Los Angeles Chargers - 2018 Offseason Objectives

As the NFL offseason is in full swing, it’s a perfect opportunity to evaluate where each team was in 2017, and where they plan to go in the New Year. Let’s begin the review of the Los Angeles Chargers.   

2017 Season Recap:

Going into the 2017 season there was much controversy surrounding the then San Diego Chargers now tagged as the LA Chargers. With no resolution of a new stadium in the plans from the city of San Diego, team owner Alex Spanos decided to move the team to the city of Los Angeles. With this move San Diego wouldn’t see a home squad for the 2017 season marking the first-time pro football wasn’t played in that region of South California since 1961. With the concurrent move to LA, the Chargers were also in search of a new head coach as they relieved former bench boss Mike McCoy from his duties. Selecting their top choice, the Chargers were able to ink former Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to lead the new charge in their new home.

Expectations were meek at best for a Chargers team filled with talent in many places but had to again entertain learning another new offense and system with a new coach on board. The season began as most expected with a tight showdown with the defensive power of the Denver Broncos. The game started slow for LA as they struggled to generate much offense. Philip Rivers eventually was able to create on mismatches bringing the Chargers back to tie the game in the last second but failed due to a missed field goal. The importance of week one set the stage for the Chargers to remain competitive in all contests but failing to capitalize. With a valiant effort, the Chargers found their way to become losers of their next three games giving them a record of 0-4 to start the season. As many know of Anthony Lynn he possesses a keen aptitude for never giving up and correcting inadequacies in the game plan. Finding their stride, LA was able to pull off their next three games beating the likes of an injury rattled NY Giants squad, an uneven Oakland Raiders team, and a free-falling Denver Broncos unit. With a three-game winning streak on the line, the Chargers fell to the mighty Patriots going into their bye week. Post bye, LA found yet another way to lose a tight game they had competed in but fell short to the rising Jacksonville Jaguars.

With a record of 3-6 heading into week 11, LA knew a monster run of unprecedented proportions would have to transpire to get them into the post season. As luck would have it, the AFC West which was supposed to be the most difficult division in football lacked the elite level of play that could keep the Chargers in the thick of things provided they became victorious in their contests. Coach Lynn rallied his troops in spectacular fashion first in beating his former squad the Buffalo Bills. Continuing the winning trend, LA was on fire and disposing of their opponents in the next three games after that. Getting back on track and housing a record of 7-6, the showdown that would define their comeback season was on the line against the Kansas City Chiefs. Alas, the Chargers were unable to generate much of anything as they essentially gave away the potential of a division crown with easier games left on the slate. While the Chargers were in the race to the final week of the season, they required assistance form other potential playoff contenders to provide help to get in. Winners of their last two games of the season wasn’t enough to jump the standings and get them into the playoffs. While the season had ended not the way they would’ve hoped, their start of the year is what claimed the season at the end.          

2018 Offseason Workbook:

Offseason Review:

With many positives to evaluate from the season, many improvements also came into display. At his age, starting quarterback Philip Rivers again defied the odds putting up some of his best numbers in his career. Throwing for over 4500 yards and 28 touchdowns, proved this old man river was far from done. It was of great benefit to the Chargers offense that number one receiver Keenan Allen returned to form dominating in the latter portions of the season. Surprising to most as coach Lynn historically housed a run first mentality, the Chargers employed a more pass heavy attack. Ranking 4^th in total offensive yardage (376.6 YPG), it was the quality of the passing game that allowed them to generate a top five offense. Ranking 1^st in the NFL in passing (276.9 YPG), it was the clear first option in most games. Rounding out the rest of the offense the ranks showed points scored as 13^th best (22.2 PPG), and the underachieving production of the run game which ranked 24^th (99.7 YPG). The running attack statistic was somewhat deceiving, as star Melvin Gordon produced his best overall season since entering the league. In the history of Philip Rivers on the Chargers, he always enjoyed having a receiving back to help take the pressure off and assist in the run game, they didn’t enjoy that luxury this year. The largest improvement for the Chargers came with the amount of solid protection they gave Rivers to dissect opposing defenses. Giving up a mere 18 sacks on the season, that would definitely rank among the leaders in the league. The receiver depth on this team would greatly improve with a healthy and full time run of now second year player Mike Williams. Correcting their slot receiver play would also enhance they ability to create mismatches all over the field. With Hunter Henry looking the part but being held back within the offense, there is plenty of potential for this unit to excel in the new year.

