In their search for a new left tackle, the San Diego Chargers were initially interested in Bryant McKinnie of the Baltimore Ravens, but as of now nothing has happened in that direction. Another name stirring some hope in the offensive line-needy team is Max Starks, another Super Bowl champion, but it’s not quite clear if he’ll be returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers next season.

Starks, 31, has played for the Steelers since 2004, winning two Super Bowls and appearing in 16 games for the team last season. While he might not be one of the premier blind-side protectors in the NFL, he’s a very solid option most teams would be happy to have, and certainly much better than anything the Chargers currently have on their roster.

The Chargers do have some cap issues, which seems to be what prevented them from coming to terms with McKinnie, but Starks is in a different price range, one they can afford. While there’s also the option of the draft, hoping that one of the premier offensive tackles coming out of college remains until the 11th pick, it’s not a risk they’re too sure they’re willing to take.

Starks doesn’t provide Philip Rivers with a 100% bulletproof protection from his blindside, but as we’ve mentioned, the biggest problem the Chargers had last season, and clunker and disappointing campaign despite the overall talent on the team, was Rivers not being able to play like he has in the past, mostly due to a crumbling unit in front of him that got worse during the off-season by losing more players. Getting Max Starks isn’t the perfect solution, but it’s probably the best they can do right now.

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