Retaining GM Tom Telesco Was a Gigantic Mistake by the San Diego Chargers

Tom Telesco’s tenure with the San Diego Chargers will continue despite a 4-12 season, a mess of a roster and a number of puzzling decisions during his tenure. The fact that Chargers ownership didn’t part with both the 43-year-old general manager and head coach Mike McCoy was shocking but, then again, nothing the Spanos family does these days makes much sense.

The most glaring failure of Telesco’s time in San Diego has been his absolute refusal to protect Philip Rivers. The team’s most valuable asset has been quarterbacking behind a patchwork offensive line for three years and it has taken a serious toll on him. The five-time Pro Bowler has been sacked 106 times in the last three seasons, and has been hit 239 times in that span. Essentially, he has been a sitting duck during Telesco’s entire tenure.

Instead of focusing on upgrading his team’s line through the draft, Telesco has instead made questionable moves like maneuvering to get Melvin Gordon and Manti Te’o in draft day trades that surrendered future picks.

During the 2015 draft, Telesco moved up two spots to select Gordon with the 15th pick. For the right to do that, he sent his first- and fourth-rounders in 2015 to San Francisco along with a fifth-round pick in 2016. Gordon had a disastrous rookie year and, frankly, even with a competent offensive line, grabbing a running back in the first round is asinine. Given the Chargers situation up front, drafting Gordon was akin to putting Asanti rims on a 1984 Toyota Corolla.

In 2013, Telesco shipped a fourth-rounder to the Arizona Cardinals for the right to move up seven spots and select Te’o. While Te’o is a great kid and a hard worker, he has yet to make a real impact in three NFL seasons. All told, Telesco has surrendered three mid-round picks that could have been used to add depth, in exchange for two guys who haven’t made a dent in the NFL.

While the Chargers have suffered an incredible number of devastating injuries over the past two seasons, the lack of depth accrued by the front office has made those losses much harder on the roster. Instead of having solid backups thanks to full drafts, the Bolts have essentially been signing guys off the street to fill in key roles. Nowhere has that been more apparent than along the offensive front. The offensive line was a gigantic issue for the team heading into the 2015 draft and Telesco drafted (wait for it…) zero linemen. None. Not one.

In fact, during his three drafts, Telesco has selected just two offensive linemen: D.J. Fluker and Chris Watt. Both guys have missed significant time thanks to injuries and both were reaches when drafted. Telesco did sign guard Orlando Franklin away from the Broncos this past offseason, but he only played in 10 games in 2015 and struggled when he did see the field.

Despite how pass-happy the NFL has gotten, teams still win titles up front. Offensive and defensive linemen sit only behind quarterbacks in their importance to a football roster. For some reason, Telesco doesn’t get that. He’d rather make a splash than stockpile depth along the lines. That is why he is a failure as a general manager.

When Rivers has protection and a clean pocket, he is an elite quarterback. The Chargers will only have him for a few more seasons and they have wasted the majority of his career by employing lousy head coaches coaches in Norv Turner and McCoy, and now an incompetent general manager in Telesco.

Telesco should have been fired and McCoy should have gone with him.