Cover 📸 courtesy of The Ringer — Cover 📸 courtesy of The Ringer

I'm telling y'all: the Los Angeles Chargers have a bright future. After the 2020 draft, in which the Chargers selected Justin Herbert at #6 overall, and he wound up as the OROTY in his rookie season last season. With pieces like Derwin James returning this season from injury last season, and draft prospects like Rashawn Slater coming in and looking to contribute quickly, the Chargers won't just be a threat this season, I see them being a threat for years to come.

The Offense - Passing

📸 courtesy of The Chargers Wire - USA Today — 📸 courtesy of The Chargers Wire - USA Today

After the Chargers drafted Justin Herbert with the 6th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, there were some question marks regarding Herbert. I, for one, was sure he'd be able to translate his college talent to the NFL level, but some people were skeptical about whether Herbert was the right pick for the Chargers. Well, Herbert put those doubts to rest, winning OROTY honors with 4336 passing yards and a 31/10 TD/INT ratio. He showed his capability to be LAC's next franchise QB, and he did it with an injury-plagued offensive line. If Herbert can take the Mahomes leap, and go from a great rookie QB to a top QB in the league overall, LAC's offense can grow in maturity and come closer to reaching its sky-high potential.

- - - - -

The Offense - Receiving Corps

📸 courtesy of chargers.com — 📸 courtesy of chargers.com

The Chargers have a receiving corps capable of lighting it up at any time. Star veteran Keenan Allen leads this pack, but ever quietly solid Mike Williams is a great WR2. After losing TE Hunter Henry in free agency this offseason, the Chargers replaced him with TE Jared Cook in free agency, and incoming draft prospect TE Tre' McKitty. LAC also drafted WR Joshua Palmer out of Tennessee in this past draft, so we'll see how many snaps he sees and what his impact will be. Last season, WR Jalen Guyton made a name for himself seeing the field as LAC's WR3 (or WR2 when Williams or Allen was out with injury). I am head over heels in love with the versatility of this Chargers receiving corps. For the WR's, Allen is a do-it-all talent, with amazing hands and footwork. Mike Williams has a great physical profile (6'4" 220 lbs) and has a dominant end-zone game. Guyton is an under-the-radar deep threat who's as speedy and shifty as they come. For the TE's, Jared Cook can grind out yards in the short-intermediate passing game and can bust plays open into big gains because of his strength and power after the catch. Even new HC Brandon Staley has raved about this receiving group, calling it a "complete" receiving group, and that "the offensive coaches in the league, and a defensive coach would tell you, that the hardest teams to defend are teams that have a complete receiver group." It's safe to say that Staley is looking forward to working with this group, and I, for one, am very interested in seeing how this group performs.

- - - - -

The Offense - Running Back Corps

📸 courtesy of the Los Angeles Times — 📸 courtesy of the Los Angeles Times

Austin Ekeler dealt with injuries last season, only playing in 10 games for the Chargers due to hamstring and knee troubles. But, in the 10 games he played, he started each one. Ekeler is the undisputed #1 back for the Chargers, with Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley establishing themselves as quite capable fill-ins or backups for Ekeler, as well as reliable tools in double back sets. Ekeler is a multi-tool back, who is a top fantasy pick because of his talent in both the running game and receiving game. Ekeler can lead the running game of this LAC offense with the support of Jackson and Kelley this coming season, especially with the help of a revitalized offensive line.

- - - - -

The Offense - Offensive Line

This offseason, the Chargers addressed many areas of weakness, from Tight End to Head Coach, but they really cracked down on their main issue; the offensive line. The Bolts made the following offensive line signings/draftings this offseason:

Corey Linsley (C) - 5 years, $62.5M

Oday Aboushi (G) - 1 year, $1.75M

Matt Feiler (T/G) - 3 years, $21M

Rashawn Slater (T/G) - #13 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft

Brenden Jaimes (T) - #159 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft

Corey Linsley is a top Center in the NFL, and Brandon Staley loves him as a player and a leader. Herbert and Linsley powering the middle of this Chargers offense is going to be scary. Feiler was solid with Pittsburgh, but faced some injury troubles. His ability to slide from Tackle to Guard will help the Chargers if injuries plague their O-Line again. Aboushi is a cheap signing that allows for some depth and flexibility in the lower area of the Chargers O-Line depth chart. LAC also addressed the glaring weakness at Tackle, drafting a top Tackle prospect in Rashawn Slater at #13 overall in this past draft. The Chargers must have thanked their lucky stars that a top 10 talent in that draft (especially one that fills a hole in their roster) slipped down the board to them. Slater is an incredibly athletic and versatile lineman, who stood out at Northwestern and can flex from Tackle to Guard with ease. He will help add a very refreshing burst of youth and staggering talent to this Chargers O-Line group. Jaimes is a pick purely to address the depth issues at Tackle. Last season, the Chargers O-Line was stricken by the injury bug, especially at Tackle. Jaimes will help shore up that rotation in case of disaster. Overall, the O-Line for the Bolts is looking scarily good, and has a lot of potential and talent. Herbert can be ensured the best protection and blocking behind this group.

- - - - -

The Defense

📸 courtesy of The Square Bolt — 📸 courtesy of The Square Bolt

For the past few seasons, the Chargers have had one of the top defenses in the league, which has not been recognized by a lot of people. But, last season, their defense took a step down. They struggled with key leaders on that defensive front such as Derwin James out with injury, so with those leaders returning this season, LAC's defense will return to its 2018 form of prominence. On top of that the Chargers added some promising defensive prospects such as CB Asante Samuel Jr. out of Florida State, and OLB Chris Rumph II out of Duke, among other later round prospects, that will add not only talent at a decent amount of snaps but depth in case of more injury trouble. I like the mix of talented veteran leadership and young upside that this defense has, which will come in handy once the offense matures more.

- - - - -

The Coaching

(📸 courtesy of the San Diego Union-Tribune) — (📸 courtesy of the San Diego Union-Tribune)

Under former HC Anthony Lynn, the Chargers had struggles in close games, could not make postseason appearances, and couldn't utilize a dominant defense in its prime. This past offseason, Lynn was fired, and LAC hired former Rams DC Brandon Staley as HC. I like this move for the Chargers. Staley led an extremely formidable 2020 Rams defense, so he can whip LAC's defense into shape to be able to support the offense. During. Staley's run in 2020 as LAR's DC, the Rams had the NFL's top defense. I like that coaching orientation for the Chargers. But, DC for the Rams is the closest that Staley has gotten to the HC level, so his lack of inexperience could negatively affect his start with the Chargers. No one really knows how this hire will turn out, because we don't have much to make of it. But, I'm excited to see how Staley makes his impact.

- - - - -

Overall

I can't wait to see where this Chargers team goes. They have all the tools to win a division, but unfortunately, they have to share a division with the KC Chiefs, so the Chargers will most likely have to settle for a Wild Card if they want to make a playoff appearance. Not only does this squad have the potential and ability to win, but they are a young team overall. They have a young core for the most part, and a lot of their depth and role players are on the young side. I love this team, and I'm getting on the Chargers train before it becomes a bandwagon. #BoltUp ⚡️