INDIANAPOLIS — Chargers general manager Tom Telesco will gladly discuss how much the NFL Scouting Combine has changed over the years and how much he enjoys being at home away from home.

Telesco spent 15 seasons in Indianapolis as a scout and front-office executive with the Colts. He’s now heading into his 10th season as the GM of the Chargers and he still finds the annual combine news conference silly.

To no surprise, Telesco declined to discuss contract situations and pending free agents when he met with reporters Tuesday at the Indiana Convention Center.

The secretive Telesco rarely reveals his offseason cards before free agency and the draft, but reporters still asked about wide receiver Mike Williams, a pending free agent, safety Derwin James, who’s due for a contract extension, and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, who’s waiting to see if the Chargers pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.

“No updates right now,” Telesco said regarding a potential contract extension or using the franchise tag on Williams. “I talked about after the season what an impact he makes on our football team.”

It was the same slow dance with Telesco, but he did share a few nuggets for how the team evaluated players and positions from last year’s 9-8 campaign.

Perhaps those details might be telling signs for how Telesco plans to improve the roster after missing the postseason for a third consecutive season and with quarterback Justin Herbert heading into Year 3 of his rookie deal.

Here are takeaways from Telesco’s 18-minute combine news conference with reporters:

MORE ON WILLIAMS

Telesco was asked if his preferred outcome for the Williams contract dilemma would be to come to an agreement on a multi-year extension. He, of course, said yes.

That would give the Chargers more flexibility with the salary cap – using the franchise tag on Williams would cost nearly $20 million for the 2022 season. The Chargers are projected to have $56.29 million in cap space, the third most in the league, according to OvertheCap.com.

Telesco has often expressed support for Williams, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft. Telesco will likely push to keep Herbert’s go-to target for the long haul, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he uses the franchise tag to keep Williams off the market and buy more time to work out a multi-year extension.

The deadline for teams to use the franchise tag is March 8.

BULAGA’S FUTURE WITH THE CHARGERS

Telesco said he hasn’t made a decision whether right tackle Bryan Bulaga will be with the team for the 2022 season.

The Chargers would get $10.75 million in cap savings if they release Bulaga, according to OvertheCap.com

“Undetermined right now,” Telesco said. “We’ll have time to work through those decisions moving forward.”

That decision could come soon because the tampering period for free agency starts March 14 and Bulaga is due for a $2.5 million roster bonus later in the month.

All signs point to the Chargers taking the out on the three-year, $30 million contract Bulaga signed in 2020. Bulaga has played only a combined 11 games since joining the Chargers because of multiple injuries.

BEING AGGRESSIVE

In light of any contract situations with Herbert, the star quarterback who’s eligible for an extension after the 2022 season, here’s what Telesco said about possibly being aggressive in free agency and in the draft:

“We try to be aggressive every year, just depends on what our resources are and what our circumstances are for at that point,” Telesco said. “You just have to attack in different ways. This year, we can attack a little bit differently because we do have a lot of cap space and we do have a quarterback on a rookie deal. But you know, the goal every year is the same. The goal is to challenge and to compete for a championship.

“But your circumstances change as far as cap space, as far as where your roster is, where your quarterback is, do you have a quarterback? Do you not? It’s just different, but doesn’t change our goal to go into a championship.”

THE TIGHT ENDS GROUP

Telesco did slip for a second by hinting that veteran tight end Jared Cook won’t be back for the upcoming season.

If Cook, a pending free agent, doesn’t return, that would leave the Chargers with Tre’ McKitty, Donald Parham Jr. and Stephen Anderson.

McKitty, a third-round pick last year, saw limited snaps and was primarily used as a blocking tight end during his rookie season. Anderson contributed more as a fullback, and Parham showed signs of improvement as a pass catcher and blocker as the team’s No. 2 tight end behind Cook, who struggled in his first season with the Chargers.

“I like the young guys and I like the roles they played,” Telesco said. “Obviously, it’s probably a group we’re gonna have to add to somehow because that room is a little small. Jared Cook is not in there, which I don’t know yet. But if he’s not, we’ve got a void there. I like the roles that those guys played. But it’s also a room that’s maybe not complete yet either.”

FINDING SPEED

Williams was the Chargers’ best deep-threat target last season because of his size and knack for coming down with contested passes, but he’s not the speed wideout.

Related Articles

That role has belonged to Jalen Guyton the past two seasons. He has shown flashes of being a quality deep threat, but perhaps not enough. Regardless if the Chargers re-sign Williams, they could be looking to add more weapons and speed for Herbert.

“We could use a little more,” Telesco said. “You never turn speed down. … (Williams) gives us a vertical threat in a different way just with his ball skills. But Jalen Guyton was really kind of that guy for us to stretch the field, but you can always need extra speed on the field on offense. Austin Ekeler gives us speed in the backfield, but you can never have enough of it.”