agent, leaving Williams, Branden Oliver, Kenneth Farrow and Ronnie Hillman as the only other running backs on the roster.

Oliver will be returning from a torn ACL and both Farrow and Hillman had a chance to make an impression last season and both players were largely ineffective.

Is Williams the answer to back up Gordon? Perhaps not, but he has as good a chance as any of those other players.