The Chargers have released 35-year old QB Billy Volek.  Volek played in 2 games for the Chargers last year but he didn’t throw any passes.  Volek did rush for -5 yards on 5 carries (-1.0 ypc) for the Chargers last year.  Volek played in 15 games for the Chargers in his five years with the team and he completed 25 of 44 passes (56.8%) for 249 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (61.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 34 times for -29 yards (-0.8 ypc) with the Chargers.  Volek was a decent backup QB for the Chargers, but they didn’t need him much.  He should be able to find another job soon.

The Chargers have signed 25-year old WR Eddie Royal to a 3-year, $13.5 million dollar deal.  Royal played in 12 games for the Broncos last year in which he caught 19 passes for 155 yards (8.2 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also carried the ball 7 times for 48 yards (6.9 ypc).  Royal also returned 12 punts for 194 yards (16.2 avg) with 1 TD return and 3 kickoffs for 47 yards (15.7 avg).  Royal has now played in 57 games in his first four years in the NFL in which he has caught 206 passes for 2,107 yards (10.2 avg) with 9 TD grabs and he has carried the ball 25 times for 219 yards (8.8 ypc).  Royal also has returned 81 punts for 967 yards (11.9 avg) with 2 TD returns and 57 kickoffs for 1,375 yards (24.1 avg) with 1 TD return.  This was a good move for the Chargers as Royal will help them in the passing game and give them a spark on special teams.

The Chargers have signed 27-year old FB/RB Le’Ron McClain to a 3-year deal.  McClain played in 16 games for the Chiefs last year and he carried the ball 15 times for 51 yards (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 14 passes for 82 yards (5.9 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  McClain has now played in 79 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 329 times for 1,236 yards (3.8 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  McClain has also caught 84 passes for 535 yards (6.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far in his NFL career.  McClain is a solid fullback, who can also play tailback in a pinch as he is a good runner and receiver out of the backfield.  This is a perfect fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers have re-signed 25-year old OT Jared Gaither to a 4-year deal.  Gaither played in 5 games (all starts) for the Chargers last year.  He played in 15 games (5 starts) overall last year for the Chargers & Chiefs last year.  Gaither has now played in 48 games (33 starts) in his five years in the NFL.  It was a good move for the Chargers to bring back Gaither for 2012 and beyond as he looked pretty good for them last year.

The Chargers have re-signed 30-year old OLB Jarret Johnson to a 4-year deal.  Johnson played in all 16 games for the Ravens last year and he had 56 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 3 passes defensed.  Johnson has now played in 143 games in his first 9 years in the NFL and he has 382 tackles, 20 sacks, 35 tackles for a loss, 9 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 30 passes defensed and 3 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).  This was an excellent move for the Chargers as Johnson is one of the more underrated outside linebackers in the NFL.

The Chargers have re-signed 26-year old TE Kory Sperry to a 1-year deal.  Sperry played in all 16 games for the Chargers last year and he caught 1 pass for 32 yards.  Sperry has now played in 23 games in his first two years with the Chargers and he has caught 5 passes for 105 yards (21.0 avg).  Sperry is mostly a run blocker, but he also has a knack for getting down the field when he does go out for a pass.

The Chargers have signed 27-year old WR Robert Meachem to a 4-year, $25.9 million dollar deal ($14 million guaranteed).  Meachem played in all 16 games for the Saints last year and he caught 40 passes for 620 yards (15.5 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 18 yards (4.5 ypc) last year for the Saints.  Meachem has now played in 62 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has caught 141 passes for 2,269 yards (16.1 avg) with 23 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 15 times for 134 yards (8.9 ypc) with 1 TD run so far in his career.  The Chargers acted quickly to replace Vincent Jackson (who signed with the Bucs yesterday), but it will be interesting to see how Meachem does with a starting job in his hands as he was a backup with the Saints.

The Chargers have released 24-year old WR Bryan Walters and 24-year old inside linebacker Nate Triplett.  Walters played in 4 games as a rookie for the Chargers last year and he caught 3 passes for 27 yards.  He also returned 8 punts for 45 yards (5.6 avg) last year.  Triplett played in 3 games for the Colts last year and he didn’t have any tackles.  Triplett played in 8 games in his first two years in the NFL and he had 4 tackles.  The Chargers won’t miss either of these guys going forward.

The Chargers have waived 24-year old DE Everette Brown.  Brown played in 3 games for the Chargers last year and he had 2 tackles.  He has now played in 31 games in his three years in the NFL and he has 49 tackles, 6 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Brown didn’t show much for the Chargers last year, so they won’t miss him.

The Chargers have re-signed 30-year old center Nick Hardwick.  Hardwick played in 16 games (all starts) for the Chargers last year.  He has played in 103 games (all starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL.  This was a smart move for the Chargers as Hardwick is a rock solid center.  Nothing bothers Philip Rivers more than a pass rush coming up the middle of the field and it doesn’t happen often thanks to the play of Hardwick.