The opening stages of the Los Angeles Chargers’ reset are now complete, and in one offseason, coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz have managed to mold this roster to fit a new identity.
The big influx of talent came over the weekend. The Chargers added nine rookies in the draft and another 20 in undrafted free agency. But this has been an ongoing process since Harbaugh and Hortiz joined the Chargers in February. The team is young and faster. The Chargers have brought in players who embody the physical, tough, rugged play style Harbaugh and Hortiz hope to bring to the field come September.
Over the past three months, the Chargers have added 39 players to their roster who were not in the team in 2023. Their roster now stands at 87, three shy of the maximum of 90. It is not a finished product, but the bones of the roster are now firmly in place.
With the draft in the rearview, let’s reset the depth chart. Rookies are in italics.
GO DEEPER
Jim Harbaugh, Joe Hortiz wrap up successful first draft with Chargers
Quarterback
Starter: Justin Herbert
Easton Stick, Max Duggan, Casey Bauman
This group is mostly unchanged from last season. Stick re-signed on a one-year deal to remain as Herbert’s backup. Stick played in five games, including four starts, down the stretch of last season after Herbert fractured a finger on his throwing hand. Stick completed 63.7 percent of his passes and threw for 1,129 yards in those five games. He showed enough for Harbuagh and Hortiz to keep him in the room. Duggan spent most of last season on the practice squad. Bauman signed as an undrafted free agent out of Augustana, a D-II school in South Dakota. He is 6-foot-6, 227 pounds.
Running back
Starter: Gus Edwards
J.K. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal, Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson, Jaret Patterson
Harbaugh and Hortiz did some of their biggest work in the running back room, which is understandable considering their stated goal of vastly improving the rushing attack. Hortiz called Edwards a “bell cow” in March, and he is in line to get the bulk of the work. Dobbins was a logical flier signing. If he can return to form after an Achilles injury in 2023, Dobbins will end being a steal of an addition. Vidal is at his best between the tackles, so his marriage with Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman makes sense. The Chargers want to be a downhill running team. Spiller has yet to tap into his immense potential. I will be very curious to see how much he improves with the new scheme and coaching staff.
Sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal is a strong between-the-tackles runner. (Danny Wild / USA Today)
Receiver
Starters: Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston
Derius Davis, Brenden Rice, Cornelius Johnson, Simi Fehoko, Jaelen Gill, Leon Johnson III, Jaylen Johnson
The Chargers were thin at receiver heading into the draft. They significantly improved their talent and depth over the weekend, selecting McConkey in the second round and Rice and Cornelius Johnson in the seventh round. Rice is the son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. Johnson played for Harbaugh at Michigan. Both project as outside receivers. McConkey gives the Chargers a versatile weapon who is NFL-ready with his route-running, quickness and speed. He can play outside and in the slot. The Chargers are optimistic about Johnston. He will have to earn his spot at camp competing for an outside role with Rice and Cornelius Johnson. This room is lacking a bona fide No. 1 receiver. But there are pieces. Palmer has proven capable of shouldering that type of load. There are not many weaknesses in his game. His big issue has been health. Palmer has dealt with knee injuries the past two seasons. Gill, Leon Johnson and Jaylen Johnson were undrafted free agent signings.
Tight end
Starter: Will Dissly
Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham Jr., Ben Mason, Stone Smartt, Zach Heins, Luke Benson
Hortiz and Harbaugh chose to address this position group in free agency. The most important step was finding a reliable blocking tight end. Dissly fills that role. Hurst has been a productive pass-catcher in the past. He was in a rather messy situation last season with Carolina Panthers. The Chargers believe they can help Hurst, a former Baltimore Ravens draft pick, regain that form. Mason has some flexibility. For now, he is in line to be the Chargers’ primary fullback, though tight ends coach Andy Bischoff said earlier this offseason that the team will not “limit” what Mason can do. Heins and Benson are undrafted free agents. The Chargers did not draft a tight end after their investment in the position in free agency.
