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Update: Corey Linsley has been released by the Chargers. His salary was reduced to the veteran minimum $1,210,000, meaning his cap savings from this move will be minimal after a replacement contract backfills his roster spot, but the team will save $14,600,000 in cap space next year after accounting for his $2,600,000 prorated signing bonus.
While everyone is fully expecting the move to happen, it's not going to make it any easier when it's officially announced. Corey Linsley has likely played his last snap in the NFL, solidifying another disappointing early-retirement for a Pro Bowl center in free agency by the Chargers.
Let's be clear - no blame is placed a Linsley's feet if he does end up retiring as expected. Corey has a wife and kids that need him healthy more than the Chargers do, and heart conditions aren't a medical issue worth risking. If Corey somehow receives news that his condition has cleared and he can return to play with minimal risk, Chargers fans would be elated to see him back. However, it' s an assumption at this point that Bradley Bozeman is the Chargers starting center in 2024.
The Chargers have been a bit snake bitten at center since Nick Hardwick retired in February 2015. Hardwick's presence was everything a fan or teammate could ask for - he was a cerebral and charismatic leader of the offensive line for 11 years. He only made the Pro Bowl once, but before his career-ending neck injury that ended his 2014 season after one game, he missed a relatively low 25 games in ten seasons, including five full-slate seasons and six trips to the playoffs in that span. While he never returned to the Pro Bowl after his early admission to Hawaii in his third year, the Chargers benefitted from his consistency and reliability in the middle of the offensive line. He anchored the Bolts during one of their best eras of the team's history, and deserves a lion's share of credit for the success they had.
The Chargers went to the playoffs in 2013, his last 16 game season. They wouldn't return to the playoffs until 2018, coincidentally the same season Mike Pouncey was signed in free agency after multiple Pro Bowl seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Pouncey played a full season slate that year, and the Bolts rode the offensive line stability right to a playoff appearance and Wild Card win before Bolt-killer Tom Brady bucked them from the tournament. The impact of having Pouncey on the line was felt both in his presence with the Chargers' immediate success, and in his absence with their quick decline the following years.
Despite Pouncey signing while on the right side of 30, his second year with the Chargers ended early, and he didn't make it through training camp in his third and final year. After season-ending hip surgery in 2020, Pouncey signed a one-day contract with the Dolphins and retired.
Outside of the one-year blip of success with Pouncey, the Chargers shuffled through a carousel of starting centers, including Rich Ornberger, Trevor Robinson, Matt Slauson, Spencer Pulley, Scott Quessenberry, and Dan Feeney. Of this crop, only Scott Quessenberry would go to become a different team's starting center. Quessenberry started for the Houston Texans in 2022, a 3-13-1 team that drafted not one, but two centers in the following off-season's draft.
The only missing piece to a "perfect" inaugural off-season of Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz is a plan for Justin Herbert's center-of-the-future. Nick Hardwick and Philip Rivers were an enviable duo for the rest of the league, and it was hard to fully understand how good the Bolts had it until Rivers was wasting precious seconds of his pre-snap cadence to call the offensive line's blocking adjustments in lieu of a competent center directing the unit. A band-aid has been slapped on the position with the signing of Bradley Bozeman, and while Bozeman has played his best football in Greg Roman's scheme and deserves the vote of confidence the front office gave him in his signing, the apparent lack of a contingency plan is concerning.
Is Jordan McFadden truly a viable developmental center as Jim Harbaugh suggested? Harbaugh gave high praise to McFadden in the offseason for his athleticism and intelligence, two traits a great center needs for a position that is as cerebral as it physically demanding. McFadden impressed last season as a utility piece for Kellen Moore's offense, guest-appearing in the backfield as a blocking fullback in goal line sets. He's explosive off the snap, and fits the mold of a highly-productive college tackle that just doesn't have the length or size to bookend at the NFL level. McFadden developing into competent starting center could be one of the biggest boosts this team could receive from a depth piece currently on the roster.
There is always Connor Williams laying in wait as well, as covered previously at StormCloud.
However, for the time being, all eyes are on Corey Linsley as we wait for him to announce what feels like the inevitable.
What do you think, StormCloud? How confident are you in the Bolt's in-house developmental options at center?
I have some hope for McFadden and Jaimes might also develop further. Yes, it was nice when we had Nick Hardwick and I am happy he is on the coaching staff. Our O-Line looks to be a strength. We certainly have better depth this year than in recent go-rounds.
Completely different offense when Linsley stepped off the field. Literally night and day. I appreciate how good he was even if just for a short while. I hope he returns to full health and lives a good/healthy life off of the field.
Yes please on Connor Williams. Yes please on Justin Simmons.
