ESPN's Mina Kimes urges Jim Harbaugh to pair $21,816,000 WR with Ladd McConkey after Chargers WR room's disaster on MNF

Jim Harbaugh lost yet again to his brother as his Chargers team failed to beat the Ravens despite the best efforts of Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey on Monday Night Football. The calamity now means that Los Angeles lost ground on Kansas City in the AFC West and is also tied with the ascendant Denver Broncos in terms of wins this season, each franchise with seven so far in 2024.

And ESPN analyst Mina Kimes believes she knows what can take the Chargers to the next level. Despite starting brightly and taking a double-digit lead in the game before the Ravens could score a single point, Baltimore eventually emerged victorious with a score of 30-23.

The reason Los Angeles' offense kept stalling despite having Justin Herbert is because Ladd McConkey, a rookie, is his only top wide receiver. Having let go of veterans like Keenan Allen in the offseason, this is a position that needs immediate attention no matter how the season ends.

Mina Kimes believes that they need a veteran wideout to pair with Ladd McConkey in 2025 to give Justin Herbert the best chance to succeed. She identified Tee Higgins as a possible replacement, who is currently on a single-year deal with the Bengals worth $21.816 million. He is widely expected to be available in the upcoming offseason.

The ESPN analyst also noted that the Chargers are not struggling for cap space. They are projected to be more than $75 million under the limit, which is the seventh-highest in the league.

Mina Kimes laments Justin Herbert's reliance on Ladd McConkey for Jim Harbaugh's Chargers

This is not the first time Mina Kimes has raised this issue. She has correctly pointed out that the Chargers do not have enough weapons surrounding Justin Herbert. In fact, she made him the benchmark when discussing the pressure C.J. Stroud has been under this season.

Jim Harbaugh chose to go with offensive tackle Joe Alt in the first round of this year's draft even though multiple good receivers were still available on the board. One could understand that he wanted to give his quarterback a supporting run game first before splashing on a receiver and their second pick was Ladd McConkey, who has done well this year.

However, there is not enough depth in the wide receiver room and it is never a good sign when the rookie wideout is the statistical leader in his position on the team. They need a veteran to complement him and Mina Kimes believes that Tee Higgins is the right person for the job.