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The Chargers have signed 26-year old cornerback Fred Bennett. Bennett played in 10 games (3 starts) with the Texans last year and he had 18 tackles and 1 pass defensed. He has now played in 40 games (17 starts) in three years with the Texans in which he had 123 tackles, 21 passes defensed, 5 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles. This was a good depth signing for the Chargers in the secondary and on special teams.
The Chargers have signed 27-year old OG Cameron Stephenson. He is 6′3″, 326 pounds so he has nice size for the Pros but he has yet to get into a NFL game in his career. He has bounced around from Pittsburgh to Jacksonville but no team has liked him enough to stick him on the field. This was a depth signing and little more for the Chargers.
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.