Center is my biggest concern on the team and the one "ding" I'd place on the draft. Hopefully Bozeman pans out. We all know what interior pressure can do to a QB's game and we all saw the decline in OL play when Linsley left the game.
Nuf said.
I still have the feeling that this could be one of those positions that gets filled either during camp or right after final cuts with a camp casualty from another team. Bozeman might have familiarity with the system, but he hasn't played well the last few seasons, so table that with your expectations there. Jaimes has never showed much when given the opportunity, and I would not be comfortable with him being anything more than a one or two game replacement at best. I know they mentioned McFadden as a possibility to take reps there, but I find it difficult to think that a new staff that didn't draft him or watch him play can come in and immediately suggest that he has some flexibility to play there. Seems like they were wishing that into existence, IMO to quell any worry in case we were in this exact situation post draft where it hasn't yet worked out to add either a drafted rookie or notable vet to add to the room. I know not every position can be filled with elite talent, but IMO, any injury to Bozeman will create a serious hole in the middle of the OL.
@kylededi I wouldn't even begin to get my hopes up. From what I have heard, he's lost a considerable amount of weight and looking like he is getting his body healthier for retirement.
Kyle - great content. I do have a question regarding this statement:
He anchored the Bolts during one of their best eras of the team's history,
What? The Chargers made 1 playoff appearance in Cory's time with the Chargers (the loss to the Jags). The best eras in Charger history:
- Early 1960 Sid Gilman teams: The only Charger team to win a championship was in 1963
- Mid-90s Bobby Ross teams: Won a lot with Stan Humphries at QB. Went to the SB
- Air Coryell: Re-defined the way offense was played in the NFL
- Marty ball: Won a ton of regular season games with LT, Gates and Rivers
- Early Norv Turner: If Jeff Fisher did not have his team trying to take out knees (they injured Rivers and Merriman in the playoff game, basically ending Sean's career and forcing Billy Volek to finish (and win) the game), this team had a shot at a Championship. FUCK YOU Jeff Fisher!
I don't know where the Staley era lands in team history. Probably above Mike Riley, but below Anthony Lynn. I do know that it was not "one of the best eras of the team history."
Hey Kev! That statement was regarding Nick Hardwick, and the Marty/Norv era, not Linsley. 
Ahhh - OK - then, in my book, that was definitely a top-5 era.
@kevdiego I agree!
I think two fun questions to ask could be-
1) Could the Chargers have entered another "dominant" era if Linsley had stayed relatively healthy during his five-year contract?
2) How many teams have accomplished sustained success without consistency at center?
@kylededi I touched on this in my comment below. Center is easily the 2nd most important position on the offense. At minimum, I think having average+ center play is required if you want to be successful in the NFL.
It's interesting to see teams throw crazy money at WRs and Tackles. I like the direction the Chargers are headed at the skill positions: Athletic, low cost, lots of competition, spending capitol on the OL. Not sure I'm sold on Bozeman as being an average+ center, so I would like to see the Chargers plan here.
Additional point: I've heard some positive reports on Jaimes from camp; getting time with the 1st string, etc. We had sideline seats for the 2022 Charger/Falcon game (our seats were right behind the Chargers bench - we were literally 25 feet behind the players). When the offense came off the field, the starting OL huddled with the coaches to look at film. Jaimes was the only backup in that group. The other backup linemen were scattered about, watching the game or chatting. Jaimes had his head in the game and was very obviously trying to help his teammates. When he played last year, I thought his actual play was up/down and probably consistent with Clapp's play. However, I think Jaimes was much better at getting the protections set and making everyone around him better. This may be a minority opinion, but if this coaching staff can add strength to his body, then I would have no issues with him being the backup at Center. To steal from Buck, I think Jaimes is a lunch pail player who's been working his ass off trying to contribute in any way possible while improving his game. Would love to see the dude succeed.
I remember you bringing that up about Jaimes! Honestly, if that happens, I'd be thrilled! I'd be interested to hear if McFadden became another one of those players eager to improve last year, as there's been plenty of positive chatter about him as well.
Between those two players, if one develops into a quality starter and the other into a quality depth piece, this offense takes on a whole new look. I'd be thrilled.
Bozeman does seem like a lunch pail guy too, and I read that he's really hoping to latch on here and be our center of the future. I thought that was interesting... he seemed less concerned about re-establishing his market than he was earning a place on this team. I wonder if that's a common feeling for some vets like him, who have had success with one coach, and then went to a toxic environment like the Panthers. If he establishes himself as an average IOL, I'd love to see the Chargers keep him at a team-friendly number. Having that positional flexibility would be stellar, and as we discussed about Linsley, it shouldn't prevent Hortiz from looking for a stud center... it just gives him a mentor for whichever prospect he drafts down the line.
