2022 Official Chargers Season Discussion

[Heatmiser]

I could see forgoing the speed (really not that important to RB in my opinion as 50+ yd runs are rare in the NFL) for quickness, or vision, or cutting ability, or power, or some other trait that makes a RB a good RB. But it seems like the Chargers tend to acquire undersized or underweight slow RB that don't have any of the needed RB traits. Spiller is a little bigger and does have a lot of vision and some power and quickness, so high hopes. But all the other recent guys get 3-5 yards at best when everything goes right and they get stopped by the first defender when it doesn't.

TG

[powderblueboy]

The one commonality among the backs the Chargers have drafted in an attempt to find RB2-- Kelley, Rountree, Justin Jackson, Spiller-- is the lack of top end speed..

I'd put Melvin Gordon on your list: i can remember maybe two 20 + td runs.
He didn't exactly have break away speed.


I'd give Telesco a failing grade so far on grabbing running backs if they didn't happen to stumble on Ekeler.
If Ek was slower, TT would have selected him in round 6.

[equivocation]

The one commonality among the backs the Chargers have drafted in an attempt to find RB2-- Kelley, Rountree, Justin Jackson, Spiller-- is the lack of top end speed.

We all know that there have been successful NFL backs who weren't total burners-- Emmitt Smith comes to mind immediately-- but I wonder if speed is the trait that ultimately constitutes the major liability for the guys the Bolts have attempted to plug into the RB2 role.

The bigger issue is a lack of burst and leg power. A lack of top end speed can be worked with. Dead legs can't.

[powderblueboy]

I could see forgoing the speed (really not that important to RB in my opinion as 50+ yd runs are rare in the NFL) for quickness, or vision, or cutting ability, or power, or some other trait that makes a RB a good RB. But it seems like the Chargers tend to acquire undersized or underweight slow RB that don't have any of the needed RB traits. Spiller is a little bigger and does have a lot of vision and some power and quickness, so high hopes. But all the other recent guys get 3-5 yards at best when everything goes right and they get stopped by the first defender when it doesn't.

TG

I wasn't a big fan of Spiller in the draft and i tried to like him post draft reviewing his film.....i just couldn't.
Hoping i'm wrong.

Having said that, his game speed on film looks deceptive......corners aren't quickly gaining ground.

[Xenos]

Training camp is here.

Chargers veterans will report to the team facility in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, and players and coaches will take the field Wednesday at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex for the opening day of summer camp.

Through trades, free agency and the draft, general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Brandon Staley have infused this Chargers roster with talent — from stars and starters to key depth pieces — and now, finally, we will get to see their vision come to life.

Position battles. Players fighting for roster spots. Young players taking the next steps in their careers. New acquisitions defining their roles. There are so many fascinating storylines to watch and cover as the Chargers kick off another quest for the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy.

Here are the 10 I will be following most closely during training camp.

1. Who starts at right tackle?
This is my fourth season on the Chargers beat, and in each of my previous three seasons, I entered training camp with a rather lengthy list of roster holes and concerns I was monitoring. This year, I only have one, and that is right tackle. I think this is a good indication of how well-rounded the roster is, and Telesco and Staley deserve a lot of credit for how they maneuvered in the offseason to build not only excellent top-of-the-depth-chart talent but also really quality depth in all three phases. The one position they did not address was right tackle. And, as a result, this is my No. 1 storyline to watch in training camp.

The Chargers are banking on development from two of their internal options: Storm Norton, the starter last season, and Trey Pipkins III. And I can understand the thought process. They have an elite trio on the left side of their line in left tackle Rashawn Slater, left guard Matt Feiler and center Corey Linsley. They added a plug-and-play prospect in Zion Johnson in the draft at right guard (more on him in a little bit). In theory, the Chargers should have four above-average players at the four spots on the line outside of right tackle. That means they will be able to target their schematic help almost entirely to right tackle, which was not the case for most of last season, when they were starting Michael Schofield at right guard.

Still, the Chargers offense — which finished fourth in DVOA last season, Football Outsiders’ comprehensive efficiency metric — will need consistent play, particularly in pass protection, from their starting right tackle to make yet another jump in Justin Herbert’s third season. Norton and Pipkins will be battling throughout camp to prove to be that player. In a perfect world, Pipkins — who spent the offseason working out with offensive line coach Duke Manyweather in Dallas — will win this job and make the sizable jump the Chargers have been waiting since they drafted him in the third round in 2019.