Defensively, the Chargers improved as the season wore on becoming a very opportunistic unit that was able to generate turnovers in bunches. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram finally solidified a pass rush that most teams struggled with to key in on and find the appropriate answer to stop. Between the two of them, they generated a whopping 23 sacks on the season. With the added pressure on the quarterbacks, the secondary was able to take chances and come away with interceptions placing their offense in favorable situations. Tre Boston and Casey Hayward became a viable tandem that could roll with any in the NFL on a weekly basis. Boasting impressive numbers in most areas, the key failure on this side of the ball was directed to the run defense. Near the bottom of the league in rush yards allowed, they ranked 31^st in the NFL in that category (131.1 YPG). Outside of that, their numbers provided much to like about this unit. Ranking 3^rd in points against (17.0 PPG), 3^rd in pass yards allowed (197.2 YPG), essentially the run defense brought down the total yards allowed to rank 15^th (328.4 YPG). While this defense has many fantastic pieces to work with, improvements can be made to keep them moving in the right direction. Line backer and defensive back (safety) help would become a large asset for this defense. Losing Jason Verrett early on in the season left the Chargers scrambling to fill the hole while managing to overcome.              

Rostered Free Agents:

With just over 27 million dollars under the cap, the Chargers do seem to be in great shape in signing the short list of free agents they currently have to contend with. With 14 players looking to hit the market a few names pop off the paper as potential resign candidates. First, future hall of famer Antonio Gates at the ripe age of 37 has insisted he wants to continue to play and returning to the Chargers would be his choice. Seeing his production slip based on the offensive scheme that didn’t employ a receiving tight end option as much as in the past and having youth at the position in Hunter Henry, might keep him form returning. Tre Boston was acquired last season on a prove it deal to which he preformed admirably. Expecting a strong raise to return to the Chargers, they better break out the cheque book if indeed they want him to return. Brandon Oliver is another player that may garner another deal with LA, but with the depth of talent in the draft at the position, he too might be playing in a new city next season. Line backer Korey Toomer is an interesting depth player that knows the system and has decent upside moving forward, he could definitely see a new contract offer come his way.

Every team is always looking to improve their cap situation to assist in finding better talent than from the previous year. While Jason Verrett is a player that is a staple on this Chargers team, he is entering the final year of his deal and would create a favorable 8.5 million in savings if traded or cut. The likely situation could see a new contract given to the defensive back standout while lowering his cap number to something more attractive. Speedster receiver – Travis Benjamin, is a player that could easily be seen as a cut candidate as his current contract would help create another 4.5 million in savings toward the cap. With issues defending the run, shedding defensive tackle Brandon Mebane’s contract would create additional space in terms of 4.5 million to the books. Outside of those potential roster moves, depth players getting the axe to generate more space seems the likely scenario.

NFL Draft:

Current to date, the Chargers house all their seven picks in the upcoming NFL draft. Speculation of who they should target is already in full swing. Picking 17^th overall in the first round, some experts have the Chargers adding to the offensive line that saw much improvement last season. ADF fully believes that the first selection should be on the defensive side of the ball in either of three positions - defensive tackle, safety, or line backer. This draft is stocked full of guard and running back talent that could easily be addressed in the later rounds gaining top tear players. There is the situation that it seems the Chargers brain trust isn’t ready to have full conversations about just yet - that of course would be the inevitable replacement of Philp Rivers. Could this be the year we see a high-end backup begin to learn from the great signal caller in preparation for the future? We wouldn’t bet against it this year.     

Overall for 2018:

Rolling into their second season under coach Anthony Lynn, the expectations should rise especially after witnessing the fantastic comeback attempt in almost capturing the AFC West divisional crown. With Melvin Gordon showing signs of great improvement and reliability within the offense, the key might be to approach the scheme with more of a bell-cow look feeding the talented runner with all he can handle. Allowing Hunter Henry to finally become a stand-alone piece in this offense is a must change as he’s far too talented to keep locked in neutral. With the defense showing signs of great improvement, adding key pieces to certain areas will go a long way to become a dominating unit. The Chargers aren’t far off from literally being the best team in the division.