Heading into the 2024 campaign and coming off a 5-12 2023 campaign that led to former coach Brandon Staley being terminated and new head coach Jim Harbaugh being appointed. The Chargers had high hopes as now Justin Herbert would finally be in position to succeed with the hire of Harbaugh who is amongst the greatest football coaches ever. The Chargers’ 2024 campaign was successful although it culminated in a first round playoff exit. Coming off a 5-12 season it was perhaps unreasonable to imagine that even with the hire of Harbaugh combined with star quarterback Justin Herbert, that the team could mount a deep playoff run in year 1. Despite exiting the postseason early in year 1, the first year with Harbaugh at the helm was still one of the more successful turn arounds that a franchise has had with a first year head coach. The foundation for the future led by Harbaugh and Herbert has indeed been set as the Chargers will be a perennial contender for years to come with those two individuals. As Jim Harbaugh even if he retired today will go down as one of the greatest football coaches ever. As he is the only coach who has won coach of the year honors on both the collegiate and professional levels. Justin Herbert, although he has yet to win a postseason game in the NFL, is still one of the most talented quarterbacks in the game of football.
The Chargers finished the 2024 regular season with the number one scoring defense in the NFL. Jim Harbaugh brought over his defensive coordinator from Michigan named Jesse Minter and in year 1 of the Harbaugh era they turned around the 24th ranked scoring defense in the NFL into the 1st ranked scoring defense in the NFL. The Chargers only have three starters on the defensive side of the ball slated to be free agents this offseason and the Chargers currently have the 4th most cap space in the NFL. The Chargers can certainly field just as good if not a better defense in the 2025 season especially since they have so much cap space and Harbaugh/Minter will head into their second full season together. Although the Chargers’ defense finished as the number one scoring defense in the regular season there were still more than a few other defenses that were of a similar caliber to the Chargers. As Los Angeles only finished in the number one scoring defense rank by .1 points ahead of the number two spot (Eagles). Although the Chargers finished as the number one scoring defense in the regular season they finished being graded as the 6th best defense in professional football by Pro Football Focus in the regular season. The Eagles, Lions, Ravens, Chiefs, Steelers, Broncos, Texans, and some others had defenses that were of a similar caliber from a statistical/grading standpoint and just from an eye test standpoint as well. Perhaps an approach the Chargers can utilize this offseason would revolve around investing on the defensive side of the ball even more-so so their defense can be elite-caliber to the point where they are delineated from the remaining elite defenses as opposed to just being neck and neck with them. With all the cap space Los Angeles has and with Harbaugh/Minter going into year 2 together, along with the lack of free agents on the defensive roster. I fully expect the Chargers to field an elite caliber defense next season similar to the one they had this past season.
The offensive side of the ball was the struggle last season for the Los Angeles Chargers as the team consistently struggled to score the football with the likes of most of the remaining playoff teams as Los Angeles ranked only 11th in the NFL in points per game scored in the regular season. The team also mightily struggled on offense in their playoff loss to the Houston Texans scoring only 12 points.
The current offensive breakdown for the Chargers is below with me assigning a subjective grade to each significant player. This grade is based on past performance, grades assigned to them by Pro Football Focus, and how good their statistical output has been thus far in their career.
LT – Rashawn Slater – A
LG – Zion Johnson – C+ to B-
C – Bradley Bozeman – C+, free agent
RG – Trey Pipikins III – C+ to B-
RT – Joe Alt – B+ to A-, 1st round pick in 2024, still improving.
TE1 – Will Dissly – B-
TE2 – Hayden Hurst – C+, free agent
WR1 – Ladd McConkey – B+
WR2 – Quentin Johnston – C+
HB1- J.K Dobbins – B to B+, free agent
HB2 – Gus Edwards – B-
The lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball combined with the lack of a truly domineering offensive line along with Harbaugh/Herbert struggling to catch their full stride in their first year together contributed to the stagnation of the offense. Addressing the primary wideouts of the team I can offer the following.
WR1 – Ladd McConkey – B+
WR2 – Quentin Johnston – C+
2024 high second round pick Ladd McConkey led the Chargers in receptions and receiving yards during the 2024 campaign as a rookie. However, with him having a smaller frame he is better suited as a number two wideout. The team lacked the presence of a true number 1 wide receiver during the 2024 campaign, which is a large part of what led to the team’s undoing. 2023 first round pick Quentin Johnston has been underwhelming thus far for the Los Angeles Chargers. Although Johnston has not been a bust for the Chargers as a top draft pick, he has certainly not given the Chargers the production they had hoped for from a first round pick. Johnston had over 700 yards this past season despite missing a few games and despite the offense not functioning at an optimal level as of yet due to Harbaugh/Herbert being in year 1 together. The number one checkbox for the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason should be acquiring a dominant definitive number one wideout such as a Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, or a Stefon Diggs who are slated to be free agents this offseason. Maneuvering a trade for the likes of Tyreek Hill who has expressed his displeasure with his current team would be a smart move for the Chargers as well. Doing this will allow McConkey to thrive in a number two wideout spot where he is perhaps better suited. It will also allow the likes of Quentin Johnston to move to being the team’s number three wideout as he does possess high end capabilities and can serve the team well, but he cannot be fully relied upon as one of a team’s two primary wideouts. Addressing the tight ends of the team I can offer the following.
