Chargers land 2 on list of best players at each number

One of the most popular discussions among us football folk is the “greatest players at every jersey number.” This is usually discussed in terms of all-time greats, but CBS Sports and NFL analyst Cody Benjamin is shrinking the player pool to only include players currently playing.

Among the 99 players included, the Chargers managed to land just two players on the list: Austin Ekeler for No. 30 and Mike Williams for No. 81.

Benjamin on the selection of Ekeler:

“Todd Gurley and James Conner are more complete when healthy, but Ekeler flat-out produces.”

I think this pick is spot-on over Gurley and Conner. Coincidentally, Ekeler only needed to compete against two players at the same position and he’s fortunate that his 2019 season is handedly above the other two. Both Gurley and Connor struggled to maintain their 2018 form for back-to-back seasons.

Benjamin on Williams:

“Both Austin Hooper and Jonnu Smith could work, but Williams finally flashed star WR play-making abilities in 2019.”

This one gets nailed on the head as well. If this was ten years ago, there would be many other worthy receivers like Anquan Boldin or Calvin Johnson. But in 2020, Williams is the guy after his first 1,000-yard season which came on the heels of a 11-touchdown campaign in 2018. For Williams, the goal for this year should be to combine the yards with some of the touchdowns to show everyone he’s taken that next big step in his career.