/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53431453/485775938.0.jpg)
The New York Jets released two-time All-Pro center Nick Mangold on Saturday. The 33-year-old was drafted by the Jets in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft and has played his entire career thus far in New York. He missed eight games in 2016 thanks to an ankle injury, but he had only missed six games during the previous 10 seasons. Mangold will likely be an attractive option for teams in need of a center. Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton suggested via Twitter that the Chargers would be one of the better places for Mangold to sign:
Buccaneers, Cardinals and Chargers would seem to be the best landing spots for Nick Mangold right now
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) February 25, 2017
While the Chargers have one fo the worst offensive lines in the NFL and would certainly benefit from an infusion of talent, you have to wonder if there isn’t a better way to do that than by displacing the only effective member of the 2016 offensive line, Matt Slauson, with an older player coming off an injury-shortened season. Now, Mangold is arguably a superior center to Slauson and Slauson is undoubtedly a better guard than either D.J. Fluker or Orlando Franklin, but continuity along the line, especially at the center position still holds some value.
The addition of Mangold would most likely be a net positive and the Chargers have to consider adding to the line through both free agency and the draft this offseason, but this is likely not the move to make.
What do you think? Should the Chargers pursue Nick Mangold? Let us know in the comments.