With the NFL Draft only a few days away, the Chargers will soon have a slew of new talent joining the team. While most of San Diego’s starters are safe, at least for the upcoming season, plenty of backups and role players will be fighting to stave off these rookies … as well as football irrelevancy.
One player with plenty of experience doing so is OG Michael Huey.
The 6’4”, 314-lb. lineman was a solid performer last training camp, getting reps at both center and guard with the starters. In both individual drills and 11-on-11s, Huey looked solid blocking the likes of Darius Philon while working with the second team.
“I think Michael Huey has done a nice job getting better every day and he’s made the most of his opportunities,” said head coach Mike McCoy during training camp last year. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Despite a strong showing, Huey failed to make the 53-man roster and spent the year bouncing on and off the practice squad before signing a reserve-future contract.
This isn’t the first twist in the Texas native’s journey.
Huey, an All-Big 12 honorable mention, played tackle and guard at Texas. He was a tenacious blocker for the Longhorns and always seemed to be looking for a defender to hit on run plays.
Huey started his NFL journey as an undrafted free agent with Seattle Seahawks in 2011, but was released in the first week of training camp. He then spent a few weeks with the Chargers before being released again prior to the start of the season.
Since then, Huey has been a professional pinball, winning three championships in three seasons with the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers before finding his way back in the NFL. He spent two weeks in 2014 with the Washington Redskins and eventually re-signed with San Diego in 2015.
Despite the fact Huey has failed to make an NFL roster, the Chargers have brought him in for auditions three times in the past five years under two different regimes, so there must be something the team likes in the 27-year-old.
Still, Huey faces another tough training camp battle, as he must beat out Kenny Wiggins, Trevor Robinson and/or Chris Hairston for one of the backup positions on the interior offensive line. That competition will likely get even more crowded by the time this weekend’s draft is all said and done.
Even if the Chargers like Huey, the numbers are not in his favor. Then again, he has been facing impossible numbers games since first entering the NFL five years ago. Yet there he was last week at Chargers Park, scrapping and grinding like always.
