Los Angeles Chargers State of the Franchise

2017 Record: 9-7

Last Playoff Appearance: 2013

Head Coach: Anthony Lynn (9-8 record as a Head Coach)

General Manager: Tom Telesco

2017 Performance

For the whole of last season, Anthony Lynn talked about the season as if it were a football game, splitting it into four quarters.

The first quarter wasn't pretty at all for the Bolts as they lost all of their first four games, some in heartbreaking circumstances.

The Chargers opened up the season on the road in Denver. It was a back and forth game but 24-7, to the Broncos, going into the fourth quarter. It was always going to be a tall order but it was almost rescued by quick scores from Keenan Allen and Travis Benjamin to make it 24-21. Game on? Well, at the time, we were dreaming until the Chargers, ‘Chargered’. Yes, that is now a verb in the English language, you'll hear it a lot throughout this season review. Rookie kicker, Younghoe Koo, had an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds from 44 yards. It's a good snap, a good hold, it splits the uprights…Scores Level, overtime, we’ve got all the momentum, we’re going to win!...Nope. Denver had called timeout and iced the debutant kicker, Koo’s second attempt was blocked. Like I said, at the worst times, Chargers gotta ‘Charger’.

The next 3 games contain lots of ‘Chargering’ too so I'm mainly going to gloss over those and give you the skinny, it's too painful to relive.

Home opener against Miami, another back and forth game. It came down to a now familiar scene. Younghoe Koo, from 44 yards in the dying seconds. This time, it's 19-17 to the Dolphins so this is a potential game winner, the rookie misses. Doom. Two kicks away from potentially being 2-0 and, instead, we’re 0-2. Like I said, Chargers gotta ‘Charger’.

Week 3, the Chiefs come to Los Angeles and, like the previous 6 games between the two teams, the Chiefs had the Chargers number. This time it was Philip Rivers doing the ‘Chargering’ by throwing three interceptions. It doesn't just happen to rookies you know, even the best Chargers can ‘Charger’. 24-10 to KC, 0-3.

Last game of Lynn’s ‘first quarter’ against the Eagles. 50 points were shared in the game but the Chargers lost another close one 26-24. The Eagles kept the scoreboard ticking over, putting points up in every quarter. That, and a vital fumble lost by Philip Rivers, is where this one was lost. Philly didn't turn the ball over at all. Chargers were finding different ways to lose through the first four weeks. Following the first 4 games, unsurprisingly, Younghoe Koo was cut and in came Nick Novak.

Onto October and the second quarter of the season. The Chargers saw a big upturn in form through the next four games by going 3-1. The Chargers were even able to win a close game in Oakland in between taking care of a road game in New York and getting a shutout home victory over Denver. The Chargers really gained some momentum over these four games and, even though they lost in New England, they did keep the score close and it was a competitive game. Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry and Melvin Gordon were developing into the focal points on offense ably supported by Austin Ekeler and Tyrell Williams. The defense was also playing at a high level. Pass rushers, Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, were becoming the most feared duo in the league and, in the secondary, Casey Hayward was playing like a superstar. Desmond King was looking like a promising rookie and he even registered his first sack on Tom Brady, no less.

After the Patriots game, the Chargers had their bye week. 3-5 at the halfway stage, not bad after starting 0-4.

Week 10, versus Jacksonville, saw the epitome of ‘Chargering’. The Bolts conspired to lose 20-17, in overtime, despite picking off Blake Bortles twice in the 4th quarter whilst ahead and that's not even the worst part. The Jags won on a field goal by the kicker they cut in favour of Younghoe Koo the previous off season, Josh Lambo. As earlier in the season, the Chargers continued to find new ways to lose and that's what, ultimately kept them out of the postseason.

After peak ‘Chargeriness’ (yep, still making these up) was achieved, Los Angeles actually went on an absolute tear to finish off the season. From week 11, versus Buffalo, where they annihilated the Bills, and rookie QB Nate Peterman, the Chargers went 6-1, only losing to Kansas City (obviously). After the Bills, the Bolts went to the house that Jerry built and ‘owned’ the Cowboys in what was, personally, my favourite performance of the season. In the following weeks, the Browns and Redskins were toppled in succession at The StubHub Center. After the Kansas City loss, the Bolts went out East, visiting MetLife Stadium for the second time in the season to beat the Jets before returning to L.A. to end the season by beating the Raiders.

After the bye week, Los Angeles were probably the 4th or maybe even 3rd best team in the AFC. Philip Rivers was slinging it with great accuracy and confidence and most of his passes were being gobbled up by either Keenan Allen or Hunter Henry. By seasons end, Melvin Gordon had run for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

It was a shame that the Bolts missed the playoffs as they were in great form and were playing better than a few teams who did actually make it in. It all came down to kicking and not quite getting over the hump in a few close games. Nonetheless, good foundations were laid for Anthony Lynn to improve the team next year. Pro Bowl invites were extended to 6 Chargers: Philip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Russell Okung on offense and Casey Hayward, Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa on defense.

