2015 San Diego Chargers Free Agency: An Early Guide to the Market

The 2014 season ended in disappointment for the San Diego Chargers after the Kansas City Chiefs eliminated them from playoff contention this past Sunday.

Now that the postseason is out of reach for this team, the time has come to begin planning for 2015. General manager Tom Telesco will be entering his third offseason with San Diego, and while fans have generally liked his handling of the roster up until now, missing out on the playoffs again next season may change their tone.

Putting the draft aside for now, let's run down what needs to happen in free agency for the Chargers.

Chargers Free Agents in 2015

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If you'd like to see the complete list of in-house free agents, head over to Spotrac. In the meantime, here's a list of the top 10 players (based on 2014 cap hit) without a deal in place for next season.

1. Nick Hardwick (C)
2. Eddie Royal (WR)
3. Dwight Freeney (OLB)
4. Ryan Mathews (RB)
5. Jeromey Clary (OG)
6. Brandon Flowers (CB)
7. King Dunlap (OT)
8. Marcus Gilchrist (S)
9. Shareece Wright (CB)
10. Doug Legursky (C)

Looking at the list, you'll notice that most of the names on here have held a starting role at one point or another.

Hardwick, a tenured player on the offensive line, was placed on injured reserve before the start of the regular season with a neck injury. He tossed around the idea of retirement a couple of times in past years, and judging by the amount of weight he's lost recently, fans have already begun to question whether they've lost Hardwick for good. 

Royal and Freeney took pay cuts to stay in San Diego, and both performed admirably this season. Freeney finished in the top five in defensive hurries, per Sporting Charts, and Royal had the second-most touchdown receptions for the Bolts—not to mention how valuable he became when Keenan Allen sat out due to injury the past couple of games. A report from Michael Gelken of U-T San Diego indicates that Freeney will be considering retirement after this season.

Mathews stayed healthy for only six games with knee and ankle injuries. His career has been riddled with setbacks, which makes it a tough call to keep him in a Chargers uniform much longer. On top of that, rookie Branden Oliver showed determination and toughness running the ball; that's the kind of guy you want in the backfield.

Clarey underwent hip and shoulder surgeries in the offseason but was unable to recover in time for 2014. The offensive line desperately needs experience, but is Clary someone you value in that regard?

Flowers signed on for a one-year deal in San Diego and wound up leading the team in interceptions. The Chargers drafted a corner in the first round last year, but they don't know what they have yet after he suffered his second shoulder injury in as many seasons.

Dunlap and Gilchrist were bright spots at their respective positions. If I'm the front office, I try to keep both. Re-signing Dunlap saves you from looking for a tackle in the draft, and Gilchrist was a playmaker for John Pagano's defense. Wright is one of the team's better tacklers in the secondary, but receivers got by him more than a few times.

Legursky was a nice fill-in at center before he was lost to injury. San Diego will most likely need a center next year, but of the five different ones who started this season, which is the long-term answer?

Not included on this list were Seyi Ajirotutu and Andrew Gachkar. Both are highly respected members of the special teams crew, and Gachkar flourished in his role at inside linebacker when injuries overcame Donald Butler and Manti Te'o.

It's a big list with a lot of quality players on it, but the nature of the business usually means only some of these names will be back for 2015.

Cap Space

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The good folks at Spotrac estimate that San Diego currently has just over $642,000 in cap space. That will change, of course, as the team makes moves to free up money.

The Bolts are expected to have more than $27 million to play with in 2015, most of which should go toward re-signing their own players. What that number is after they take care of their own players no one knows yet, but it's good to know that the front office will have a little more breathing room when it comes to salary.

In his first two years, Telesco had little space to work with as the cap had been pushed to its near limit by the previous regime. In Year 3 of the Telesco era, I would expect to see him finally mold the roster the way he pleases.

Positions That Need to Be Addressed in the Offseason

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Offensive Line

The yearly sack total went from 30 in 2013 to 36 in 2014, and most of those came in the latter half of the season when the health of the offensive line started to decline. Running the ball was also a low point, as the Chargers finished 30th in rushing. Mathews' absence for most of the year contributed to that statistic, but the O-line didn't make it easy for backs to pick up positive yardage.

San Diego's first order of business should be to try and re-sign Dunlap. Considering all the big-name pass-rushers he went up against this season, Dunlap did as well as you would expect from a franchise left tackle.

Where the line needs work is along the interior. Having gone through five different centers this season, the team will make center a position of need. Rookie Chris Watt, a converted guard, could be a fit to take over in the middle after gaining some experience this year, but his calling may also be at right guard where Johnnie Troutman struggled.

Running Back

By Week 5, the three-headed monster was no more. Danny Woodhead was lost for the year in Week 3. Mathews suffered an MCL sprain in Week 2, and Donald Brown had a lengthy recovery period following a concussion in early October. Oliver's emergence was a nice story, but it didn't last for long as opposing teams discovered how to shut him down.

I don't see why the Chargers would bring back Mathews considering his injury history, so I imagine they will look to bring in a durable back to replace him—someone who can complement Woodhead, Brown and Oliver.

Defensive Tackle

Opposing teams averaged 4.5 yards per carry against San Diego this season, fourth-worst in the NFL. Fifth-round draft choice Ryan Carrethers, whom the team had high expectations for, played in only six games due to injury. Sean Lissemore saw major playing time but did little to install himself as a fixture on the D-line. More girth is needed to effectively disrupt rushing attacks.  

Cornerback

The Chargers had the 29th-ranked pass defense a year ago but improved to fourth in 2014. The addition of Flowers was a big reason for that dramatic improvement. That said, the one-time Pro Bowler was on a one-year deal with the Bolts and is scheduled to be a free agent.

First-rounder Jason Verrett is bound to be a special player, given what we saw of him before his season-ending injury, but I still think you keep Flowers even if the price tag is a bit high.

Potential Targets in Free Agency

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Everyone is going to have their own opinion as to who the Chargers go after, so keep in mind I'm just throwing these out there.

Stefen Wisniewski (C)

Yes, he's from a hated rival, but stay with me here. Wisniewski has started every game he's played in for the Raiders, and at the moment, it looks as though he'll be moving on from the silver and black if the two sides can't meet on an offer. He's good, not great, but he's still young and can play both center and guard. You never know—maybe he could turn out like his uncle Steve, a former eight-time Pro Bowl guard.

Damon Harrison (DT)

Harrison finished with the most tackles at his position (55) and was part of a New York Jets D-line that ranked fifth against the run, holding teams to just over 93 rush yards per game. The 26-year-old is a fit scheme-wise and has the big frame San Diego is looking for in a nose tackle. With Rex Ryan gone, Harrison may want to test the waters in free agency.

Stevan Ridley (RB)

The New England Patriots have made do without Ridley, who was lost for the season in Week 6 with tears to his ACL and MCL. Jonas Gray, Shane Vereen and LeGarrette Blount have taken over the workload in the backfield, leaving Ridley as the potential odd man out come next season. In his best campaign back in 2012, Ridley rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He has issues with ball security, but his physical running style and 4.3-yard average could be nice to add to San Diego's offense. Prior to his injury, Ridley had missed only two games.