There could be worse situations than going into the season with Bozeman/Jaimes as the two centers on the roster.
I think both Bozeman and Jaimes are similar in their approach to the game. Where they differ is in their athletic ability. Jaimes is a tackle. He moves better, but lacks the strength to anchor in the interior. Bozeman is stronger, but lacks agility. I just looked up both's RAS - a bit shocking:
Bozeman: 1.19
- Explosion: Very poor
- Agility: Very poor
- Speed: Very poor
- Strength: Good (7.12)
- Size: Good:
Jaimes: 8.54
- Explosion: Great
- Agility: Elite
- Speed: not rated
- Strength: Good (7.15)
- Size: Poor
If Ben Herbert can add strength to an athlete with elite agility and explosion, the Chargers may have something.
Was the Cory Linsley signing a success? There's no question that Cory is (was?) a great player when on the field. What did the Chargers get for giving Cory a 5 year, $62M contract?
- One mostly healthy season (2021)
- One partially healthy season (2022)
- One mostly un-available season (2023)
- Early retirement - with some salary relief
Love Cory the player; he seems like a good dude. However, his signing highlights the flaws in taking a Madden-style approach to roster building. By spending big-bucks on 30+ year old players, rewarding them for past production (rather than forecasting the value they can deliver during the duration of the contract), you end up over-paying, and worse, depending on an older player playing at a high-level as their bodies age.
My view is that Telesco was forced to make a move and over-pay for interior OL due to his inability to draft and the Chargers staff's inability to develop offensive linemen. Signing an older player and expecting him to play 17 games at a high level, especially over a 5 year contract, is not good roster management. Given the Chargers situation in 2021, I understand the team signing Cory. However, I think this was a desperate move forced by poor drafting. Not the worst move made during the Telesco era, but definitely not the best. Possibly the worst thing about this move is that the Chargers viewed the center position as solved and neglected to add/develop any players with the ability to ascend into the position. The lack of a quality center was a major contributor to the Chargers challenges in 2023, and very likely led to the recent Herbert injuries.
The signing was not good for the Chargers. The overall approach to building depth and succession planning for the position was a cluster that was a significant contributor to the 2023 shit-show season.
This is an interesting thought exercise. In a vacuum, I think Linsley was one of Telesco's best signings. Since that doesn't say much, I'd even go so far as to say it was a great signing, met with an unfortunate ending. By "in a vacuum" I mean without some of the context you added that is super relevant to the overall roster construction. Telesco failed to draft a capable center in an 11 year tenure as the Chargers GM! Even if Tom had drafted a young buck to develop under Linsley (and there are plenty of names available late that many here have thrown out. Jarrett Patterson was one I was personally interested in last year), we would have been in a far better situation. That said - I don't think the Chargers have two winning seasons in 2021 and 2022 without Corey. As @spanos-must-go mentioned, the team was completely different when Corey was off the field. For how big of an impact he provided, his contract didn't (or, shouldn't have) restricted Tom from making moves or bringing in a reasonably priced backup. His cap hits in the years he played were only $6.6M, $11.6M, and $13.1M. Add in $2.6M in dead cap for the next two seasons, and I still think he was a great value for what he provided. It's just a shame that Telesco couldn't bring in a mentee for him to teach, especially given the care he showed for everyone's development last year when he couldn't play. It's borderline GM malpractice.
For how big of an impact he provided, his contract didn’t (or, shouldn’t have) restricted Tom from making moves or bringing in a reasonably priced backup.
This highlights one of Telesco's major flaws. "We're fucked at Center? Fuck it, sign the best FA out there for big bucks. Problem solved. Let's move on to the next problem."
The inability to build a 90+ player deep roster full of quality athletes that can contribute + having zero plan for adversity created a very fragile roster that could win when it stayed healthy, but crumbled like a cheap suit when a key player got injured.
Very happy the Telesco is now the Raiders problem.
@kevdiego wholeheartedly agree. Free agency is such a crapshoot, because you bidding on a players whose original team, which had the most inside-knowledge about them, passed on.
The second and third tiers of FA's don't seem like risky propositions, especially guys that you're buying on the low, but chasing top-dollar FA's just seems to burn teams WAY more than it helps them.
I think if I had the ability to ask Joe Hortiz any question, it would be how the signing of Earl Thomas affected his perception of roster building. Thomas' signing cancelled out the third round comp pick the Ravens would have recieved for ZaDarius Smith's departure. It was one of the rare high-price FA signings they've had, and it was a colossal failure on all accounts.