2018 Roster Moves

In typical Chargers, and Tom Telesco fashion, it's been a fairly quiet and understated offseason in terms of signings, moves and transactions. The Chargers generally don't persue big name free agents or make blockbuster trades. Telesco tends to look for mid-level players or players that represent ‘value for money’. Casey Hayward inked a three year, $34.25 million, extension with $20 million guaranteed which makes Hayward the 12th highest earner at the position, by average per year, and I think most will agree that it represents fantastic value for a top 5 Corner in the prime of his career.

In free agency, having gone through 4 kickers in the 2017, it was encouraging to see the front office bring in Roberto Aguayo and Caleb Sturgis. This creates a camp battle where the best man will win the starting job. Both kickers will have to bring their ‘A’ game each, and every, practice.

The Chargers followed this up, with a little bit of internal business, by assigning restricted free agent tenders to Tyrell Williams and Chris McCain. Tyrell Williams signed his and will hopefully be a key part of the receiving corps for Philip Rivers, once again, in 2018. Chris McCain, eventually, had his tender rescinded and has subsequently left to join Indianapolis. The general vibe that everyone is getting about the situation is that McCain was looking for a long term deal and the team were not willing to meet those demands. McCain is a little bit of a loss but he was fairly anonymous the second half of last season after a pretty hot start.

Other bits of internal housekeeping were the signings of Wide Receiver, Geremy Davis, and special teams ace, Nick Dzubnar. Both of these signings boost the depth chart and provide good value for the special teams unit.

To round out the pre draft, free agent incomings, were a handful of signings for the Bolts. Firstly, Tight End Virgil Green, who will be used mainly as a blocker. This role should suit him just fine as he's a great blocking Tight End and doesn't have to do too much in the way of receiving with Hunter Henry already filling that particular role. Next was Mike Pouncey coming in from Miami to be the anchor in the middle of the offensive line, this should give the unit a boost, as long as his troublesome hips stay healthy. Alongside 2017 draftees, Dan Feeney and Forest Lamp, Pouncey gives the Chargers a really strong, and dynamic, interior group to protect number 17 and open holes for Melvin Gordon.

Quarterback, Geno Smith, has arrived to battle with third year QB, Cardale Jones, for the primary back up spot. In addition to this, Telesco struck a deal with versatile defensive back, Jaylen Watkins. Watkins can play either safety or corner so, therefore, gives Gus Bradley (Defensive Coordinator) another moveable piece to scheme with.

So, all in all, a solid if unspectacular free agency period for the Chargers. They targeted a couple of areas of need and almost certainly made the team better, and the roster deeper, setting themselves up nicely for the 2018 NFL Draft.

2018 Draft Selections

Round 1, pick 17; Derwin James, S, Florida State

Round 2, pick 46; Uchenna Nwosu, LB, USC

Round 3, pick 84; Justin Jones, DT, N.C. State

Round 4, pick 119; Kyzir White, S/LB, West Virginia

Round 5, pick 155; Scott Quessenberry, G/C, UCLA

Round 6, pick 191; Dylan Cantrell, WR, Texas Tech

Round 7, pick 251; Justin Jackson, RB, Northwestern

Draft Breakdown

The Chargers had a nice draft overall. It started off with a bang followed by a very solid group of selections.

Derwin James was the steal of the first round. Tom Telesco and, more importantly, Gus Bradley probably couldn't believe their collective luck when James was there at 17. Personally, I thought he was a top 10 lock but, with the run on Quarterbacks, the teams further down the draft were always going to have some top end defensive talent to choose from. The Chargers got lucky and made it an A+ Thursday night for everyone connected to the franchise.

Friday night of the drafy brought the selections of Uchenna Nwosu and Justin Jones. Nwosu has a cool story, he grew up in Carson, California, where he'll be playing for the Bolts at the StubHub Center (until they move in with The Rams). Nwosu went to USC so, again, not too far from where he'll be playing in the pros. Tom Telesco said in post draft interviews how it was cool to be keeping the young Linebacker close to home and I fully agree. I'll predict the starting lineups later on but Nwosu should play a versatile role for the team, mixing Linebacker duties with pass rushing reps. A solid pick but, most importantly, a great fit for what Gus Bradley needs from his OTTO (Strongside Linebacker).

Justin Jones, unfortunately, seems to be the one pick that made the whole fanbase collectively say, “huh?”. Defensive Tackle was a need for the team but it just felt like a little bit of a reach. Jones himself has all but admitted he didn't expect to be picked on Friday night. Jones is a bit of a tweener, not quite having the size of a typical 0 or 1 technique tackle and not having the burst, or pocket moving abilities, of a pass rushing 3 technique. What is it with Tom Telesco and his third rounders? (Dan Feeney aside).

