Per The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, the Chargers are amongst a group of teams that registered preliminary interest in veteran free agent slot receiver Tyler Boyd:
From what I have been told, Boyd was extremely interested in Pittsburgh at the beginning of the free-agency process, but the offer wasn’t something he was comfortable with. Boyd has at least had preliminary interest from the Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, Lions and 49ers.
The Chargers have been a team pegged to potentially get help in the free agent market since trading Keenan Allen to the Bears last month. Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh mentioned free agency in addition to the draft when discussing the wide receiver position.
Boyd will enter his ninth NFL season in 2024. It could be his first year with a team other than the Bengals. In his career, he has accumulated 719 catches for 6000 yards and 31 touchdowns.
In recent seasons, Boyd’s production has dipped, with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins taking up significant roles. Last year, a season-ending injury to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also profoundly affected all offensive production.
Generally, Boyd is still a relatively reliable slot presence after he rushed for over 600 yards and two touchdowns last season. However, Boyd has seen some target metrics, like yards per route run (1.15 in 2023) and yards per reception (10.0 in 2023), dip to career lows.
If the Chargers entertain any free agent WR signings at this point, I’d expect them to likely come after the draft. They will probably want to see where they stand after day three of the draft with a wide receiver class, of which Hortiz has noted the depth. Also, post-draft free-agent signings won’t factor into the Bolts’ comp pick formula. Currently, LA is slated to get three Day 3 selections in 2025.
