The Chargers have signed 29-year old outside linebacker Travis LaBoy to a 2-year deal.  LaBoy played in 14 games for the 49ers last year and he had 28 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  LaBoy has now played in 81 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 164 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 28.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 8 passes defensed and he has 1 interception.  LaBoy should be able to help the Chargers on passing downs as he is a pretty good pass rusher.

The Chargers have signed 34-year old inside linebacker Takeo Spikes.  Spikes played in all 16 games for the 49ers last year and he had 109 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, 3 interceptions and he defensed 9 passes.  Spikes has now played in 187 games in his first 13 years in the NFL and he has 1,239 tackles, 41 tackles for a loss, 27.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries, 18 interceptions (3 returned for TDs) and he has defensed 65 passes.  Spikes will give the Chargers’ D more thump against the running game, as he proved last year that he still has plenty left in his gas tank.

The Chargers have signed 30-year old safety Bob Sanders.  Sanders played in 2 games for the Colts last season and he had 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 47 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 291 tackles, 15 passes defensed, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 6 interceptions.  Sanders was the A.P. Defensive Player of the Year back in 2007 for the Colts, which shows what he can do when he stays healthy……which isn’t too often.  I’m not a big fan of this signing because I think he’s going to get hurt again in 2011.

The Chargers have signed 31-year old linebacker Brandon Moore.  Moore last played in the NFL in 2007 with the 49ers.  Moore has now played in 88 games in his NFL career and he has 244 tackles, 9 passes defensed, 15 sacks, 1 interception and he has forced 5 fumbles.  The Chargers signed Moore to help them on special teams and to give them a little more depth at linebacker.

The Chargers have signed 27-year old safety Pat Watkins.  Watkins played in 13 games last season for the Cowboys in which he had 29 tackles.  In his first four years in the NFL, Watkins has played in 49 games in which he has 124 tackles, 10 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions.  The Chargers waived 29-year old WR Gary Banks to make room on the roster for Watkins.  Banks played in 2 games for the Chargers this year and he caught 1 pass for 2 yards. 

The Chargers have signed 31-year old WR Kelley Washington.  Washington played in 15 games for the Ravens last season and he caught 34 passes for 431 yards (12.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has now played in 69 games in his NFL career and he has caught 107 passes for 1,327 yards (12.4 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  The Chargers will likely put Washington to use right away due to all of the injuries they have suffered in the WR corps.

The Chargers have signed 33-year old kicker Kris Brown.  Brown played in 16 games for the Texans last season and he connected on only 21 of 32 field goals (65.6%) and 43 of 44 extra points good for 106 points.  He has now played in 176 games in his NFL career and he has made 252 of 326 field goals (77.3%) and 347 of 354 extra points good for 1,103 points.  Brown will be replacing Nate Kaeding who’s out indefinitely with a groin injury.  Kaeding has played in the first six games for the Chargers this year and he has made 7 of 9 field goals (77.8%) and 18 of 18 extra points good for 39 points.  The Chargers have also released 3rd string QB J.T. O’Sullivan to make room on the roster for Kris Brown.

The Chargers have signed 24-year old undrafted rookie long snapper Mike Windt.  Windt played his college ball at Cincinnati and he is a bigger guy for the job at 6’1″, 251 pounds.  Windt will be replacing Ethan Albright who played in 2 games with the Chargers this year and they didn’t go too well.

The Chargers have signed 39-year old long snapper Ethan Albright and 25-year old cornerback Dante Hughes.  Albright played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Redskins last season and he has played in 234 games (0 starts) in his NFL career.  Albright will take over as the long snapper due to Ryan Neill’s season ending injury that he suffered last week against the Seahawks.  Dante Hughes played in 1 game for the Chargers last season and he had 3 tackles.  Hughes has now played in 25 games in his 3 years in the NFL and he has 37 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Hopefully these two signings will spark improved play out of the special teams.

The Chargers have signed 34-year old long snapper/TE James Dearth.  Dearth played in 16 games for the Jets last year.  He has now played in 146 games in his NFL career and he has caught 3 passes for 10 yards (3.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Chargers have placed 38-year old long snapper David Binn on the Injured Reserve List after he injured his hamstring in the season opener against the Chiefs.  Binn has played in 256 games in 17 years with the Chargers.