Should the Los Angeles Chargers Sign Mike Tolbert?

Hey, look who is a free agent!

Each one of us probably knows at least one Los Angeles Chargers fan that loves Mike Tolbert irrationally and wants to bring him back even though the Carolina Panthers just cut him for not being very good.

However, the question wasn’t whether or not we want the Chargers to sign Mike Tolbert. The question is....should they?

My take

PFF rated Mike Tolbert 16th out of 17 graded Full Backs in 2016. He was the 2nd worst-rated run-blocking Full Back by a mile, and one of the worst pass-blockers as well.

At one point, Mike Tolbert was one of the best running Full Backs in the NFL and a pretty good dancer to boot. His blocking was adequate. The only one of those things that remains true, five full seasons after he left the Chargers to sign with the Carolina Panthers, is that he can probably still dance.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, being one of his biggest critics in 2016, but I believe the Chargers are better off with Derek Watt than they would be with (the more expensive) Mike Tolbert.

PFF had Watt as 17th out of 17 graded Full Backs in 2016, and he was the worst-rated run-blocking Full Back. In that regard, Tolbert would help the Chargers. However, spending money on a Full Back who isn’t a great fit for this offense (which prefers a receiver to a run-blocker) seems like a bad decision in my book.