TE1 – Will Dissly – B-
TE2 – Hayden Hurst – C+, free agent
The tight end spot was also one of concern for the Los Angeles Chargers this past season as the team lacked a dynamic highly effective player at the position which supplemented the receiving concerns the team already had. Both Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst are solid capable NFL players, but neither is a true number one tight end. With the available cap space that the Chargers have this offseason which again ranks in the top five in the NFL. The team should look into acquiring a tight end via free agency such as the likes of a Juwan Johnson. However, with the tight end free agent market being very slim this offseason perhaps the Chargers should look into drafting a tight end in the first two rounds. The wide receiver spot should be more of an emphasis for the Chargers this offseason. So, to address that need Los Angeles should look to the free agent market where they can find established player(s) who are not as risky to bring on. Whereas although the tight end spot is indeed a concern for Los Angeles, the tight end position in general is not as valuable as the wideout spot. With the tight end free agent market being slim, Los Angeles should look to the draft instead of free agency to address this need on the roster. Addressing the running back unit of the team I can offer the following.
HB1- J.K Dobbins – B to B+, free agent
HB2 – Gus Edwards – B-
The running back unit in the 2024 campaign was led by former Raven standouts Gus Edwards and J.K Dobbins. The running back unit for the Chargers entering the 2024 campaign along with the tackle positions was the strong suit of the Chargers’ offensive personnel. J.K Dobbins was a standpoint for Baltimore and in the first portion of the 2024 season he was having an MVP caliber season for the Chargers. It remains to be seen if he is a true number one back, and even if he is a true number one back, how good of a number one back is he? Regardless, Dobbins’ health will be a concern for Los Angeles as he has already had two season ending injuries less than five years into his career. Dobbins is also a free agent entering the offseason and his status on the team next season is obviously a question mark. Gus Edwards served as the team’s number two halfback last season and did not have his best season averaging less than 4 yards a carry which ranked in the bottom 10 in the NFL among running backs with the qualified number of carries. The running back spot is not nearly as big of a concern as the team’s receiving core. As Dobbins when healthy is potentially a true number one running back and Gus Edwards although he had a down year in 2024 is still a strong number two back. However, given how unproven Dobbins still is as a number one running back, how injury prone he is, and the fact that he is a free agent. Along with how Gus Edwards since leaving the domineering running offense of the Ravens which allowed him to flourish, has been ineffective as a back. The Chargers with all the cap space they have could certainly look to acquiring a true star running back to bolster their running back room even further. Similar to what the Eagles did last offseason in acquiring Saquon Barkley and to what the Ravens did last offseason in acquiring Derrick Henry. Running back Aaron Jones from the Minnesota Vikings will be a free agent this offseason and he could serve in the Henry or Barkley role for the Chargers next season. Running back Ashton Jeanty from Boise State is a top 10 prospect entering this year’s draft and the Chargers could definitely trade up to acquire him in order to add star power at the halfback position. Allowing the still unproven and injury prone Dobbins to serve as the team’s number two running back where he is likely a better fit if he does return to the team. While also allowing Edwards to thrive in the number three role serving as a solid backup given how weak his production has been thus far in unideal circumstances for a halfback. Addressing the offensive line of the team I can offer the following.
LT – Rashawn Slater – A
LG – Zion Johnson – C+ to B-
C – Bradley Bozeman – C+, free agent
RG – Trey Pipkins III – C+ to B-
RT – Joe Alt – B+ to A-, 1st round pick before 2024, still improving.
Given how relatively pedestrian to below average the Chargers’ skill position players were this past season, only with a domineering offensive line would the Chargers be a viable enough team to advance deep into the postseason. Regardless of how good the defense is and how strong of a head coach and quarterback combination Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh are. The Chargers’ offensive line this past season was respectable and solid but far from domineering as the Chargers’ offensive line ranks were the following for the 2024 regular season.
