Three Chargers players I hope I’m wrong about

Derek Watt

When the Chargers drafted Watt in April, I was not thrilled. There were two primary reasons for this. 1) I’m not a big believer in the value of spending a draft pick on a fullback. 2) What little I had seen of Watt in college, I found incredibly unimpressive. He never seemed to finish his blocks and he brought little to no value as a runner or receiver. Fast forward to training camp and he looked exactly like the player I remembered watching. He wasn’t driving defenders out of the hole, he was, at best, getting in their way. Guys that he “blocked” regularly still tackled the running back.

Now, some players look great or terrible in training camp/preseason and then a switch flips in the regular season and they look like a different person. I badly want to see that happen for Derek Watt. I have no confidence that it will, but boy would I love to be wrong about him.

Jahleel Addae

Now entering his fourth professional season, Addae is more likely than not the player he is going to be. His brand, such that it is, suggests that he’s a big hitter, but mostly he’s a guy that plays in a manner that is going to get himself hurt and he never wraps up the ballcarrier so they frequently bounce off him and keep picking up yards. He’s also a liability in coverage that has never intercepted a pass in a regular season football game.

The team seems to like him, though, and he has progressed from where he started. Perhaps he can take a step forward this year. I’m not holding my breath, but dare to dream.

Dwight Lowery

Veteran journeyman Lowery has been in the NFL since 2008 and the Chargers are his fifth professional team. He is an unremarkable safety that you really only notice when he’s laying a big hit. Unfortunately, those hits are usually only needing to be made because he was late in getting to where he was needed and the receiver has already secured a catch. Players change teams for a variety of reasons, but if you’re good enough, one normally makes an effort to keep you around. Lowery never has been and likely never will be “good enough.”

Maybe this is the year that he proves everyone wrong and he becomes a meaningful part of a dominant defense. And maybe I’ll win the lottery. Seems unlikely, but wouldn’t it be grand if I was wrong?