A.J. Smith’s modus operandi is usually to stay away from the big name free agents.
It’s to build the team through the NFL Draft. It’s to stay away from high price tags.
But former Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders has always been coveted by Smith and now he has him.
According to the Union-Tribune, the Chargers and Sanders have come to a one-year agreement.
“We are all very excited to add Bob Sanders to our defense,” Smith told Chargers.com. “We have always held him in high regard. He’s a smart, physical, instinctive player. His intensity and playmaking ability can make an immediate impact on our defense.”
Sanders was the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year, but hasn’t seen much time on the field since that year.
A laundry list of injuries has prevented Sanders from playing for the Colts the last three seasons.
In 2008, Sanders missed time due to a high ankle sprain and a knee injury.
The next year, Sanders played in just two games before being placed in the injured reserve list with an arm injury.
In 2010, Sanders saw action in just one game and was finally placed on the IR list in December with a torn biceps tendon.
But the rewards outweigh the risks in the minds of the Chargers front office—especially if Sanders can regain his 2007 form, when he recorded 96 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions.
"When you do something like this obviously there's some risk involved but the upside outweighs that," San Diego coach Norv Turner told the Indianapolis Star. "He's healthy and he's excited about the opportunity."
Sanders was supposed to receive $5.5 million and a $500,000 bonus in 2011 from the Colts.
Financial terms of the deal were not released by the team.
For more info: Visit our San Diego Chargers Examiner, Dave Thomas. For more on the NFL, visit our NFL Examiners, Jeff Bergen and Reid Kerr. Follow me on Twitter.
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