Is Trey Pipkins ready to seize the starting right tackle job? (Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)


2. Competition in the secondary
There were a lot of issues with the Chargers defense last season. But one of the most glaring ones was their lack of depth in the secondary. They dealt with a lot of injuries in the position group. Asante Samuel Jr., Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr., Nasir Adderley, Alohi Gilman, Derwin James Jr. and Ryan Smith all missed time at various points the season. And the Chargers struggled to weather those injuries. Depth pieces like Tevaughn Campbell and Trey Marshall were forced to play significant snaps and did not perform. It was a big reason the Chargers finished with the worst third-down defense in the league.

Telesco and Staley set out to fix this problem in the offseason, and they focused a lot of their resources on adding secondary players. More than anything, they wanted more competition across the secondary. They did not want to just hand starting jobs and key roles to players. They wanted those jobs to be earned. And that will happen this year in training camp with the additions of guys like J.C. Jackson, Bryce Callahan and rookie safety JT Woods.

I go back to something defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill said during organized team actives. Talking about 2021 training camp, Hill said the Chargers would “have a guy not really looking over his shoulder and not worrying about who’s the next guy.” Now, with added competition and depth, Hill said, “It makes these guys really come out here and perform and know that we do have options.”

Those options are going to make for exciting battles in camp. During spring practices, Callahan was working with the first-team nickel package as the slot corner, with Samuel and Jackson on the outside. Davis — who has a $9.375 million cap hit in 2022, the 11th-highest of any corner in the league and fifth-highest cap hit on the Chargers roster — was not getting first-team reps. He is going to have to earn his way into playing time. And, at minimum, the Chargers will have a starting-caliber option on the bench if someone gets injured.

You can apply the same logic to safety. Last season, Gilman was the third safety in dime packages (six defensive backs) and played next to Adderley when James moved closer to the line of scrimmage as the linebacker-safety hybrid player, which is called the Money player in Staley’s verbiage. The only other safety on the roster was seventh-round pick Mark Webb Jr., so Gilman did not have much competition for that role. Now, with Woods on the roster, Gilman is going to have to earn that role in camp. Even Adderley, who played well last season and should make another jump in his second year in Staley’s scheme, will have to earn his starting job over Woods.

There is competition everywhere. Nothing will be given. That was Staley’s philosophy this offseason. And we will watch it unfold in camp.


3. Who emerges as Austin Ekeler’s primary backup?
The Chargers have been searching for a reliable No. 2 back behind Ekeler ever since Melvin Gordon III left in free agency in 2020, and despite devoting draft resources to the position, they have failed to find that answer. The job is open, and it is a job they must fill if they want Ekeler to keep performing at the level he did — or close to it — last season. They drafted Isaiah Spiller in the fourth round in the spring, and I think he has a clear path to the RB2 job if he can perform well in training camp and prove dependable as a pass protector. But 2020 fourth-round pick Joshua Kelley and 2021 sixth-round pick Larry Rountree III also have their eyes on that role. Behind right tackle, this will be the second most important offensive position battle in training camp. We will not have a firm idea on where this battle stands until pads come on Aug. 1.

Rookie Isaiah Spiller, shown during OTAs with running backs coach Derrick Foster, has a path to the backup running back job. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)


4. The new-look defensive line
The other big problem the Chargers had defensively last season was stopping the run. The run defense showed improvement over the second half of the season, but they finished the year 28th in rush defense EPA/play, according to TruMedia. And when they needed a run stop on the final defensive play of the season in Las Vegas on a third-and-4 in overtime, they could not get it. Staley and Telesco overhauled the interior of the defensive line this offseason in an attempt to improve the run defense. Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson and rookie fifth-round pick Otito Ogbonnia are all new additions, and there was a common theme in these pickups: size, length and the ability to take on double-teams on the interior.

The Chargers also signed interior pass rush specialist Morgan Fox in the post-draft wave of free agency. What does this mean for 2019 first-round pick Jerry Tillery? Tillery’s best attribute is his pass rushing. He is a liability against the run. There seems to be some skill set overlap between Fox and Tillery. Fox is a lock to make the roster. To me, keeping Tillery would be redundant if he cannot show some improvement as a run defender.

Did the Chargers do enough to fix their run defense? And what does the future hold for Tillery? We are going to find out.


5. Kyle Van Noy’s role
The Chargers wanted to address their edge rushing depth in the draft, but the board did not materialize as they had hoped. They had a backup plan, and they executed it days later when they signed Van Noy to a one-year deal. The interesting part of the signing is that Van Noy’s role in the defense will not be limited to edge rusher. He has experience playing as an inside linebacker — or off-ball linebacker, which refers to the alignment of the linebackers away from the line of scrimmage. And Van Noy was playing in that spot and working with the inside linebackers during individuals drills in OTAs.

