What are the Chargers Doing this Offseason?

This has already been a wild offseason for the Chargers. Make no mistake, this is a season of transition. Whether good or bad, the Chargers are in a rebuild of sorts, and while the front office insists that they have their sights firmly set on a ring, they are remaking this team in their own image, and that may not be accomplished in a single season. Let's get started.

Changes Start at the Top

The Chargers fired General Manager Tom Telesco after 11 years with the team that included 3 different head coaches, 3 playoff appearances , and zero AFC West titles. Telesco struggled to draft quality players, especially early in his tenure, and failed to re-sign many of his own draft picks to extensions over the years. The Chargers were always competitive, but could not win close games consistently enough to ever be considered a good team. Ultimately, it was a culture issue that that the Chargers could never get right, and he takes that culture to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Brandon Staley was fired after three seasons as the head coach. His wildly aggressive game decisions gave the Chargers a spark and new identity in his first season but it also put the Chargers in bad situations far too often. As a defensive minded head coach, Staley could not turn the defense into a juggernaut, even with the highest payroll in the NFL to that side of the ball. Toward the end, he began to lose the trust of his team, from players to coaches to the ownership. He finished with a 24-24 head coach record and found his way as Assistant Head Coach under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers.

Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley were ultimately replaced with former Raven's Director of Player Personal, Joe Hortiz, and Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. While every Chargers fan now knows just about everything there is to know about our new General Manager and Head Coach, the fit together in particular is something that needs to be explained more in depth. Hortiz and Harbaugh have a ton of familiarity together and make an enticing pairing.

Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh

Joe Hortiz has been part of the Ravens front office since 1998. He learned under Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta, two of the brightest minds in the NFL. The Ravens front office has been phenomenal. The 33rd Team ranked the Ravens as the best team at drafting players since 2000, which include LB Ray Lewis, S Ed Reed, OLB Terrell Suggs, CB Marlon Humphrey, DT Haloti Ngata, OG Marshal Yanda, TE Mark Andrews, TE Dennis Pitta, TE Darren Waller, OLB Matt Judon, CB Jimmy Smith, RB Ray Rice, LB CJ Moseley, OT Ronnie Stanley, OLB Zadarius Smith, WR Marquise Brown, not to mention Super Bowl MVP QB Joe Flacco, and 2x NFL MVP QB Lamar Jackson.

There are no shortage of names that show just how great the Ravens front office has been at acquiring Pro Bowl, All Pro, and even Hall of Fame level talent through the draft. Now Hortiz brings that level of talent evaluation and team building strategy to the Chargers.

Jim Harbaugh brings a different list strengths to the Chargers. There may be no better coach at developing players and coaches while installing a winning culture than Jim Harbough. From his time at University to San Diego to Stanford, San Francisco 49ers and Michigan, Harbough has helped develop plenty of head coaches and offensive and defensive coordinators like David Shaw, Willie Taggart, Will Muschamp, Greg Roman, Jim Tomsula, Eric Mangini, Vic Fangio, Ed Donatell, Ejiro Evero, Mike MacDonald, and now Jesse Minter.

Jim has acted as a feeder of coaches to his brother, John Harbaugh with the Ravens, where the brothers swap assistants back and forth like a pendulum. Many coaches and players for Harbough have gone on to have great careers as well.

Below is a self-made All-Jim Harbaugh Team (college only) for reference:

QB Andrew Luck/ JJ McCarthey/ Josh Johnson

RB Toby Gerhart/Zach Charbonnet/Blake Corum

FB - Ben Mason

WR Nico Collins/ Ronnie Bell

WR Doug Baldwin/ Roman Wilson

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

TE Zach Ertz/Jake Butt/ Luke Schoonmaker

OL Jon Runyon Jr

OL David DeCastro /Graham Glasgow

OL Cesar Ruiz/Mason Cole

OL Michael Owenwu/Ben Bredeson

OL Jalen Mayfield

Edge - Aiden Hutchinson/Chris Wormley

DT - Maurice Hurst

DT - Kris Jenkins/Mazi Smith

Edge- Chase Winovich/Kwity Paye

LB - Devin Bush/ Junior Colston

LB - Josh Uche

CB - Richard Sherman/ DJ Turner

CB - Jourdan Lewis/Ambry Thomas

CB - Benjamin St. Juste

S - Daxton Hill/Josh Metellus

S - Jabrill Peppers

LS - Cameron Cheeseman

K - Jake Moody

The combination of Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh flow through John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens. There is a lot of familiarity between the Ravens Front Office, Jim and John's coaching staff, and likely some incoming players during free agency. That relationship bodes well for this pairing.

