Chargers To Cut Or Trade Eric Parker

by John Morgan on Jul 22, 2008 11:55 AM PDT

The North County Times is reporting the Chargers will cut or trade Eric Parker before Friday's first full-squad practice. Parker, 29, is a bit like Bobby Engram without the durability. He's a good route runner and knows how to find the soft spot in a zone, but doesn't do anything particularly remarkable. It would make a lot of sense for Seattle to sign Parker, but the interest might not be mutual - or even one-sided. Parker wouldn't be guaranteed a roster spot. If Branch is indeed capable of making a miraculous recovery, Parker immediately shoots to fourth on the depth chart. Assuming the more realistic proposition that Branch is placed on the PUP list, Parker would be on about equal footing as Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne and Ben Obomanu. That's not terribly enticing for Parker, and says a lot about Seattle's confidence in its own wide receivers.

On the flip side, Seattle is a contender. A quality that's attractive to any free agent. With Courtney Taylor's ability to stay healthy openly questioned by wide receivers coach Keith Gilbertson, the Hawks may not be privately as confident in their corps as they have been publicly. If Seattle makes a move, expect it to be quick. Parker's presence certainly couldn't hurt.

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I don't think it'd be a good idea.

I’d rather give the extra reps to our young guys instead of depriving them some practice time for a player that might just end up getting cut. Considering the time it takes for WR to learn a new system and QB I don’t think there would be much value in signing him.

by Nate Dogg on Jul 22, 2008 12:29 PM PDT reply actions

I dunno.

I think it was smart to not blow our wad on the unspectacular FA receiver class of this year like many other teams did. We have a lot of young guys, one or more of which may break out this year.

We have Engram, Burleson, and hopefully sooner rather than later, Branch. All those guys are dependable when healthy.

Of the young’ns (Obomanu, Taylor, Kent, Payne), Obomanu and Taylor have seen some action so they should be able to build on that.

We also finally have a TE and a whole stable of running backs that CAN CATCH.

The conclusion is pretty much that regardless of whether the WR’s impress or disappoint this year, we clearly don’t have a TO, Moss, Burress, or Chad type target who we can milk all day long. We will yet again have to rely on Hasselbeck’s ability to make multiple reads, pray for a running game, and be incredibly stingy on the defensive end.

Bringing another veteran like parker into camp is not a bad idea. The trouble is that if Engram, Burleson and Branch get healthy then thats plenty of veterans and you give the rest of the snaps to the youngsters. So its difficult to attract someone under those circumstances. Of course, that may be the best option available to a guy like Parker.

One thing I wonder is… what happens if Obomanu and Taylor don’t play well the first couple weeks of the regular season despite good camps and preseasons? How long do we wait to throw Payne and Kent in the fire? At what point do we trade a pick to bring someone in? Do we give Seneca a go?

This is why we pay the coaches the big bucks.

by michaelfox99 on Jul 22, 2008 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions