Sports Even even though the Los Angeles Chargers had an evident need at receiver, it wasn’t mild when the team selected Notre Dame offensive address Joe Alt No. 5 overall on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
After the make a choice, new head coach Jim Harbaugh seriously said: “I do know the request is gonna come up about weapons. We peek at offensive linemen as weapons.”
Heading into the draft, the Chargers simplest had four receivers on the roster in Quentin Johnston, Josh Palmer, Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko. The Chargers drafted three receivers: Georgia’s Ladd McConkey within the 2nd spherical, and USC’s Brenden Rice and Michigan product Cornelius Johnson within the seventh. The team has on account of this truth added three undrafted receivers, signed DJ Chark in free company and had Marquez Valdez-Scantling in for a issue about with this week.
And while the numbers are if truth be told there, Harbaugh looks to delight in long gone storage-sale procuring to non-public a number of the highest price positions within the league as an alternative of perusing the high-end retail stores on Rodeo Pressure.
Closing season, with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the Chargers were No. 7 in spending at receiver with $31.3 million distributed to that enviornment community, per Spotrac.com. This yr, with Allen traded to the Bears and Williams released and now with the Jets, the Chargers are on the 2nd last within the league in spending on the receiver enviornment at $8.87 million.
That decrease would be one other model of Harbaugh’s organizational shift from a team recognized for throwing the football to 1 who will lean on running the ball.
[READ MORE: Can Jim Harbaugh turn the Chargers into winners? He’s done it everywhere else ]
Nevertheless, the Chargers soundless delight in a number of the finest throwers within the league in Justin Herbert. And fancy his AFC West counterpart Patrick Mahomes, Herbert will resolve on to learn to end extra with much less. In 2023, the Chiefs had $17.4 million in money distributed to the receiver community, No. 21 within the league. That did no longer discontinue Kansas Metropolis from a hit its 2nd straight Mountainous Bowl.
“The community that exists is going to exit and compete and challenge every various and take a peek at to safe for the Chargers,” GM Joe Hortiz said. “If we in point of fact feel fancy we can add a player to any community on this team that helps us end those things, we’re going to add them. Or no longer it isn’t very relevant the enviornment.”
The Chargers will resolve on to interchange a predominant quantity of production with Allen and Williams long gone. Allen led the team in 2023 with 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven scores. Williams accounted for 2,290 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns over the previous three seasons for the Bolts.
Herd Hierarchy: Chargers take a gigantic jump in Colin’s post-draft top 10 Palmer is the team’s main receiver coming again from last season, when he posted 61 receptions for 581 receiving yards and two scores.
Johnston, the No. 21 overall make a choice within the 2023 draft, had an uneven efficiency his rookie yr, ending with 38 receptions for 431 yards and two scores. Nevertheless, Williams struggled with injuries and the transition to the NFL in his rookie season after being selected No. 7 overall within the 2017 draft. But he totaled 10 touchdowns in his 2nd yr, so perchance Johnston may well possibly seek a same uptick in production.
McConkey has primarily the most same ability keep to Allen and must soundless form real into a reliable security blanket for Herbert on third down as someone who can constantly gather delivery within the heart of the enviornment. And the Bolts signed Chark as one other sizable-bodied receiver who can stretch the enviornment vertically.
The addition of skilled receiver coach Sanjay Lal must soundless furthermore motivate speed up the pattern of this young community.
But construct no mistake, the Chargers would possibly be a running team.
Chargers rookie OT Joe Alt shares how his QB days helped him at O-line Contemporary offensive coordinator Greg Roman become as soon as Harbaugh’s OC in San Francisco, and the 49ers controlled tempo by creating steadiness on offense, taking tension off the quarterback by running the football. San Francisco executed within the tip 10 in dashing yards all four years Roman led the offense.
Closing season, even though then-OC Kellen Moore vowed to repair the team’s running recreation, the Bolts averaged loyal 97 yards per recreation, No. 25 within the NFL.
It may well possibly well be Roman’s activity to motivate Herbert accumulate steadiness between the bustle and the pass recreation. They are going to both resolve on to form a rapport with the young receiving community, so the Chargers delight in fixed production within the passing recreation with two predominant contributors long gone.
“You wish to delight in so as to end both at a high level,” Roman said. “So we’re in point of fact going to push the envelope in both areas to delight in as balanced of an attack as we can delight in. … Whenever you happen to’re a one-trick pony, they may be able to zero in on that — the mountainous coaches end — and construct you fight left-handed. We don’t are looking out to end that. We are looking out to be ambidextrous.”
But with this receiver community, are the Chargers beginning out with one hand tied within the attend of their attend?
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for added than a decade, conserving the Los Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Put collectively him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams .
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