Offseason Outlook: The Chargers Top 5 Needs/Wants

Offseason Outlook: The Chargers Top 5 Needs/Wants

Going into this year the Chargers were seen as Super Bowl contenders. They have a strong offense led by Phillip Rivers and Melvin Gordon. While they had an excellent defense lead by Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and rookie sensation Derwin James. Unfortunately for them, the plan didn’t work, and they had a season to forget really fast. It started in the offseason and preseason. Melvin Gordon wanted a new contract and decided to holdout until week 4 when he saw his team needed him to come back as they went 1-3 during that time. Not only did they need him, but the front office also made it clear they wouldn’t be bullied into giving him the contract he wanted. Next, Derwin James is hurt and ends up having surgery. He didn’t return until week 13 on the season when the chargers were basically out of it then. Lastly, Phillip Rivers ended up with one of the worst seasons of his career. It was bad enough that now the Chargers have admitted they will not resign the long time Charger and will be looking for a fresh start at the position next season. These factors all added up and helped the Chargers go 5-11 and lose nine games by seven points or less. This team has so much promise, but definitely needs some adjustments and good luck on their side this upcoming season. 

Los Angeles Chargers

Wants

1. Quarterback

2. Offensive line

3. Interior defensive line

4. Running back

5. Cornerback

Needs

1. Find a quarterback for the future

2. Figure out the Running back situation

3. Get some reliable protection for the quarterback of the future

4. Find ways to stay healthy, especially key players

5. Get more help for the interior of the line and linebackers

Quarterback

The Chargers has only known one quarterback for the last 14 seasons, Phillip Rivers. He came to the Chargers during that 2004 draft when Manning, Rivers, Roethlisberger all went in the top 15 picks and became cornerstones for the franchises respectively. Unlike the other two quarterbacks in the draft who both had two world title, Rivers has none and has only been to the AFC champion game once in his career. He had multiple losing seasons and only made the playoffs six out of the fourteen seasons he was the starter. Rivers has many personal accomplishments and is among one of the best quarterbacks of recent memory. Yet, he will forever be one of the quarterbacks remembered for not winning the big game. The Chargers are now on the path for the next franchise QB in hopes the next one will be able to deliver on what eluded Rivers all these years, a championship. They can either try free agents and get a player like Ryan Tannehill, Marcus Mariota or Teddy Bridgewater. All these guys are experienced, have solid building blocks, and have shown that with weapons can win you games. The only question is do they want to experience or a young inexperienced rookie that they can groom and have for another 12- 15 years down the line. My best guess is to do a bit of both. They can get a solid veteran now like Ryan Tannehill to compete while they have a championship window. While also drafting a quarterback like Justin Herbert or Jordan Love. The rookie can sit back, study and observe what it takes to be a starting quarterback in this league for a year or two then take over the reins and be a guy that can play for years to come for the Chargers and hopefully extend their playoff window.

Running back

This situation for the Chargers is a bit clearer cut then most will see. If a team wants to win the big games nowadays you need three key pieces. First, you need a franchise quarterback that can produce in the clutch. Second, you need a defense that can limit your opponent and get you stops and turnovers in key moments of a game. Lastly, you need a solid running back or running backs that can grind out the 4th quarter, keep defenses off balance in the passing game, and also protect the quarterback when they need more time for a good deep shot. When the Chargers look at what they had the last few seasons, you can’t get much better than the trio of Gordon, Ekeler and Jackson. Gordon is a three-down back that can rush inside and outside the tackles, be a receiving threat out the backfield and in the slot, while also being able to hold his own in pass blocking situations. They need to pay that man. Ekeler is the definition of a receiving back to the fullest. He is able to run crisp, clean routes against anyone on the defense and still can give you a change of pace rushing out the backfield. Jackson is a purer runner that you can hammer inside and outside the tackles and he will produce. He has receiving ability but, he is more of a runner than a catcher.  Those three can and should be the backs moving forward, as long as the Chargers pay the man his money he deserves. If not, they will be looking at a more commit rotation with a young back like JK Dobbins or Clyde Edwards-Helaire. 

Find ways to stay healthy, especially key players

If there was one thing that hurt the Chargers more than anything else last season it was their inability to stay healthy as a whole. They had too many injuries to key pieces on the defense and offensive line. The offensive tackles fluctuated game to game, and you couldn’t be sure whether or not you would get a solid line in back to back weeks. The defense was without two of their top three players for most of the year in Joey Bosa and Derwin James. They caused havoc for opposing quarterbacks whether it be pressure on the rush or coverage in the secondary. Those two were sorely missed during the teams’ first nine and eleven games respectively. Not having these key pieces also could have led to the record number of losses by single digits. They lost two games from goal-line stands by the opposing defenses because they couldn’t rush for one yard. They lost a few others because they gave up too many yards on the final drives in the games and allowed the opponent to set up game-winning field goals in the final seconds. If the Chargers can find a way to stay healthy next year, they can ensure fielding the best possible lineups to change some of the losses into wins. 

-By: Darren Braxton

Writer/Interviewer