Keenan Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears in the offseason. Teammate Mike Williams was waived. Running back Austin Ekeler left as a free agent, as did tight end Gerald Everett. Center Corey Linsley retired due to a heart condition after 10 standout seasons.
Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh have had a lot of work to do during an offseason of change. They’ll finally get a chance to show their work Sunday when the Chargers open the 2024 season at home to the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium.
Have they accomplished enough through free agency, the draft and a handful of trades to make up for the loss of five players as valuable and influential as Allen, Williams, Ekeler, Everett and Linsley? Time will tell, and that time starts a few minutes after the 1:05 p.m. kickoff Sunday in SoFi.
Here’s a look at the Chargers’ revamped and retooled offense under Hortiz and Harbaugh heading into the 2024 regular season:
Quarterbacks: Justin Herbert, Easton Stick, Taylor Heinicke
The Chargers never seemed overly concerned about Herbert’s right foot injury, which sidelined him for nearly three weeks of training camp. He threw strikes after a layoff with a plantar fasciitis injury, so it appears the team’s lack of concern was well-founded.
In particular, Herbert bonded with his receivers, tight ends and running backs in the final week of camp. His precise spirals were a stark contrast to Stick, who had an uneven camp until leading the Chargers past the Dallas Cowboys in the final exhibition game on Aug. 24.
Hortiz added depth beyond Herbert and Stick by trading for Heinicke last week, sending the Atlanta Falcons a conditional 2025 draft pick. Heinicke has more starting experience than Stick, who replaced Herbert for the final four games in 2023 after a finger injury ended his season.
As always, the Chargers must protect Herbert at all costs.
Running backs: Gus Edwards, JK Dobbins, Hassan Haskins, Kimani Vidal
Ekeler was the engine of the Chargers’ offense, but when it became clear the old regime wasn’t going to give him the contract extension he was seeking in the 2023 offseason, he was going to head elsewhere. That elsewhere turned out to be the Washington Commanders.
Edwards and Dobbins were signed as free agents, and Haskins was also added. Vidal was selected in the sixth round of the draft out of Troy. Suddenly, the Chargers had a whole new face in their backfield. Edwards and Dobbins would have to share the primary duties, as they did with the Baltimore Ravens.
Wide Receivers: Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, DJ Chark Jr., Ladd McConkey, Simi Fehoko, Brenden Rice, Derius Davis.
Johnston was the first to say his rookie season didn’t go the way he or anyone else hoped. He looked like a different player during spring practice and, especially, during training camp. He caught nearly everything thrown his way and was in sync with Herbert like never before in recent weeks.
McConkey (second round) and Rice (seventh) were added via the draft. Chark signed as a free agent. Palmer, Fehoko and Davis are back. Put together, they don’t come close to matching the experience and production of Allen and Williams.
Not yet, anyway.
Tight ends: Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Stone Smart
Hortiz and Harbaugh wanted better blocking in order to establish a more productive running game, something the Chargers have consistently lacked since the days of LaDainian Tomlinson’s madness. In other words, it was a long time coming, so they signed Dissly and Hurst and let Everett walk in free agency.
Dissly and Hurst don’t have Everett’s playmaking ability, but they can still step up and catch a pass or two from Herbert if needed. The key is blocking for Edwards and Dobbins as well as Herbert. Again, the Chargers’ goal is to protect Herbert and keep him on his feet.
Offensive line: Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins III, Joe Alt, Jamaree Salyer, Jordan McFadden, Foster Sarell, Brendan Jaimes.
Hortiz could have selected any of a number of star receivers with the fifth pick, dynamic playmakers who could have paired with Herbert to make fans forget about Allen and Williams in time. Instead, Hortiz sought better protection for the running game and Herbert.
So Hortiz selected offensive lineman Joe Alt of Notre Dame, which allowed Harbaugh to move Trey Pipkins III from right tackle to right guard. Alt, who is 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, earned the starting right tackle job after a breakout performance in the spring. Salyer, a right guard, left the starting lineup.
Bozeman was signed to replace Linsley.
Specialists: Cameron Dicker (kicker), JK Scott (kicker/backer), Josh Harris (long snapper).
Dicker, Scott and Harris have proven to be as valuable and reliable as anyone on the offensive staff, with the possible exception of Herbert last season, and that could have been up for debate. Dicker got a four-year, $22 million contract extension last week, a reward for making 50 of 53 field goals with the Chargers.
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