The Chargers went all in on their new look offense, but the young stars must shine in a window quickly closing.
Los Angeles got rid of both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, got a new head coach, and had nine picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. The paradigm shift from the Brandon Staley regime to the Jim Harbaugh era is in full swing and the superstar holdovers are growing thin in numbers by the day. Harbaugh has brought in his own talent in tandem with general manager Joe Hortiz to try and capitalize on a shrinking Super Bowl window for franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.
Keenan Allen was a six-time Pro Bowler, totaled more than 10,000 yards with the Chargers, and was an instrumental part of getting Herbert acquainted with the franchise after letting go of long-time veteran Philip Rivers. Allen, by all means was regarded as one of he NFL’s best– a surefire target for over a decade and could’ve proved useful in a wide receiver room that’s as young as can be.
Instead, the team looked at forward-facing viability, particularly financially. Allen was set to count $34.7 million against the cap and his price tag would’ve only gotten steeper from there coming off one of the best seasons of his career. So, Los Angeles decided to strike while the iron was still hot and move him to the Bears where they received a 2024 fourth-round pick. In the same realm, the Chargers let wide receiver Mike Williams walk in free agency to the New York Jets after releasing him. Williams was set to count $20 million against the cap essentially earmarking his release as inevitable.
It was clear that freshly-hired head coach Jim Harbaugh wanted essentially a blank slate when he arrived. Ridding the team and giving Harbaugh as much cap space as possible was Hortiz’s best interest. The team must now begin to build around Herbert– and when you get rid of offensive firepower, the ammunition must be replaced.
The Los Angeles Chargers chose three receivers in the 2024 Draft in order to replace Allen and Williams. The team drafted Ladd McConkey, Brenden Rice, and Cornelius Johnson with McConkey second and the latter two in the seventh. The Chargers also selected Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis in last years draft filling out what seems to be the team’s core receiver room. With most of the receivers in either their first or second year, it’s imperative that they step up in a big way.
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The team still has a veteran presence on the team– Josh Palmer who was a third-round draft pick in 2021 has over 1,700 yards in his career. While not being the Pro-Bowl caliber receivers Williams and Allen were– he should be able to pass on some knowledge and know-how to the younger group.
McConkey is a receiver that could really make a massive impact on this team moving forward, and a player that the Chargers have been high about since draft day.
“Love the speed, 4.38 [40-yard dash], but he plays to it,” Harbaugh said. “He plays to that 4.38 every single play, you can see it in the way that he rages off of the ball, and once he has the ball in his hands.”
“Me and Joe [Hortiz] were talking about him, he’s very Brock Bowers-like with the way that he gets yards after the catch,” Harbaugh noted. “Competitor, big-time. Those things. He catches the ball. A terrific route-runner. He has the quickness, he has the speed that is going to be great for our offense. I love the guys that can run in the 4.3s.”
McConkey was hyper-productive at Georgia, both at outside receiver and in the slot. His speed has allowed him to gain smooth separation on nearly every route and his hands rival those of Larry Fitzgerald. In three seasons played in Athens, McConkey caught for over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns. His explosive play abilities have also manufactured him into a receiver that is capable of following in Allen’s footsteps. A 14.2 yards per catch average makes him a versatile tool that can step up when need be. His 81.3 receiving grade from PFF also could be dangerous when paired with Justin Herbert.
The other two pickups in this year’s draft were all selected in the seventh round, meaning some decent value could be at play. The Chargers selected Brenden Rice, son of 49ers’ great Jerry Rice from USC. Rice’s size and frame will allow him to fit seamlessly into Mike Williams’ former role, a big body receiver that can use his physical talents to get open. His routes must continue to get better and become a more technical finesse receiver rather than relying purely on brawn.
Rice has the tendency to struggle to get open and we might see that project itself against much more disciplined and gifted NFL corners. However, he must step up in a massive way if Herbert and this offense will get its bearings straight in time to make a serious playoff run.
Rice’s 12 touchdown catches for the Trojans certainly strike a bit of optimism for the Chargers, yet his craft must be more refined. If offensive coordinator Greg Roman can figure out an effective use for him– presumably in the redzone, he could be a force to be reckoned with. Plus a surefire option for Herbert in the redzone is never a bad thing. The Chargers ranked middle-of-the-pack last season in terms of redzone touchdown percentage– their 57.45% placed them at 14th, a number which must be improved if they want to get into playoff position.
Cornelius Johnson from Michigan also could play a huge factor in building a proper offensive scheme. Another big body receiver, Johnson brings a true down-the-field receiver aspect to the Chargers. His innate ability to show up in big games throughout the season helped him get drafted and will need that same mentality in the NFL.
“I mean, we drafted three, so I definitely feel like we got a lot deeper there,” Hortiz said on the new depth at WR. “I’ve talked about depth for our team from the beginning, that’s one of the goals. I feel like we got deeper there.”
“I think the group that exists is going to go out and compete and challenge each other and try to win for the Chargers,” Hortiz said. “If we feel like we can add a player to any group on this team that helps us do those things, we’re going to add them. It doesn’t matter the position.”
Whatever the case may be, the Chargers need a better offensive output than what they got from their young wide receivers last season. Their top draft pick, Quentin Johnston was supposed to be the second coming of Calvin Johnson for Herbert. Drafted to add a solid WR3 choice to the Chargers’ arsenal– Johnston struggled. He struggled with numerous drops in key moments throughout the year and couldn’t get open. His lack of separation essentially nixed him as a viable target, finishing below running back Austin Ekeler in terms of receiving yards.
Johnston will look to bounce back his sophomore year– where Hortiz still hasn’t shown a loss of faith in him.
“That’s what a lot of rookie seasons look like,” Hortiz said about Johnston’s 2023 production. “But he flashed some really impressive traits and the good thing is when you’re looking at your roster, you’re looking at it all the time, you’re watching the film all the time.
“Every time you put on the tape, you see the talent and I expect him to make the jump,” Hortiz added. “I know we have the right coaches to help him make the jump. I feel good about the guys that are here.”
The Los Angeles Chargers are sporting a new-look offense, one filled with youth and plenty of inexperience. But, in order to protect the long-term fortitude of the team– this is their new normal. They’ll have plenty of growing pains, but they fully expect to work through them.
