The Los Angeles Chargers made a somewhat surprising move this offseason when they agreed to bring back wide receiver Mike Williams. His second stint with the team may be a short one. 

The Chargers released Williams last March and he was subsequently signed by the New York Jets less than a week later. But after doing next to nothing there, he was sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the trade deadline. 

Things didn't get much better for him there. 

The Chargers brought him back this offseason on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million. There is familiarity between him and Justin Herbert and he still has the size to go up and make plays in the passing game. But after drafting Tre Harris in the second round and adding KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fifth, Williams' role on the team seems a lot less defined heading into the season. 

Alex Kay of Bleacher Report recently took a look at a handful of veterans who could be cut this summer, and Williams made his list. This was his analysis:

"The Los Angeles Chargers reunited with Mike Williams this offseason, bringing one of the franchise's most prolific touchdown creators back into the fold on a one-year, $3 million deal.

Although he racked up 4,806 yards and 31 scores on 309 receptions during his seven-year stint with the Bolts between 2017-23, he no longer appears to be the athletic deep threat he was earlier in his career.

The aging 6'4" wideout is now on the wrong side of 30 and coming off an abysmal campaign.

His nightmare 2024 began with him catching a meager 12 balls for 166 yards over nine games with the New York Jets before being shipped to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the trade deadline. Despite having the opportunity to thrive for a squad desperate for receiver help, he mustered just nine receptions for 132 yards and one touchdown in the back half of the season.

While the stakes are low given his cheap contract, Williams is going to have his work cut out trying to re-establish himself as one of quarterback Justin Herbert’s top targets. He’s now four seasons removed from the most recent of his two 1,000-yard receiving campaigns and has scored just five touchdowns in the last three years combined.

Factor in the presence of breakout rookie Ladd McConkey plus incoming draftees Tre Harris and Keandre Lambert-Smith, and it's even tougher to envision Williams making enough impact to warrant a roster spot in 2025."

There are some solid points there and it's enough to say that Williams is far from a lock to make this team. It seemed a strange move when the Chargers made it to bring Williams back into the fold, even if it was a cheap contract. He has been a decent deep threat in his career and he has the size to make plays, but it's fair to question if he still has the ability to make those kinds of plays and if he's anything better than the WR4 or WR5 in L.A. 

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