16th in pass blocking efficiency
20th in sacks allowed
21st in run blocking grade
7th in pass blocking grade
Take out the last metric and the offensive line for the Los Angeles Chargers this past season was more-so trending towards being a below average unit as opposed to a domineering one. The Chargers have a solid foundation for the offensive front going forward led by two star tackles who are both young and entering their primes in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Slater, a first round pick in 2021, after having performed very well in his first three NFL seasons took his game up a notch in the 2024 campaign finishing as being graded as the number two tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. 2024 first rounder Joe Alt had a strong rookie season ranking in the top 20 among all tackles in terms of an overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus. The two together formed one of the best tackle combinations in professional football this past season and will form one of the strongest tackle combinations for years to come in the NFL. The interior of the team’s offensive line was their undoing however as all three remaining starters by the names of Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, and Trey Pipkins III were average to below average starters at their positions heading into the 2024 campaign and performed as such this past season as well. A route of option that should be explored for the likes of the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason should revolve around upgrading the interior of the offensive line to complement the elite tackle play. There are many star interior offensive linemen available this offseason on the free agent market. Such as Mekhi Becton of the Philadelphia Eagles, Kevin Zeitler of the Detroit Lions, Trey Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs, James Daniels of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Teven Jenkins of the Chicago Bears, Will Fries of the Colts, and Drew Dalman of the Falcons. Given how stacked the interior offensive line talent this free agent classed is filled with, as all the above players rank among the better if not the best players at their respective interior offensive line positions. Given how much cap space the Chargers have, combined with the Chargers’ need at the position, the Chargers should certainly look into acquiring at least one or more of the aforementioned players.
Overall, the Chargers have a very bright future as in a head coach + quarterback league the Chargers have one of the 3-4 best combinations of head coach and quarterback in the NFL along with the likes of the Ravens, Chiefs, and Rams. Head coach Jim Harbaugh, although he has yet to lift a Lombardi Trophy, is still one of the greatest coaches the game of football has ever seen. As he is the only coach ever to win coach of the year honors on both the collegiate and professional levels. No coach has been prone to turn around the fortunes of losing teams/franchises/programs more quickly, effectively, and successfully than Jim Harbaugh has as well. Harbaugh still has had an elite quarterback talent in the NFL for a grand total of one season and one could certainly argue that if he has had one for an extended period, he would have a Super Bowl championship as of now. Justin Herbert is still an elite quarterback talent whose combination of arm strength, size, and refined throwing ability ranks up there with any quarterback ever. Although he has failed to win a playoff game as of yet and he certainly deserves a good amount of culpability for that being the case. He is still going to be a top 5-6 quarterback in the game for years to come and certainly does not have the reputation of a postseason choker as of yet in my estimation. The Raiders still lack direction in the AFC West, and they will likely not be in contention with the remaining three teams in the division next season. The Chargers feel like a better version of Denver as Herbert is still the more talented former Oregon Ducks quarterback who wears number 10 compared to his counterpart Bo Nix. I am also still taking Jim Harbaugh as a head coach over the likes of Sean Payton, and the Chargers even swept the Broncos in division this past season. Obviously, the Kansas City Chiefs are the dynasty of the NFL, and the Chargers consistently lose to them including getting swept this past season. But both the Chargers losses were very narrow to Kansas City in 2024 by one possession each. The Chiefs are far from an unbeatable juggernaut as they consistently failed to score points this past season and eventually got eviscerated come Super Bowl time by the Eagles. There are very strong arguments to be made for Herbert being just as talented if not more talented than Patrick Mahomes. Such as Herbert having just as strong of an arm while still being 3-4 inches taller and Herbert having shown the ability to overcome a weak offensive line whereas Mahomes has not proven that he is capable of doing that to the extent Herbert has proven it. There are also several arguments to be made for Jim Harbaugh being the superior coach to Andy Reid. Reid has not shown that he can flourish at both the NFL and collegiate levels like Jim Harbaugh has. Andy Reid has not shown that he can turn around the losing fortunes of franchises and/or programs to nearly the extent that Harbaugh has proven he can either. I liken the Chargers to make a deep playoff run and legitimately contend to win the Super Bowl next season. As what stopped the Chargers from doing that this past season can certainly be resolved next season. The lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and just the overall mediocre offensive personnel present on the roster outside of Herbert can be resolved. It can be resolved by the team making key offseason acquisitions on the offensive side with the team’s over 75 million in cap space which currently ranks 4th in the NFL. The other primary factor that led to the Chargers’ demise this past season can be attributed to Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert lacking sufficient time together which obviously will be an issue that will be resolved as the two head into their second full season together. I strongly feel as if the Chargers with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert will end up winning a Lombardi Trophy at some point. If the Chargers’ front office plays their cards right this offseason and if Herbert and Harbaugh really come into their own in 2025, that year could certainly be next season.
