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Continuing my series on Potential WC teams, lets talk about the Chargers. They finished 11th in PPG on offense and 1st in PPG on defense.
Notable players on Offense
Herbert is the QB. And there are a lot of questions about how good he is. Is he just good or can he be a true elite? We will find out maybe this year. But If i had to guess. He seems to be in the very good but not elite tier, and that makes a big difference.
McConkey was their #1 WR rookie pass catcher and after his first 6 games started to come on strong. Johnson improved in his 2nd year from 431 yards to 711 and was their #2 option. Palmer was their #3 at 584 and Dissly their TE was a decent #4 option with 481. Their other TEs aren’t really worth mentioning much. After that there is a massive drop off. But the next most important option by sheer receptions was Dobbins who had 32 grabs.
Speaking of RBs. Dobbins had a good year rushing with 905 but he missed some time. Edwards helped out with 365. Herbert was their 3rd best rusher at 306. They had some other guys but Dobbins/Edwards pretty much handled most of the reps.
On O line rookie Joe Alt had a very strong showing at RT. The question of if an RT is worth the 5th pick is a good one, but if you were to pick one, Joe wouldn’t be a bad option. Slater is arguably the best LT in the league. After drafting Alt, Pipkins moved inside to guard. He struggled there, but not a total dumpster fire. But not really starter level. Zion Johnson was solid in the other guard spot. Bradley their center probably shouldn’t be starting. But it is close.
Notable players on Defense
The DL featured rookie Tuipulotu, Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Ogbonnia, Tart and Joey Bosa.... But we need to start with Mack. Who kind of plays the edge role and is an OLB as much as a DE... but he always attacks the QB. He’s Mack after all even in his more advanced age. Joey Bosa stayed mostly healthy last year and is another big part of their edge rush, but he showed when he is on the field he is still a factor. But not as much as he was before the injuries sadly. Still impactful though. Tuli plays mostly DE but some DI too and has had a good rookie year. A lesser known name but big part of their D and how good they have been. Ford on the other hand lives in the middle of that line and though he is only 310 is a bit of a beast in the run game and a very good pass rusher as well. Tart is another lesser known player on that DL who is really good all around. Morgan Fox is okay depth. The fact he was probably their worst main guy shows how good they were here. It is worth noting that while all of these guys grade well, a lot of that probably comes down to having Mack, Bosa and each other to take up attention. Particularly Mack who still got it done at 33 years old.
At LB I’ll start with their Edge. Mack was already mentioned as well as Tuli who plays a good amount of OLB too so.. Bud Dupree played a lot of snaps here, but has seen better days. Last year wasn’t good for him. He was the only other OLB who played meaningful snaps for them. On the inside Henley was almost always out there and played very well in his role. He is a good player. The other LB spot was mostly Perryman, Troy Dye and sometimes Derwin James coming down. We’ll get to James later. Perryman is a solid LB when healthy. Dye is a solid starter no question.
At CB Tarheeb Still had a very solid rookie year. Fulton has a very good skill set. Molden is their #1 who also plays a bit of safety sometimes... he is what I'd call ‘almost a true elite’. Very good and a solid #1... but not quite one of ‘those guys’ imo. However this top 3 with Still as the new nickel is really good. No weak spot to attack. Hart and Taylor were serviceable enough back ups when these 3 all had short term injuries. At Safety is Derwin James. One of the best at his position. Giman the other starter was not good last year and usually hasn’t been, but had a very strong 2023.
FA losses - Bosa - Edge, Palmer - WR, Fulton - CB, Ford - DI, Gus Edwards - RB, Morgan Fox -DI.
FA Gains - Becton - RG, Donte Jackson - CB Najee Harris - RB, Mike Williams - WR, Corklin - TE.
Overall it looks like they lost more than they gained in FA. But Williams could surprise a bit this year and RG was a clear need. That being said they lost a lot of talent on that DL.
