The Chargers have released 23-year old safety Kevin Ellison and 28-year old DT Ian Scott.  Ellison played in 13 games as a rookie last season for the Chargers in which he had 52 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and he defensed 3 passes.  Ellison’s off season arrest for drug possession likely led to his release.  Scott played in 12 games for the Chargers last season and he had 16 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and he defensed 2 passes.  Despite the youth of these two players the Chargers likely won’t miss them too much.

Gone is LaDainian Tomlinson and in his place will be rookie 1st round pick Ryan Mathews.  Mathews is a power back at 5’11″, 220 pounds out of Fresno State and the Chargers will likely give him a heavy workload right off the bat as his backup (Darren Sproles) is too small to take a pounding.  Plus he’s too valuable on special teams for the Chargers to also give him a heavy workload in the running game.  The Chargers’ running game will depend solely on Mathews this season as they really have no backup plan.

26-year old Darren Sproles is a electric player but he’s too small to take the pounding that an every down back must take.  Sproles played in all 16 games (2 starts) for the Chargers last season and he carried the ball 93 times for 343 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Sproles also caught 45 passes for 497 yards (11.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs last year.  That wasn’t it for Sproles either as he returned 26 punts for 183 yards (7.0 avg) with 1 TD return and he also returned 54 kickoffs for 1,300 yards (24.1 avg) last season.  Sproles has played in 62 games (2 starts) in his career with the Chargers in which he has carried the ball 199 times for 887 yards (4.5 ypc) with 6 TD runs and he has also caught 87 passes for 880 yards (10.1 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Sproles also has returned 90 punts for 769 yards (8.5 avg) with 2 TD returns and he has returned 207 kickoffs for 5,212 yards (25.2 avg) with 2 TD returns.  Look for Sproles to continue to be a dynamic playmaker as long as his workload is watched pretty closely.

25-year old Marcus Mason got his first taste of the NFL last season with the Redskins.  He played in 10 games (0 starts) for them in which he carried the ball 32 times for 127 yards (4.0 ypc).  Mason also caught 6 passes for 58 yards (9.7 avg) last year.  Look for Mason to be a solid #3 RB for the Chargers in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS RBs in 2010:  B-

The Chargers have signed 30-year old WR Josh Reed.  Reed played in 14 games for the Bills last year and he caught 27 passes for 291 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 115 games in his 8 years in the NFL in which he has caught 311 passes for 3,575 yards (11.5 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 57 yards (4.1 ypc) in his NFL career.  Reed is a good possession receiver but he’s no more than a solid #3 or #4 WR so he is not a realistic replacement if Vincent Jackson continues to hold out.

The Chargers have signed 35-year old OT Tra Thomas to a 1-year deal.  Thomas is a huge man at 6’7″, 316 pounds and he might just have something left in the gas tank.  He played in 8 games (3 starts) for the Jaguars last season.  Thomas has now played in 174 games (168 starts) in his 12 years in the NFL.  He was signed to provide the Chargers insurance in case Marcus McNeil’s holdout spills into the regular season.

UPDATE:  (8/24/2010) – Tra Thomas has decided to retire from the NFL.

The Chargers have signed 30-year old tight end Randy McMichael to a 1-year deal.  McMichael played in all 16 games for the Rams last year and he caught 34 passes for 332 yards (9.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 116 games in his NFL career and he has caught 367 passes for 3,996 yards (10.9 avg) with 22 TD grabs.  This was a outstanding pickup for the Chargers as McMichael will give Philip Rivers another big target to throw to in 2010.

28-year old Philip Rivers just continues to get better for the San Diego Chargers.  He played in all 16 games for the Chargers last year and he completed 317 of 486 passes (65.2%) for 4,254 yards with 28 TD passes and 9 INTs (104.4 QB Rating).  Rivers also carried the ball 26 times for 50 yards (1.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Rivers has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,207 of 1,914 passes (63.1%) for 14,951 yards with 106 TD passes and 45 INTs (95.8 QB Rating).  Rivers also has carried the ball 139 times for 210 yards (1.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Rivers has a 46-18 (71.9%) record as the Chargers’ starting QB which is downright outstanding.  He is one of the smartest QBs in the NFL as he has excellent touch on the long ball.  His quick release reminds me a lot of Dan Marino’s.  Look for him to be in the Pro Bowl this year and maybe the Super Bowl if he can overcome having Norv Turner as his head coach.

34-year old Billy Volek is one of the better backup QBs in the NFL.  He played in 4 games for the Chargers last season and he completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 231 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (84.2 QB Rating).  Volek also carried the ball 9 times for -9 yards (-1.0 ypc) last season.  Volek has now played in 34 games in his NFL career and he has completed 336 of 560 passes (60%) for 3,746 yards with 27 TD passes and 15 INTs (84.9 QB Rating).  Volek has also carried the ball 46 times for 38 yards (0.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Volek has a career record of a starting QB in the NFL of 3-7 (30%).

22-year old Jonathan Crompton will get to learn from Philip Rivers and Billy Volek while holding a clipboard.  He was the Chargers’ 5th round pick in April’s NFL Draft.  He has a nice little upside but a lot to learn before he’s ready to step under center in a real NFL game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS QBs in 2010:  A