Moving on to Saturday and the day were Tom Telesco really seems to come into his own. To kick things off on Saturday, the Chargers went out and selected Kyzir White. Now, on the face of it, this was another pick that seemingly opened up more questions than it provided answers for until we all realised that White was announced as a Linebacker and not a Safety. Again, I'll get into starting lineups later but White should come in and compete for a starting job at Weakside Linebacker.

By this point in the draft, there was certainly a theme developing and the plan was becoming clearer. The Chargers wanted fast and versatile defenders to come in and compete with veteran players. I love the White pick, he's another great fit for the defense and, for one, I can't wait to see him in a lightning bolt.

Round 5 brought the Chargers a Center, Scott Quessenberry. Quessenberry will come in and hopefully soak up as much knowledge as possible from Mike Pouncey before taking the reins in a couple of years time. This continues the rebuild of the interior offensive line and the Chargers will be hoping the former UCLA man is everything Max Tuerk was supposed to be, when he was drafted, a couple of seasons ago. In the meantime, Quessenberry will provide good depth and will compete with Spencer Pulley for the primary back up spot at both Center and Guard.

With their penultimate pick of the draft, L.A. stayed on offense and took Wide Receiver, Dylan Cantrell. This was another smart pick as the team have a few receivers with question marks hanging over them. Mike Williams hasn't been healthy yet, Tyrell Williams in only on a 1 year deal, Geremy Davis is an unknown quantity and on a 1 year deal and Travis Benjamin is entering a make-or-break season. So, there's scope for Cantrell to carve out a role here. The other little wrinkle in this pick is that, due to Cantrell being a very good and very willing blocker, he could be played as a Tight End/Wide Receiver hybrid.

Last, but by no means least, in the 7th round, we saw Running Back, Justin Jackson, selected out of Northwestern. For a 7th round pick, Jackson has been very productive in the Big 10, a power 5 conference. Whilst Jackson isn't going to supplant Melvin Gordon as RB1 on the depth chart, he will push Austin Ekeler for carries. Jackson is also a good catcher out of the backfield, and a good blocker, so he could see some third down action.

2018 Starters

Offense

QB – Philip Rivers

RB1 – Melvin Gordon

RB2 – Austin Ekeler

WR1 – Keenan Allen

WR2 – Tyrell Williams

WR3 – Travis Benjamin

WR4 – Mike Williams

TE1 – Hunter Henry

TE2 – Virgil Green

LT – Russell Okung

LG – Dan Feeney

C – Mike Pouncey

RG – Forest Lamp

RT – Joe Barksdale

Offensive Breakdown

Not a lot of change from last year really and that continuity is a good thing. When the offense is firing for the Chargers, they're one of the best offenses in the league. Pouncey provides the biggest change on the offense and, as I said earlier, having that veteran presence at the center position is going to elevate that whole unit. The same can also be said of the fact that Forest Lamp will make his debut this season following an injury thwarted rookie campaign in 2017. Both Pouncey and Lamp are great athletic fits for what Anthony Lynn wants in order to execute his offense so look for further improvement from Melvin Gordon and the run game.

In terms of the passing game, we all know what Philip Rivers brings to the table. Look for another big year from number 17 and lots of throws going in the direction of his two main targets, Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry. The supporting cast shouldn't be bad either as Los Angeles possesses a pretty deep stable of pass catchers (as long as they can avoid the injuries which have been an issue in the past).

The last point from me, regards the offense, will be that this group got deeper in the off-season. Mike Williams should be healthy, Cantrell is an intriguing player, Justin Jackson adds something new as well. Last year's starting center, Spencer Pulley, is now a high-end back up, Virgil Green helps the run game. Everywhere you look, there's competition for jobs. All sounds good doesn't it? There really isn't a weak point in this offense. The best thing is that this is, arguably, the weaker part of the team.

Defense

DE1 – Joey Bosa

DE2 – Melvin Ingram

DE3 – Chris Landrum/Isaac Rochell

DT1 – Corey Luiget

DT2 – Darius Philon

DT3 – Brandon Mebane

WILL – Kyzir White (R)/Jatavis Brown

OTTO – Uchenna Nwosu (R)/Kyle Emannuel

MIKE – Denzel Perryman

NLB – Kyrzir White (R)/Adrian Phillips

CB1 – Casey Hayward

CB2 – Trevor Williams

CB3 (Nickel) – Desmond King

CB4 – Jason Verrett

FS – Derwin James (R)

SS – Jahleel Addae

Defensive Breakdown

This defense has stars at every level and an excellent co-ordinator to direct the action. Los Angeles have, arguably, the best pass rush tandem in the entire league in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Giving Bosa and Ingram enough time to fight their way to the opposing Quarterback is one of the deepest secondaries in the league.