Managing Finances and Free Agency

With the roster currently constructed the way it is, and the issues with the salary cap, we knew that we would have to say good bye to some mainstays and fan favorites. But Hortiz did try to manage a way to keep Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Keenan Allen through pay cuts. Mack and Bosa both took the loss, but Allen refused after the best season of his career.

With Allen rightfully refusing to take a pay cut, the Chargers were forced to trade Allen to the Chicago Bears, netting a 4th round pick in return and releasing Mike Williams to become cap compliant. It was hard to say goodbye to Allen in particular, who spent over a decade of his career with the Chargers, but this is fallout from the decisions made by the prior regiment. The cap created by trading Allen and releasing Mike Williams, along with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack agreeing to pay cuts, allowed the Chargers to build out the rest of the roster.

Other significant players lost recently include RB Austin Ekeler, RB Joshua Kelley, TE Gerald Everett, C Corey Linsley (retirement), DT Austin Johnson, LB Eric Kendricks (released), LB Kenneth Murray, and CB Michael Davis.

The Chargers are now being rebuilt in the image of Harbaugh and Hortiz, with an eye toward physicality and building in the trenches. This team will look very different then in past years, with a slew of new starters at multiple positions.

RB Gus Edwards

The first major signing of Hortiz and Harbaugh was runningback Gus Edwards, a 240 pound chains mover and goal line centric back that will improve the Chargers in the short area of the field immediately. It's hard to say that Edwards is a more complete back than Austin Ekeler, but he is extremely more physical with the size he brings, and the ability to wear down defenses with short, methodical runs on a consistent basis. Edwards may never be a runningback that gains over 1,000 yards rushing, but he's the perfect kind of back to bring an element this offense has missed since Melvin Gordon.

Edwards averaged 4.8 yards per carry since he entered the league and had 13 touchdowns last year. He is already familiar with Greg Roman, who was his offensive coordinator from 2019-2022. Edwards won't break many tackles and he's not a player able to break an 80 yard touchdown, or be a threat as a receiver, but he gets first downs and he keeps forward momentum. The Chargers will need to pair Edwards with a running mate, whether that be Isaiah Spiller, a free agent (keep eyes out for J.K. Dobbins), or a draft pick, but the key to Edwards is consistency at moving forward in a power run game.

TE Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst

Neither Will Dissly, nor Hayden Hurst should be projected as long term fits, but the Chargers needed to get better and more well rounded at tight end, especially with a shift toward a more run-centric offense. Dissly is a 265 pound run blocking tight end who is projected to be the starter, though it's worth noting that Dissly has played more as a rotational second or third option in heavy sets then a viable every down player. He has surpassed 300 yards receiving just once in his 6 seasons but he gives the Chargers a viable H-back who helped the seahawks rush for 1,500+ yards last year.

Hayden Hurst will be the primary receiving option at tight end, but he is average at best in that role. He spent time with Baltimore, Atlanta, Cincinatti, and Carolina as a journeyman fringe starter with two seasons over 500 yards receiving. He has never graded over 60.0 as a run blocker, according to PFF, and his 1-year deal with the Chargers is projected to be about $2.0M, according to Daniel Popper. The Ravens have a history of unearthing quality tight ends in the draft, and Michigan consistently pushed out talent at the position, so look for this position to be addressed further either this year or next for a long-term solution.

LB Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye

Denzel Perryman is a welcome sight to see returned to the Chargers. Perryman spent his first 6 years with the Chargers, 2 seasons with the Raiders, and last season with the Texans. He made 1- Pro Bowl with the Raiders after finishing the season with 154 tackles. He is a physical, run first LB who has made his far share of draw dropping hits through his career. The issue with Perryman has been health, but he brings the right kind of mentality to a young linebacker room. He is projected to be the teams starter, alongside Daiyan Henley. He fits the mold of who the Chargers want to be in this Jesse Minter defense.

Troy Dye is a former teammate of Justin Herbert from their time at Oregon. During his time at Oregon, Dye accumulated 13 sacks, 41.5 tackles for loss and 391 total tackles and 5 interceptions as a 4-year starter. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, though never managed to crack the lineup as a starter, but he was a key piece to the Vikings special teams units. Special Teams coordinator Ryan Ficken is familiar with Dye from his time with the Vikings, so expect Dye to become a vital depth piece and key contributor to the Chargers third phase with untapped upside to the linebacking core.