Staley said in the spring that Von Noy will have “a position that’s specifically tailored for him.” I expect that to be some edge rusher and some inside linebacker. But Staley is as creative as any defensive coach in the league in terms of designing roles that utilize the specific skill sets of his players. Remember Staley concocted a package last season in which James was playing an edge rusher hybrid role — which he called the “X” — that allowed him to get after the quarterback. What will Staley cook up for Van Noy?


6. Ryan Ficken’s impact
The most noteworthy change to the Chargers coaching staff this offseason was at special teams coordinator. Staley parted ways with former special teams coordinator Derius Swinton after the season and replaced him with former Vikings special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken. In February, Staley said Ficken “really fit with where we’re trying to go as a football team” and is “great with the players.”

The Chargers special teams were a work in progress throughout last season. They signed kicker Dustin Hopkins and returner Andre Roberts during the bye in Week 7, and those veteran additions helped spearhead improvement in the second half of the season. The host of young players on the coverage and return units — like rookies Nick Niemann, Chris Rumph II and Amen Ogbongbemiga — found their footing as they played more. Still, the Chargers finished 28th in special teams EPA on the season, according to TruMedia. Staley needs more from that group, and he has tasked Ficken with fostering that.

The key phase the Chargers need to improve is the punt team. They finished 25th in punt EPA last season. And they made personnel changes to get better on punts this season. They have a new punter in J.K. Scott and a new long snapper in 2021 All-Pro Josh Harris.

They also signed a new return man in DeAndre Carter, who will replace Roberts.

How much can Ficken get out of these new pieces? And, more importantly, how much development can he get out of the young players already on the roster?

Along with a change at coordinator, the Chargers signed former Commanders returner DeAndre Carter this offseason. (Geoff Burke / USA Today)


7. When do we see Kenneth Murray Jr., and how improved is he?
Murray, who the Chargers traded back into the first round to draft in 2020, had ankle surgery in April. He injured his ankle in the final practice before the Chargers’ Week 4 Monday night game against Raiders last season when he rolled it while trying to catch a pass at the end of individual drills. Murray landed on IR and missed five games because of the injury. He then played in eight of the final nine games of the season.

The Chargers had hoped Murray could avoid offseason surgery. When the injury did not improve enough over the first three months of the offseason, they and Murray opted for surgery. Teams generally use surgery as a last resort. In Murray’s case, the Chargers took as much time as they could to try and heal the injury without surgery. But it became clear in April that surgery was going to be necessary, and they got it done in time for Murray to be back at some point in training camp.

Murray will not be full speed for the start of training camp. The Chargers will ease him back in. This will surely be something to watch. When can Murray return to practice full speed? And when he does, what will his role be? The Chargers signed Troy Reeder, who played for Staley with the Rams in 2020, in free agency. Drue Tranquill is a more reliable player than Murray. And as we mentioned above, Van Noy has the flexibility to play inside linebacker, which is Murray’s position. Niemann and Ogbongbemida are both returning.

Murray’s first goal is to get back on the field. When he does, he is going to have his work cut out in trying to earn a role. Murray has not performed as the Chargers expected when they drafted him in the first round, partially because he has battled injuries in his first two seasons — shoulder as a rookie, and ankle last season. But there is no denying he has the skill set to be a difference-maker if he can stay healthy.


8. Zion Johnson’s rookie transition
The Chargers drafted Johnson in the first round to be their starting right guard. Last season, they enjoyed a dream scenario with a different rookie offensive lineman in Slater, who emerged as one of the best left tackles in football from his first first professional games. Slater is an outlier, though, and more often there are growing pains with rookie offensive linemen. Johnson has polished technique and is tremendously strong, so the Chargers hope his transition to the NFL will be seamless. But the speed up front in the NFL is a different beast, particularly on the interior. I am curious to see how quickly Johnson can transition.

First-round pick Zion Johnson is expected to be an immediate starter, but how smooth will his transition to the NFL be? (Kirby Lee / USA Today)


9. What do the Chargers get out of Khalil Mack?
Mack, who the Chargers acquired from the Bears in the offseason for a second-round pick, is a on a mission to prove the doubters wrong. That much is clear. The 31-year-old has heard the talking heads question if he has lost a step, and his response at his introductory news conference back in March was: “OK, bet.”