Now for the Draft
Hampton at RB was the first pick at 22. Personally, I question this pick. He is a good player, but was it the biggest need and the best value? Maybe someone like Matthew Golden - WR or James Peirce - DE or Malaki Starks - S makes more sense here?
Tre Harris is a great value and need pick at 55. 86 Caldwell - DT and 125 Kennard - DE help with their DL... I am higher on Kennard though. I don’t love any picks after this. At 158 was Lambert-Smith - WR, 165 Gadsden - TE, 199 - Branson Taylor - OL 214 - Mickens - S, 256 Trikweze Bridgers - S. Mickens could be good value, but no one else is someone i like much.
Overall the Chargers have made it a habit to hit well in the first 3 rounds recently. They did so in 2023 and 2024, i think they will again here. Jim Harbaugh has done a great job managing building teams before, he is doing it again here. I think overall they found good value in this latest draft, though again i question the RB pick at 22. I think they had better options.
Where do i see this team in 2025?
First, I want to talk about this D. Clearly this was a very talented unit in 2024, but 2 things stuck out to me. One is they had only 9 turnovers on offense all year, 2nd best in the league. The offense rarely put the D in a bad spot because of it. Also, they finished 11th in total yards surrendered. Some would argue this is a positive for the D. That they bent but didn’t break. But i don’t think the D was built that way. This was an attacking D in 2024. So i happen to think this means due to numerous factors like not facing many good offenses and the ones they did faced scored on them pretty regularly this was not the best D that year. This is not to say i think they weren’t good on D... but probably don’t deserve to be called the best.
They enter this year in a worse state. Bosa was mostly healthy last year for a change, and that was a big help. Mack will still be a great player, and he was arguably still great last year. But he will be 34 this year. They lost a lot of nice depth on the D Line as well as a key starter. That will matter. Ford in particular is an underrated loss. They also downgraded at CB. Jackson for Fulton isn’t a good swap IMO.
This doesn’t mean this D will be bad. They still have a lot of really good players and I do think a few draft picks will contribute as well as some second year guys taking a step up. Still their CB should look more consistent. It is hard to argue they won't be taking a step back on D, but this should still be a unit close to the top of the league.
On offense they clearly got better. Their O line got help on the inside and now should overall be really solid. They clearly gained at RB. They added a good 2nd TE in Conklin. While not a game breaker he is a legit threat to do something with the ball. WR is the key though. In the playoffs we saw their offense had basically become the Ladd show, and it wasn’t enough. Harris will be a nice get for them I think. Johnson still has some room to improve in year 3. And Mike Williams who looked really bad last year had a lot of success on the Chargers before and might have 1 more big year in him. He was good there in 2022. So not long ago. Last year they finished 11th in PPG but 20th in YPG. I think their O was in the middle of those numbers. They lacked options outside of Ladd who could make plays. This year there is every reason to think they will be better.
So do i think their offense improved more than their defense got worse? Maybe. But the point is the balance will help more. These days you really need your offense to do more for you, as Ds just don’t shut down teams like they use to consistently. The Chargers are probably taking a step towards the right direction.
While they may have less talent overall (maybe not) i think they are better built to compete this year. Particularly if Ladd continues to take a step up. Of Ladd’s 1149 yards in the regular season, 884 came in his last 10 games. 657 came in his last 7 games (94 YPG ave) and of course he got 197 yards in his playoff game, And a fair amount of that came with the game still in reach. BTW, those per game numbers in the last half of the year put Ladd with the likes of Jefferson and Nacua.
The Chargers should have a harder schedule this year, but if Ladd becomes one of ‘those guys’ and the other offensive pieces work out more or less like i think they will (not perfectly, but pretty well) I see this team as overall more capable of winning against those good teams. It must be said they had some bad breaks last year. They could have easily gone 12-5 or even 13-4 if they had more luck. With that in mind I think 12-5 is very possible and is my pick. They may even be the division winner if Ladd is the player i think he is... and d%#*!@t we should've had him!