DT Poona Ford

Poona Ford was an undrafted free agent out of Texas in the 2018 NFL Draft, who has turned into a vital interior clog for both the Seahawks and Bills. Ford is an outlier by size metrics as a Nose Tackle, at 5'11, 305 pounds, with short hands and arms, but the former Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year is extremely versatile as both a pass rusher and block disrupter. Since 2018, Ford has 112 total pressures to go with 117 defensive STOPs while playing every position inside the tackles. He's a strong player with a relentless motor that gives the Chargers flexibility on the defensive line at a near veteran minimum price tag.

C Bradley Bozeman

Bradley Bozeman has familiararity with Joe Hortiz from his time with the Baltimore Ravens. Bozeman was the Ravens starting center from 2019-2021 before signing with the Panthers the past two seasons. The former Alabama center had his worst year as a pro with the Panthers last season, allowing 8 sacks and 32 total pressures, which ranked 6th most among centers, but the Panthers offensive line ranked among the NFL's worst, and those issues were exemplified with a new coaching staff, and a rookie quarterback forced to throw to the worst group of skill position players in the NFL. The hope is that Bozeman can be a competent bridge player to keep Justin Herbert upright while figuring out a long term solution at the position.

CB Kristian Fulton

The final major signing of the Chargers during the regular part of free agency was CB Kristian Fulton. With Michael Davis headed to Washington, and the mess that occurred with JC Jackson, the Chargers were extremely thin at cornerback. Asante Samuel Jr needed a running mate opposite him, and Fulton has put together some great film with the Titans. Fulton played alongside Derek Stingley with LSU during their NCAA Championship run, and he was a 2nd round draft pick who still hasn't hit his ceiling of what he could be.

Fulton is a much more physical defender than Samuel, and shares the ability to follow lead receivers in Jesse Minters defense. He will play exclusively outside, and should the experiment not work, he's only one a 1-year deal. During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Fulton allowed a reception on about half his targets, and while there was some regression last season, this signing in particular could become the most impactful move made by the new regime.

Re-Signings

S Alohi Gilman and QB Easton Stick are the only significant re-signings that the Chargers will bring back for 2024, while also signing K Cameron Dicker and T Foster Sarell to Exclusive Rights contracts. Gilman emerged as a starter next to Derwin James last year and his 2-year/$10.1M contract ranked as the 26th highest contract in terms of AAV. He rightfully earned a second contract with the Chargers with 7 pass break ups, 2 interceptions and 73 total tackles. He outplayed his 6th round draft pedigree and has improved each year with the Chargers.

Stick was finally able to show off his abilities after sitting as 3rd on the depth chart over his first 4 years on the team. He started the final four games of the season in place of Justin Herbert. No player had more drop backs over that span, and he completed 65% of his throws without Keenan Allen or Mike Williams in the lineup, and Joshua Palmer was hobbled coming off injury. Stick showed more than capable through adversity, with his head coach fired, and the Chargers season ended prematurely before he ever went under center.

Cameron Dicker has been a relaxation since he was signed, connecting on over 92% of his total field goal attempts, and 100% on extra points. Dicker is in line to become one of the highest paid Kickers in the NFL, and with Joe Hortiz being involved in keeping Justin Tucker paid at that position, there is no reason to believe he doesn't value quality kicking. Foster Sarell has experience as a swing tackle with a hand full of games as a starter. It's not a splash signing, but the former 5-star recruit is a developmental piece who has played well in spot duty.

NFL Draft Needs

Wide Receiver! The Chargers still have plenty of holes to fill on the roster, but nothing more than a leading wide receiver for Herbert to throw to. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams leave an enormous need. Joshua Palmer isn't a Tier-1 receiver and former 1st-Round Pick Quentin Johnston struggled with plenty of opportunity to showcase his talents. The Chargers need a dynamic threat in the passing game, and they will have an opportunity to draft one with the 5th pick in the draft. Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze all are viewed as Tier-1 talents.

The Chargers are also a candidate to trade back in the draft, with many eying the Vikings with the 11th pick. It is projected that there could be as many as 4 Quarterbacks drafted within the first 10 picks, which means good players could still fall into the Chargers lap with the 11th pick (and the Vikings 23rd) should they decide to trade back. Other needs still include Interior Defensive Line, Tight End, Offensive Tackle, Cornerback and Runningback. The Chargers hold 9 total picks, and could add more with a trade back and end up with 6 picks in the top -110. That would easily rebuild the core of this roster and set it up for long-term success.