Casey Hayward has been a revelation for the Chargers, Trevor Williams played out of his mind for an undrafted free agent last year and, as a fifth round pick, Desmond King was one of the steals of the 2017 draft. The biggest example of depth is at the Cornerback position where I would currently list Jason Verrett as the 4th corner on this team! Before injuries, Verrett was a shutdown Corner and would, undoubtedly, start for most other teams. Verrett has struggled to stay healthy, throughout his career, and will have to fight his way back up the depth chart but, from the team’s point of view, it's more competition as well as great insurance against a potential drop off in play from Trevor Williams.

In the middle of the defence is Denzel Perryman who will also be looking to stay healthy for a full 16 game slate. When he is healthy, Perryman is a thumping run stuffer, and a ‘throwback Linebacker’ who loves to hit guys right in the mouth. The draft allowed The Bolts to acquire more tough tackling players to sure up the run defense and improve the tackling. Kyzir White, Uchenna Nwosu and Derwin James are all strong tacklers and will add to what Perryman and box-safety, Jahleel Addae, being to the team in terms of hard hitting.

The run defense was really the one area of weakness that this team has last year. With that in mind, and the fact that Corey Luiget is suspended for the first 4 games of the season, it made it pretty strange that Defensive Tackle wasn't addressed in free agency or early in the draft. The coaching staff must have a lot of faith in players like Darius Philon and recent draftee, Justin Jones.

The only other negative on this side of the ball could be pass rush depth. I've listed Chris Landrum or Isaac Rochell as DE3 but, in pass rush situations, I think it'll be Uchenna Nwosu coming off the edge with Bosa kicked inside. Maybe they'll look to pick up a free agent to fill out this position, time will tell.

Special Teams

K – Caleb Sturgis/Roberto Aguayo

P – Drew Kaser

LS – Mike Windt

Special Teams Breakdown

The only thing of note, on special teams really, is who comes out on top between the Kickers, Sturgis and Aguayo. Sturgis is a veteran who's been in the league for a few years and probably has the inside track to start off. Aguayo, however, was a college sensation and second round pick. This will be a legit camp battle, this isn't for show. The Chargers need a reliable kicker in the worst way and I really hope they find one before September.

Drew Kaser will be looking to build on a decent rookie year and lock down the job, as the Punter, for a long while.

The Long Snapper is Mike Windt, as it has been for a while, and that's all I have to say on a guy who gets paid to throw balls between his legs.

2018 Outlook

The Chargers should really be looking to build upon the strong finish they had to last season and take advantage of the rest of the AFC West going through, at least, some degree of transition. The question is, can they stay healthy? This has been a major problem in recent years but they, in the most part, last year so, hopefully, it'll be more of the same, in that regard, this coming season.

The other area where the team has got to improve is special teams. The kicking game HAS to get much better and I'd hope for an improvement in the return game also. Last year, there was too many missed opportunities on special teams and it ultimately cost the team a place in the playoffs.

Overall, I'm optimistic for Los Angeles for the coming year. I think, if all goes to plan, they'll make the playoffs and potentially be AFC West champions followed by a good run in the playoffs. Philip Rivers Superbowl window is closing fast and everyone knows time is growing short. Time to make a big run and maybe win it all.

Bottom Line

The current state of the Los Angeles Chargers franchise is a healthy one. They possess a strong roster which, in the most part, is young, talented and has its best football ahead of it. The Chargers have star players at some of the game's most important positions, on both sides of the ball, who can form a strong core group now and in the future.

Off the field, it feels like the coaching staff and front office work with a high level of harmony and understanding and have a short, medium and long term plan which they are executing effectively. The team is well managed financially by Tom Telesco and his team, operating well within the salary cap. The Head Coach is well like by fans and we'll respected by his players and staff. The coordinators and coaches on Lynn’s staff are of an excellent calibre and are very well thought of league wide.

This synergy of front office, coaching staff and players mean that the franchise is moving on an upward trend and constantly improving. It really does feel a world away from the dour days under Mike McCoy.

The only negative surrounding the franchise is the ownership and the fact a cloud still remains around the move from San Diego to L.A. The fact that the team will be tenants in the Rams’ stadium, when that is complete, isn’t ideal as they, effectively, wouldn’t have their own home and will almost certainly always play second fiddle to their intercity neighbours. If there's one thing Los Angeles sports fans love, it's winning and the Chargers are currently being built to do so for a long time to come.

All Los Angeles Super Bowl in 2018? Anyone?

Written By Lee Wakefield, NFL Analyst, LA Chargers