27-year old WR Vincent Jackson is holding out right now and that could cripple the WR corps of the Chargers.  Jackson played in 15 games (all starts) for the Chargers last season and he caught 68 passes for 1,167 yards (17.2 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He made his first Pro Bowl in 2009.  Jackson has now played in 70 games (54 starts) in his five years in the NFL and he has caught 198 passes for 3,400 yards (17.2 avg) with 25 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 10 times for 96 yards (9.6 ypc) in his time with the Chargers.  He is a player the Chargers can’t replace.

28-year old Malcolm Floyd will likely be the new #1 starter for the Chargers this year.  Floyd played in 16 games (9 starts) for the Chargers last year and he caught 45 passes for 776 yards (17.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 51 games (14 starts) in his five years in the NFL and he has caught 97 passes for 1,597 yards (16.5 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Floyd has the potential to step up but he’s better as a #2 WR.

26-year old Legedu Naanee will likely start opposite of Floyd at WR this season.  Naanee played in 15 games (1 start) for the Chargers last season and he caught 24 passes for 242 yards (10.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has now played in 44 games (1 start) in his three years with the Chargers and he has caught 40 passes for 375 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Naanee does have solid potential so don’t be surprised if he steps up in 2010 for the Chargers.

30-year old Josh Reed will likely be the Chargers’ #3 WR in 2010.  He played in 14 games (4 starts) for the Buffalo Bills last year and he caught 27 passes for 291 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Reed has now played in 115 games (52 starts) in his 8 years in the NFL and 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 career to date.  He is a solid possession receiver but he lacks big time speed.

24-year old Craig “Buster” Davis could move up the depth chart if he gets off to a quick start in 2010.  Davis played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Chargers last season and he caught 6 passes for 52 yards (8.7 avg).  He has now played in 19 games (1 start) in his three years in the NFL and he has caught 30 passes for 299 yards (10.0 avg) with 1 TD grab. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS WRs in 2010:  With Jackson:  B+     Without Jackson:  C-

30-year old Antonio Gates has made six Pro Bowl in his 7 years with the Chargers.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Chargers last season and he caught 79 passes for 1,157 yards (14.6 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Gates has now played in 109 games (105 starts) in his career with the Chargers and he has caught 479 passes for 6,223 yards (13.0 avg) with 59 TD grabs.  Gates is the best pass catching TE in the NFL and I don’t see that changing in 2010.  In fact, if Vincent Jackson sits out the season (a distinct possibility) then look for Gates to catch around 100 passes in 2010.

28-year old Kris Wilson will be Gates’ backup in 2010.  Wilson played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season and he caught 4 passes for 28 yards (7.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 68 games (23 starts) in his 6 years in the NFL and he has caught 46 passes for 373 yards (8.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.

Rookie 7th round pick Dedrick Epps will be #3 in line at TE in 2010 if he makes the team.  He would give Philip Rivers another big target as he is 6’3″, 246 pounds.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS TEs in 2010:  A+

25-year old Jacob Hester and 25-year old Mike Tolbert give the Chargers one of the best tandems at fullback in the entire NFL.  Hester played in 15 games (10 starts) for the Chargers last season and he carried the ball 21 times for 74 yards (3.5 ypc).  He also caught 9 passes for 24 yards (2.7 avg) last season.  Hester has now played in 31 games (13 starts) in his two years with the Chargers and he carried the ball 40 times for 169 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  He has also caught 21 passes for 115 yards (5.5 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career.

Mike Tolbert is like a big tailback as he really has a lot of talent as a runner and a receiver.  Tolbert played in 16 games (3 starts) for the Chargers last season in which he carried the ball 25 times for 148 yards (5.9 ypc) with 1 TD carry and he also caught 17 passes for 192 yards (11.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Tolbert has now played in 29 games (10 starts) in his two years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 38 times for 185 yards (4.9 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  He has also caught 30 passes for 363 yards (12.1 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his career.  Look for Tolbert to get more carries and catch more passes in 2010 for the Chargers.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CHARGERS FBs in 2010:  A

The NFL has suspended 26-year old WR Vincent Jackson for the first three games of the 2010 NFL season for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.  He is getting punished for having 2 DUI Convictions in his NFL career.  Jackson made the Pro Bowl for the Chargers last season for the first time.  He played in 15 games (all starts) for the Chargers last season in which he caught 68 passes for 1,167 yards (17.2 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Jackson is currently holding out for a bigger contract from the Chargers but his suspension likely won’t help his cause.