Mike Williams - Headed for breakout? Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi predicted Tuesday that Williams should have "nice numbers" in 2021, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports. Impact Williams hasn't lived up to his status as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft, but he's at least been useful as a big-play threat, and he now has arguably the best chance of his career to tack on more volume. Already lacking a reliable No. 3 receiver, the Chargers lost top tight end Hunter Henry (93 targets in 2020) to the Patriots this offseason, replacing him with 34-year-old Jared Cook (60 targets for the Saints in 2020) in what could be a prolific passing offense. Quarterback Justin Herbert averaged 39.7 attempts and 289.1 yards per game last season, but Williams didn't really benefit, as a bunch of the deep throws went to the Chargers' third and fourth wideouts (Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson). Meanwhile, Henry, Keenan Allen and running back Austin Ekeler dominated short and intermediate targets. Williams could take a slightly bigger chunk of both route types this season, which would portend well for a breakout in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.
JUNE 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE