Talk of Antonio Gates’ return to the Chargers has remained just that at this point, so Virgil Green remains the top man on the depth chart at tight end with Hunter Henry out for the year.
Green signed with the Chargers as a free agent this offseason and said after spring work that he felt he was adjusting well to life with quarterback Philip Rivers. Based on what Rivers has to say, that connection has gotten stronger since the start of training camp.
"[Our connection] is growing,” Rivers said, via the team’s website. “We’re working through how I like things, what I’m expecting on certain routes. He’s getting a feel for this offense. He was in it similarly with [former Chargers coach Mike] McCoy [in Denver]. Virgil is going to be just fine. He has played a lot of football and is a good football player. Those kind of things, you’ll see more of that and more plays like that.”
Green has 71 catches in his seven-year career and came to the Chargers with the expectation that he’d be a blocking complement to Henry in the offense. That plan has changed and Rivers’ history says a close connection with Green will lead to a lot more work as a receiver during his first year with his new team.