Contrast that with how they acquired Roquan Smith in-season on an expiring deal for a 2nd and a fourth, and after seeing him gel with the team and excel, made him the highest paid off-ball linebacker and felt comfortable letting Queen go and getting a 4th round comp pick in return.
I think we may see more of a Smith-approach, grabbing players on expiring deals to get a preview of them on the team before committing the big money to them.
My view is that Telesco was forced to make a move and over-pay for interior OL due to his inability to draft and the Chargers staff's inability to develop offensive linemen. Signing an older player and expecting him to play 17 games at a high level, especially over a 5 year contract, is not good roster management
These are words of wisdom that anyone knowledgeable about building a roster would say. I can't count the number of times I've spoken to different individuals who state the same thing you just wrote, it's roster building 101 essentially. So many of TT's Free Agency moves are prime examples of desperation moves. Mediocrity and desperation are the two words I like to best associate Tom Telesco with.
I reckon that signing Corey was a major boon. At the very least it showed us what a great center can do for his team. We sure missed the hell out of him when he was not in the lineup.
So yeah, the signing, not the player, is in question here. Even with Telesco's backass-ward approach of doing things, I'm glad that Corey was here.
@mongotesla No doubt that Cory is a great player. The Chargers were definitely better with Cory on the field. The question is: How successful was the signing?
The argument for the signing is how much better the Chargers played when Linsley was on the field. There is no question that Cory's elite play and ability to set protections made the Chargers much better.
The argument against the signing is Cory's availability. He played ~50% of the snaps over the first 3 years of a 5 year contract. He's now going to retire, leaving the Chargers with $5.2M in dead cap. Worse, Telesco depended on Linsley to man center and completely neglected the position. The Chargers essentially went into each of Cory's seasons with a converted tackle project (Jaimes) and a very mediocre journeyman (Clapp) as competition. The failure to bring in additional center talent likely led to the injuries Herbert suffered over the last two years. It also led to the 2023 dumpster fire.
Love Linsley the player. It would be awesome if he could rebound and play in 2024. I just don't think that signing a player that played 50% of the possible snaps and only made it through 3 years of a 5 year contract = good signing.
@kevdiego In hindsight most of this makes perfect sense. In 2021 & 2022 he started 30 out of 35 games and was a huge difference-maker. In 2023 the heart issue wiped out most of the year and the final two years on his contract. A heart issue for a young guy like that is extremely rare. No way anyone could have predicted that. It was not a football injury; it was a serious health issue. So for two years it was an excellent signing and for three years a health issue ended Corey's career.
The lack of a sufficient back-up is a separate issue and is truly on Telesco and the coaching staff. They should have had a better plan than Clapp and should have drafted a young center of the future instead of making crap picks like JT Woods.
I still like the "signing" as Linsley lived up to everything that was expected in 2021 & 2022. At the end of the day the health issue prematurely ended his highly productive career. The sum of it all is that the health issue skews his numbers and allows the statement of "he will end up playing less than 50% of the snaps". I think that statement serves the narrative and skews the fact that it was a good signing.
@spanos-must-go I think at the time, the signing made sense (even if it was shit planning/drafting/player development that forced the move).
The outcome is where I'm torn. Love the guy when he played. I just don't think he played enough to justify the contract. This is yet another example of why you don't throw huge contracts at players on the wrong side of 30.
This is yet another example of why you don't throw huge contracts at players on the wrong side of 30.
Hmm...I don't think this is a great example of that, since this type of heart issue wasn't age-related and could equally have happened to a 21yo.
And I'll just add that OL, in particular, has become one of the positions where players play well deeper into their 30s, since athleticism is less critical to success. Jason Kelce, Trent Williams, Lane Johnson, Andrew Whitworth, etc.
I'm all for not throwing the bag at 30+ skill position players (eg, Keenan), but not sure it applies in the same way to a player like Corey. Just my two cents!
@alisterlloyd Every player is unique, but father time eventually catches up to all of us. I am not a fan of betting against father time by signing older players to high $ contracts and expecting them to play 90%+ of the snaps at their position. If you're going to sign older players, I would much rather sign journeymen like KVN or Bud Dupree to fill a role on the field and provide leadership off the field.
While I was OK with the decision to sign Corey, I think a much better decision would have been to draft Drew Dalman rather than Trey McKitty. There were so many quality players available at that pick; how much better would the Chargers OL be with Dalman at C or Quinn Meinerz at RG?
I hope to see a real battle for the starting center spot this season, with as low as a cap hit Bozeman has I'm thinking/hoping he's not just a penciled in starter, which was TT's MO.
Glad to be here Kyle, thanks for setting this up and creating a new and improved community for us Bolt fans.
@diomedesmiura Welcome Dio! Cool to see this place starting to grow. Onwards and upwards!
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