The Chargers weren’t messing around this offseason and went for a full teardown as they parted ways with Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in favor of restructuring contracts with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. They also made a splash by bringing in head coach Jim Harbaugh to choose from the NFL draft to build their receiving corps and grabbed a stellar offensive tackle in Joe Alt out of Notre Dame. The question now is building chemistry between a brand-new offense and an experienced, but inconsistent defense in training camp. This team did make a lot of interesting moves in the draft that will certainly make them a must-watch and an exciting contender in 2024. 

This team is in the best position to succeed after the NFL draft as they focused on getting stronger in the trenches rather than going for splashy, headlining winning picks.  The receiving core has been completely retooled from the ground up in the last two drafts with the names of Quentin Johnston, Brenden Rice out of USC, second-round pick Ladd McConkey out of Georgia, and out of Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan-class Cornelius Johnson.  This will be a receiving class that will determine whether this team can be a Super Bowl contender or just another also-ran.  Justin Herbert has his work cut out for him with this group, so there will be some growing pains in the coming months as he to adjust to the new status quo.  This team wants to pound the ball, keep defenses off-balanced and then strike with Herbert’s arm.  Defensively, this group hasn’t changed much, which is not the worst thing in the world on paper.  Meanwhile, injuries to guys like Derwin James hurt their chances to cover the backend. This group still sits pretty well with Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, and Asante Samuel Jr., but they need more help as they finished 30th in passing allowed, 24th in points allowed and 26th in rushing TDs allowed.  Instead of building for Justin Herbert, it seems they have finally figured out how to build around him in a similar fashion to what the Detroit Lions have done around Jared Goff.  Herbert remains one of the elite arm talents in the league and by not asking him to do all the heavy lifting, he might actually live up to all the hype.

Writer’s Season Win Prediction: 11-6

The biggest strength of this team is Justin Herbert, full stop.  So much will be on him to not just produce, but be more effective than in recent years with the new offensive scheme of John Harbaugh. The receiving core has now evolved to become much younger and faster, but can they catch the ball?  This outside speed will allow Herbert to make quick, decisive decisions and hopefully not take the same beating he has in recent seasons.  As mentioned, the short passing game you might see in the first few months of the season will create fantasy opportunities with a fast offense and a balanced red zone attack. I expect a stronger emphasis on Justin Herbert’s legs to extend plays and rush for yards himself when the opportunity presents itself.  This red zone offense should also be a significant strength moving forward. Joe Alt, who will play one of the tackle positions after being the first-round pick from Notre Dame for this club, will be critical to helping not just Justin Herbert, but the entire offense succeed.  His lateral movement will provide Herbert with more time in the pocket and extend plays. He’ll be joined with some young experience on the offensive line who are returning Rashawn Slater and Corey Lindsley (just recently retired). Herbert also has nice safety valves if the receivers struggle to get open downfield. The tight end group is led by former Seahawk Will Dissly, former Panthers Hayden Hurst,  and returning Donald Parham Jr. 

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