Once the pads come on in August, we are going to see pretty clearly how much Mack has left in the tank. To say I am excited to the Mack-Slater one-on-one battles is an understatement. Mack might not still be a Defensive Player of the Year-level player, but he is still one of the best pass rushers in the game. He is still an elite run defender. His tape last season, in the seven games he played before a season-ending foot injury, showed that. If he can stay healthy, Mack should have a cascading effect on this defense. He will open up more one-on-ones for Joey Bosa. He will help the run defending on the edge. But that only happens if he can stay on the field and put this foot injury behind him. Mack was still working out with trainers during individual drills in OTAs, and the Chargers will likely ease him into full-speed action during camp.


10. Joshua Palmer’s second-year jump
The Chargers did not make any significant additions to their wide receiver room this offseason, and I think a big part of that was their belief in Palmer, a 2021 third-round pick. On top of solid hands and sharp route-running, Palmer has an outstanding work ethic. He is regularly the last player on the practice field. He throws with Herbert after practice more than any other receiver on the roster. He had a commendable rookie season, but I see him making a big jump in his second year.

“He’s been much more confident,” Herbert said in the spring. “This year, it’s a different Josh Palmer out there and he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

I expect Palmer to distance himself as the clear third wide receiver during camp.

[Topcat]

I wasn't a big fan of Spiller in the draft and i tried to like him post draft reviewing his film.....i just couldn't.
Hoping i'm wrong.

Having said that, his game speed on film looks deceptive......corners aren't quickly gaining ground.

Powdah, did u notice how the Raiduhs traded up RIGHT in front of us in round 4 to scoop up Zamir White? Hmmmm....and speaking of top end speed, Spiller is 4.63, while White is 4.4...I also hope Spiller works out, though...

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/...ite-RB-Georgia
https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/...-RB-TexasAANDM

[sonorajim]

The bigger issue is a lack of burst and leg power. A lack of top end speed can be worked with. Dead legs can't.

True. In Spiller's case that is not an issue. Really good foot speed & change of direction.

[chargeroo]

When Gordon was released, did anyone think we'd still be looking for a replacement for him this much later? We seem to be trying to pick a replacement for him every year. One failure after the other.

Will Spiller be another failure? His top speed makes me think he may be - but his vision makes me think he'll find the right holes. He should have an OL that can open holes for him on both sides, that should help. This will be one of the more interesting things to watch for this year.

[equivocation]

When Gordon was released, did anyone think we'd still be looking for a replacement for him this much later? We seem to be trying to pick a replacement for him every year. One failure after the other.

Will Spiller be another failure? His top speed makes me think he may be - but his vision makes me think he'll find the right holes. He should have an OL that can open holes for him on both sides, that should help. This will be one of the more interesting things to watch for this year.

Well, Ekeler is better than Gordon. We haven't backfilled Ekeler's spot.

My main concern with Spiller is the vert jump and lack of leg power displayed on film. This is the same issue with Kelley and Rountree.

While athletic testing isn't always useful, I like the vert because it's a very simple test with a direct, measurable output. F=ma, so how high someone jumps is linearly related to their explosive leg power (after accounting for weight difference). 20% higher jump = 20% more explosion.

That said, he breaks tackles at twice the rate of Rountree and Kelley, so he has a skillset they lack.

[chargeroo]

We may already have the right candidate for RB2 on the roster - Joe Reed. I know they drafted him as a WR but he has the attributes needed to be a successful RB. He's also fast. I hope they try him out at RB.

[sonorajim]

When Gordon was released, did anyone think we'd still be looking for a replacement for him this much later? We seem to be trying to pick a replacement for him every year. One failure after the other.

Will Spiller be another failure? His top speed makes me think he may be - but his vision makes me think he'll find the right holes. He should have an OL that can open holes for him on both sides, that should help. This will be one of the more interesting things to watch for this year.

Spiller didn't run at the combine due to a strained abductor muscle. His pro day was not good. I wonder if he is not a little faster today.
In college his speed, or lack thereof wasn't an obvious issue in the 0-20 yd range.

[sonorajim]

Well, Ekeler is better than Gordon. We haven't backfilled Ekeler's spot.

My main concern with Spiller is the vert jump and lack of leg power displayed on film. This is the same issue with Kelley and Rountree.

While athletic testing isn't always useful, I like the vert because it's a very simple test with a direct, measurable output. F=ma, so how high someone jumps is linearly related to their explosive leg power (after accounting for weight difference). 20% higher jump = 20% more explosion.

That said, he breaks tackles at twice the rate of Rountree and Kelley, so he has a skillset they lack.

I'm not sure what you're looking at. Tacklers bounce off Spiller's thighs. Very hard to bring down. https://walterfootball.com/scoutingr...22ISpiller.php
Apparently jumping isn't his strength. Squat?
Regardless, he'll get a chance with the Chargers. IMO he's our short yardage back with RB2 upside.