The Chargers have signed 28-year old cornerback Nathan Vasher to a 2-year, $4.5 million dollar deal.  Vasher played in 15 games for the Bears last season in which he made 15 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he had 1 interception.  He has now played in 73 games in his NFL career in which he made 164 tackles, defensed 44 passes, has 1 sack, forced 1 fumble and he has 19 interceptions (2 returned for TDs).  It looks as if the Chargers are going to consider starting Vasher based on how much they paid him and that could be a mistake.

The Chargers have traded 27-year old QB Charlie Whitehurst and their second round pick  in the 2010 NFL Draft for the Seahawks’ 2nd round pick in 2010 and a third round pick in 2011.  Whitehurst played in 2 games in his career with the Chargers in which he didn’t attempt any passes.  He did carry the ball 2 times for 13 yards (6.5 ypc) with a TD grab for the Chargers.  Whitehurst was the #3 QB for the Chargers so maybe the GM can take off his ski mask.  The Chargers will move up 20 picks in the second round this year in the exchange of picks.

The Chargers have signed 29-year old cornerback Donald Strickland to a 2-year deal.  Strickland played in 9 games for the Chargers last season in which he made 26 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he had 2 sacks, forced 1 fumble and he defensed 2 passes.  Strickland has now played in 58 games in his NFL career in which he has made 188 tackles, defensed 18 passes, forced 4 fumbles, intercepted 2 passes and he has 2 sacks.  Strickland projects to be a nickel or dime back and special teams player but don’t be surprised if he wins a starting job in 2010.

The Chargers have claimed 25-year old running back Marcus Mason off waivers from the Redskins.  Mason played in 10 games for the Redskins last season in which he carried the ball 32 times for 127 yards (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 58 yards (9.7 avg).  Mason has been a pre-season wonder the last few years before the Redskins gave him his first shot in games that count.  This is a perfect landing spot for Mason as the Chargers need a lot of help in the running game for 2010.

The Chargers have traded 25-year old CB Antonio Cromartie to the Jets for a conditional third round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft that could improve to a 2nd rounder based on Cromartie’s P.T. and the Jets’ team performance.  Cromartie played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he made 33 tackles, had 3 interceptions and he defensed 10 passes.  Cromartie also returned 3 kickoffs for 41 yards (13.7 avg) for the Chargers last season.  Cromartie played 4 years for the Chargers appearing in all 64 games in which he made 165 tackles, defensed 41 passes and he had 15 interceptions (2 TD returns).  He also returned 19 kickoffs for 442 yards (23.3 avg) with the Chargers.  Cromartie’s play has declined the last couple of years but he still has a nice upside.