Notable players on Offense
Herbert is the QB. And there are a lot of questions about how good he is. Is he just good or can he be a true elite? We will find out maybe this year. But If i had to guess. He seems to be in the very good but not elite tier, and that makes a big difference.
McConkey was their #1 WR rookie pass catcher and after his first 6 games started to come on strong. Johnson improved in his 2nd year from 431 yards to 711 and was their #2 option. Palmer was their #3 at 584 and Dissly their TE was a decent #4 option with 481. Their other TEs aren’t really worth mentioning much. After that there is a massive drop off. But the next most important option by sheer receptions was Dobbins who had 32 grabs.
Speaking of RBs. Dobbins had a good year rushing with 905 but he missed some time. Edwards helped out with 365. Herbert was their 3rd best rusher at 306. They had some other guys but Dobbins/Edwards pretty much handled most of the reps.
On O line rookie Joe Alt had a very strong showing at RT. The question of if an RT is worth the 5th pick is a good one, but if you were to pick one, Joe wouldn’t be a bad option. Slater is arguably the best LT in the league. After drafting Alt, Pipkins moved inside to guard. He struggled there, but not a total dumpster fire. But not really starter level. Zion Johnson was solid in the other guard spot. Bradley their center probably shouldn’t be starting. But it is close.
Notable players on Defense
The DL featured rookie Tuipulotu, Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Ogbonnia, Tart and Joey Bosa.... But we need to start with Mack. Who kind of plays the edge role and is an OLB as much as a DE... but he always attacks the QB. He’s Mack after all even in his more advanced age. Joey Bosa stayed mostly healthy last year and is another big part of their edge rush, but he showed when he is on the field he is still a factor. But not as much as he was before the injuries sadly. Still impactful though. Tuli plays mostly DE but some DI too and has had a good rookie year. A lesser known name but big part of their D and how good they have been. Ford on the other hand lives in the middle of that line and though he is only 310 is a bit of a beast in the run game and a very good pass rusher as well. Tart is another lesser known player on that DL who is really good all around. Morgan Fox is okay depth. The fact he was probably their worst main guy shows how good they were here. It is worth noting that while all of these guys grade well, a lot of that probably comes down to having Mack, Bosa and each other to take up attention. Particularly Mack who still got it done at 33 years old.
At LB I’ll start with their Edge. Mack was already mentioned as well as Tuli who plays a good amount of OLB too so.. Bud Dupree played a lot of snaps here, but has seen better days. Last year wasn’t good for him. He was the only other OLB who played meaningful snaps for them. On the inside Henley was almost always out there and played very well in his role. He is a good player. The other LB spot was mostly Perryman, Troy Dye and sometimes Derwin James coming down. We’ll get to James later. Perryman is a solid LB when healthy. Dye is a solid starter no question.
At CB Tarheeb Still had a very solid rookie year. Fulton has a very good skill set. Molden is their #1 who also plays a bit of safety sometimes... he is what I'd call ‘almost a true elite’. Very good and a solid #1... but not quite one of ‘those guys’ imo. However this top 3 with Still as the new nickel is really good. No weak spot to attack. Hart and Taylor were serviceable enough back ups when these 3 all had short term injuries. At Safety is Derwin James. One of the best at his position. Giman the other starter was not good last year and usually hasn’t been, but had a very strong 2023.
FA losses - Bosa - Edge, Palmer - WR, Fulton - CB, Ford - DI, Gus Edwards - RB, Morgan Fox -DI.
FA Gains - Becton - RG, Donte Jackson - CB Najee Harris - RB, Mike Williams - WR, Corklin - TE.
Overall it looks like they lost more than they gained in FA. But Williams could surprise a bit this year and RG was a clear need. That being said they lost a lot of talent on that DL.
