Off-Season Primer- Los Angeles Chargers

2023 Record- (5-12)

In 2023, the Los Angeles Chargers started 4-4 and appeared to be a team that could compete for a wild card. However, they went 1-8 to finish the season and ended up 5-12. 

One of the 8 losses down the stretch was an embarrassing 63-21 loss to the Raiders. Both Head Coach Brandon Staley and General Manager Tom Telesco were fired the next day. Interestingly, Telesco was hired as the Raiders' new general manager in the off-season.

The Chargers have already made one of the biggest splashes of the off-season, hiring former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh to a contract to become Los Angeles’ new head coach. 

One bright spot was the play of linebacker Khalil Mack. Mack had 17 sacks and was a one-man wrecking crew at times for the Chargers. In week 4, Mack had 6 sacks against the Raiders, while the rest of his teammates combined for 1. 

The team was without quarterback Justin Herbert for the final 4 games of the season because of an injury. Herbert had a solid season up until that point, throwing for 3,134 yards and 20 touchdowns, while only throwing 7 interceptions. 

Draft Picks

Round 1 - (5)

Round 2- (37)

Round 3- (69)

Round 4- (105)

Round 5- (138)

Round 6- (182)

Round 7- (222)

Round 7- (255)

Free Agents

Projected Cap Space - Approximately negative $20MM

CB- Michael Davis

DT- Austin Johnson

RB- Austin Ekeler

TE- Gerald Everett

LB- Kenneth Murray

QB- Easton Stick

WR- Jalen Guyton

DT- Nick Williams

C- Will Clapp

TE- Nick Vannett

WR- Alex Erickson

C- Cameron Tom

RB- Josh Kelley

OLB- Tanner Muse

CB- Essang Bassey

S- Jaylinn Hawkins

WR- Keelan Doss

S- A.J. Finley

S- Alohi Gilman

K- Cameron Dicker

LB- Amen Ogbongbemiga

T- Foster Sarell

S- Raheem Layne

G- Zack Bailey

WR- Darrius Shepherd

The Chargers are over the cap and have several key pieces they need to bring back. Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are all due big money in 2024. The Chargers will need to cut, trade or restructure some of these contracts to get under the salary cap. 

Running back Austin Ekeler did not have a big season but still does enough in the offense to be considered an integral part of it. He ran for 628 yards while hauling in 51 catches for another 436 yards. However, he only scored 6 touchdowns in 2023 after totaling 18 in 2022.

Starting tight end Gerald Everett has been a consistent performer for Los Angeles but may be too expensive to bring back. With so many high end salaries, the Chargers are going to struggle to bring in free agents.

On defense, the big losses could be cornerback Michael Davis and linebacker Kenneth Murray once they hit the open market. Along with safety Alohi Gilman and defensive tackle Austin Johnson, the Bolts could lose 4 of their starting 11 defenders from 2023.

One thing is for sure, the 2024 Chargers are going to look a lot different than the 2023 team. Besides having a fiery head coach on the sideline in Jim Harbaugh, there should also be several new faces in this team’s starting lineup. 

Biggest Needs 

CB

OL

RB

TE

K

With the #5 overall pick, the Chargers can go a lot of different ways. With cornerback being the biggest need for the team, look for them to trade back and add a pick or two, while still being in position to grab one of the top cornerbacks on the board.  

With tight end Gerald Everett set to leave, Draft Nation thinks that Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers may consider the best tight end in the draft, Brock Bowers out of Georgia. The fifth spot overall may be too high to select Bowers, so the team could trade down in this scenario and still nab Bowers. A Herbert to Bowers connection could spring the Bolts' offense for years to come. 

Los Angeles allowed 43 sacks last season and was only 25th in team rushing. With Jim Harbaugh on board, these are almost guaranteed to be looked at and improved. Draft Nation would not be surprised if tackle Olu Fashanu from Penn State or Joe Alt from Notre Dame go at #5.

One thing is certain in 2024, Harbaugh will try and mold this team in what he is comfortable with. Harbaugh teams have always been known to be tough teams who win battles on both the offensive and defensive lines. It will be interesting to see how they can get there with their salary cap issues.