Posted by Josh Katzowitz

The Chargers officially added WR Vincent Jackson to its roster today (and, in the process, released K Kris Brown), so it’s time to figure out what this means for San Diego.

Obviously, his inclusion will help the Chargers. Or, at least, it should.

QB Philip Rivers has been awesome this year – he’s on pace to break Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a season – and as a result, the Chargers average 418.2 yards per game, tops in the NFL. San Diego, by the way, ranks 17th in the running game, so the fact the Chargers are No. 1 overall is an impressive accomplishment for Rivers (and TE Antonio Gates).

Let’s assume for a second that Jackson will perform somewhat close to what he’s provided on the field in previous seasons.

The past two years he’s averaged 63.5 catches for 1,132.5 yards and eight touchdowns – that equals four catches, 73 yards and 0.5 TDs per game, respectively – and if he can provide his team that kind of production, the Chargers offense will get even better.

For now, Jackson will have to be as good as advertised.

WR Patrick Crayton, who’s having one of the best seasons of his career, will be out for the next couple weeks because of the wrist injury he suffered Monday, WR Malcom Floyd is still dealing with a hamstring issue that’s affecting his playing time and WR Legedu Naanee can’t kick his hamstring problem. Plus, Gates’ plantar fasciitis continues to hamper him.

The other question, though, is whether Jackson can perform at the same level after not playing all season because of that nasty contract dispute. According to teammates, he’s practiced at a very high level for the past three weeks, and judging by Sidney Rice’s performance last week (three catches, 57 yards), it’s possible for a WR who hasn’t played all year to be effective after missing 10 games (or, in Rice’s case, nine games).

At this point, though, Jackson’s effectiveness has become a need instead of simply a nice addition for a Chargers team who, once again, is thinking about the postseason. And Jackson will get his chance to prove he's worth the extraordinary amount of money that he feels he deserves.

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