The San Diego Chargers have been relatively quiet this offseason since firing head coach Norv Turner and general manager AJ Smith, but they could make a move towards free agent Eric Winston after releasing left tackle Jared Gaither.
According to ESPN.com, Gaither was released by the team on Wednesday in a move that shows how much the Chargers wanted to move on, as the team will incur a $6 million salary cap hit in 2013. Gaither spent most of the 2012 season on injured reserve and was expected to help give some consistency to the San Diego offensive line.
Gaither signed a four-year, $24.5 million contract last year after being signed off waivers to replace injured tackle Marcus McNeill and he performed very well for the team at the end of the season. All the good will he made was wasted later on though, as head coach Norv Turner was disappointed with Gaither when he was forced to go on injured reserve.
"It is what it is. There's not a really a lot left to be said about it," he said.
Gaither ended up playing in just four games in 2012 after dealing with back and groin injuries and now will have to find a new home. Last season Gaither made $9 million, but the team felt it was worth it to take a $6 million cap hit rather than have him on the roster.
The Chargers have a few options at the position after releasing Gaither, although they missed out on some of the bigger free agent names like Jake Long, who signed with the St. Louis Rams. The team could go after Eric Winston, who was cut by the Chiefs, but he is a more natural right tackle.
Winston has been a target for the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, but the latter team already re-signed Sebastian Vollmer, meaning they likely are out of the running. Winston has proven to be a capable veteran on the line and could give the Chargers a boost after ranking 18th in passing defense last season.
The Chargers have had issues keeping quarterback Philip Rivers upright for the past two seasons, as he has thrown 35 interceptions in that span. The team went just 7-9 last season and missed the playoffs, forcing ownership to dismiss Turner and Smith. New head coach Mike McCoy has experience working with the line and will make it a priority to improve next season.
Oklahoma's Lane Johnson could be a target in the draft for the Chargers, as could Eric Fisher or Luke Joeckel, who is expected to be the number one overall pick in the draft. The Chargers could make a big move to try and trade up for the first pick, as the Chiefs might be willing to part with it since they could get some draft picks back after the Alex Smith trade and they may be trading left tackle Branden Albert.