Now for the Draft
Hampton at RB was the first pick at 22. Personally, I question this pick. He is a good player, but was it the biggest need and the best value? Maybe someone like Matthew Golden - WR or James Peirce - DE or Malaki Starks - S makes more sense here?
Tre Harris is a great value and need pick at 55. 86 Caldwell - DT and 125 Kennard - DE help with their DL... I am higher on Kennard though. I don’t love any picks after this. At 158 was Lambert-Smith - WR, 165 Gadsden - TE, 199 - Branson Taylor - OL 214 - Mickens - S, 256 Trikweze Bridgers - S. Mickens could be good value, but no one else is someone i like much.
Overall the Chargers have made it a habit to hit well in the first 3 rounds recently. They did so in 2023 and 2024, i think they will again here. Jim Harbaugh has done a great job managing building teams before, he is doing it again here. I think overall they found good value in this latest draft, though again i question the RB pick at 22. I think they had better options.
Where do i see this team in 2025?
First, I want to talk about this D. Clearly this was a very talented unit in 2024, but 2 things stuck out to me. One is they had only 9 turnovers on offense all year, 2nd best in the league. The offense rarely put the D in a bad spot because of it. Also, they finished 11th in total yards surrendered. Some would argue this is a positive for the D. That they bent but didn’t break. But i don’t think the D was built that way. This was an attacking D in 2024. So i happen to think this means due to numerous factors like not facing many good offenses and the ones they did faced scored on them pretty regularly this was not the best D that year. This is not to say i think they weren’t good on D... but probably don’t deserve to be called the best.
They enter this year in a worse state. Bosa was mostly healthy last year for a change, and that was a big help. Mack will still be a great player, and he was arguably still great last year. But he will be 34 this year. They lost a lot of nice depth on the D Line as well as a key starter. That will matter. Ford in particular is an underrated loss. They also downgraded at CB. Jackson for Fulton isn’t a good swap IMO.
This doesn’t mean this D will be bad. They still have a lot of really good players and I do think a few draft picks will contribute as well as some second year guys taking a step up. Still their CB should look more consistent. It is hard to argue they won't be taking a step back on D, but this should still be a unit close to the top of the league.
On offense they clearly got better. Their O line got help on the inside and now should overall be really solid. They clearly gained at RB. They added a good 2nd TE in Conklin. While not a game breaker he is a legit threat to do something with the ball. WR is the key though. In the playoffs we saw their offense had basically become the Ladd show, and it wasn’t enough. Harris will be a nice get for them I think. Johnson still has some room to improve in year 3. And Mike Williams who looked really bad last year had a lot of success on the Chargers before and might have 1 more big year in him. He was good there in 2022. So not long ago. Last year they finished 11th in PPG but 20th in YPG. I think their O was in the middle of those numbers. They lacked options outside of Ladd who could make plays. This year there is every reason to think they will be better.
So do i think their offense improved more than their defense got worse? Maybe. But the point is the balance will help more. These days you really need your offense to do more for you, as Ds just don’t shut down teams like they use to consistently. The Chargers are probably taking a step towards the right direction.
While they may have less talent overall (maybe not) i think they are better built to compete this year. Particularly if Ladd continues to take a step up. Of Ladd’s 1149 yards in the regular season, 884 came in his last 10 games. 657 came in his last 7 games (94 YPG ave) and of course he got 197 yards in his playoff game, And a fair amount of that came with the game still in reach. BTW, those per game numbers in the last half of the year put Ladd with the likes of Jefferson and Nacua.
The Chargers should have a harder schedule this year, but if Ladd becomes one of ‘those guys’ and the other offensive pieces work out more or less like i think they will (not perfectly, but pretty well) I see this team as overall more capable of winning against those good teams. It must be said they had some bad breaks last year. They could have easily gone 12-5 or even 13-4 if they had more luck. With that in mind I think 12-5 is very possible and is my pick. They may even be the division winner if Ladd is the player i think he is... and d%#*!@t we should've had him!
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