What’s Next for the Los Angeles Chargers?
Photo Credit: Ryan Sun, AP Photo
Heading into quarterback Justin Herbert’s fourth year at the helm of the offense, the Los Angeles Chargers seemed poised for a successful season. Kellen Moore had been hired as the offensive coordinator to call plays in lieu of Joe Lombardi, who was fired in the 2023 offseason.
Fast-forward to today, and the Chargers are in a much different position than many expected them to be. They don’t have a head coach or a general manager, and finished 2023 with five wins. Their season was derailed by injuries, close games, and underachievement from a variety of players.
Herbert fractured his index finger on his throwing hand in December, running back Austin Ekeler’s production regressed drastically, and rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston had an underwhelming year.
However, this team isn’t set up in a terrible spot moving forward this offseason. Yes, they are in one of the worst salary cap positions imaginable, but they can retool this team behind one of the best young quarterbacks in the league.
Ending the season on a five-game losing streak, the Chargers landed themselves the fifth overall pick, a prime position to take star wide receiver Rome Odunze from Washington, who was a finalist for the Biletnikoff award, given to the best receiver in college football.
Many mock drafts show that Malik Nabers, Louisiana State’s standout receiver who was also a Biletnikoff finalist, will also be available for that pick, so they can go with either.
The Chargers also possesses the 37th overall pick, where they can go in a multitude of directions to help fill some of the holes on the team.
Along with the high draft pick, the Chargers have an opening at the head coaching position, with the top rumor to fill that position being Jim Harbaugh, who is coming off a National Championship as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.
It was seen this year with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts that making the right coaching hire can drastically change the future for a franchise. Those franchises were two of the worst teams in the league last year, and this year played essentially a play-in game to make the playoffs in Week 18 after their new head coaches changed the cultures of each franchise.
Harbaugh has proven in the past that he is a much better NFL head coach than Brandon Staley, who Los Angeles fired in the middle of the season. As the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14, Harbaugh had a record of 44-19, and made it to the Super Bowl in the 2012-13 season.
However, the cap situation for LA is rough going forward. They won’t be able to spend in free agency, as they have four players who are on the books for more than $32 million.
In an AFC West division that looks like it will be as wide open as ever in 2024, the Chargers need to make the right moves this offseason to try and establish themselves as the new top dog of the division. The Raiders are in a similar spot to the Chargers but are without a franchise quarterback, the Broncos are a total mess, and the Chiefs seem to be trending downward from what they used to be.
The Chargers have flashed their potential but have never seemed to fully grasp it with Brandon Staley as the head coach. With Herbert in his prime, this team needs to take advantage of his talents and not mess up arguably the most important offseason in the Herbert era.