Offensive line
Starters: LT Rashawn Slater, LG Zion Johnson, C Bradley Bozeman, RG Jamaree Salyer, RT Joe Alt
Trey Pipkins III, Foster Sarell, Brenden Jaimes, Jordan McFadden, Brent Laing, Tyler McLellan, Willis Patrick, Tyler Smith, Bucky Williams, Karsen Barnhart
The Chargers stuck at No. 5 and drafted what they viewed as the best offensive lineman in the draft in Alt. This group has a chance to be really, really good. Alt will slide in immediately as the starting right tackle. For now, I will list Salyer as the starting right guard. But I think this could be a wide open competition come training camp. Pipkins, Salyer and McFadden should all have a chance to win a starting job at this spot. Harbaugh said his priority was protecting Herbert, and he followed through on that by drafting Alt. Have the Chargers found an elite starting tackle pairing for the next 10 years? Potentially.
GO DEEPER
Chargers stick to their blueprint by drafting OL Joe Alt
Interior defensive line
Starters: Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Otito Ogbonnia
Scott Matlock, Justin Eboigbe, Christopher Hinton, Jerrod Clark, CJ Okoye, Michael Mason
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s base package at Michigan featured two interior defensive linemen, two edge rushers, two linebackers and five defensive backs. But his scheme has the flexibility up front to align with three interior defensive linemen if the opposing offense goes with heavier personnel. So I will list three starting defensive linemen for now. Ford projects as the nose tackle in those packages, with Ogbonnia and Fox to either side. Ogbonnia can also play the nose, and Ford can move around as well. This group, in general, has a lot of flexibility. Eboigbe, the Chargers fourth-round pick, played from various alignments for Nick Saban at Alabama. He played from the nose tackle position all the way to the six-technique outside of the offensive tackle tackle. Mason is an undrafted free agent.
Fourth-round pick Justin Eboigbe played several different positions on Nick Saban’s defense at Alabama. (Gary Cosby Jr. / USA Today)
Edge rusher
Starters: Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa
Tuli Tuipulotu, Chris Rumph II, Ty Shelby, Brevin Allen, Andrew Farmer II, Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, Savion Jackson
Mack and Bosa agreed to restructured contracts to remain with the Chargers. This is one of the best and most complete position groups on the roster. We saw flashes of what the Mack-Bosa-Tuipulotu trio could do last season. But the potential was never realized fully because Bosa was injured early in the year and suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 11. Minter is regarded as a highly creative defensive schemer. He should have a blast designing ways for Bosa, Mack and Tuipulotu to get to the quarterback. Rumph is the fourth edge rusher for now. But there should be considerable competition for that spot. Morris-Brash and Jackson are undrafted free agents.
Linebacker
Starters: Denzel Perryman, Junior Colson
Daiyan Henley, Troy Dye, Nick Niemann, Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste
Hortiz and Harbaugh did considerable work at this position. Colson was one of the best value picks of the draft. He is already fluent in Minter’s scheme, after playing in it the past two seasons at Michigan. I think that gives him a leg up in earning a starting job in camp. He could end up wearing the green dot to begin the season as the Mike linebacker. Eventually, I think Henley is an ideal pairing at Will linebacker with Colson. But his rookie year was derailed by a preseason hamstring injury, and he has some developing to do. We will see where he is come training camp in July.
Safety
Starters: Derwin James Jr., Alohi Gilman
JT Woods, AJ Finley, Akeem Dent, Thomas Harper, Jalyn Phillips
I have some concerns about the depth at this position. The Chargers re-signed Gilman to start next to James. But the Chargers are expecting to move James around at times, including into the slot to get him closer to the line of scrimmage. When that happens, a third safety must come into the game. Right now, that player is Woods, who has played just 89 defensive snaps in his career. He has tremendous athletic traits, but he has not shown a strong grasp at seeing the field, and his tackling is suspect. Dent, Harper and Phillips are all undrafted free agents. The depth chart behind James and Gilman is wide open. Finley has good size, and he showed off some football instincts with his performance on special teams as an undrafted rookie in 2023.
Cornerback
Starters: Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor
Deane Leonard, Cam Hart, Tarheeb Still, Chris Wilcox, Matt Hankins, Zamari Walton, Robert Kennedy
The Chargers invested fifth-round picks on Hart and Still, and with those two players in the fold, I like the depth of this group. Like with receiver, the Chargers are missing that top-end No. 1 type. But there should be considerable competition at both outside spots and in the slot. Still has slot flex and should be competing with Taylor for the starting role. Fulton was a low-cost free-agent signing. He has battled hamstring injuries in his career. Harbaugh said earlier this offseason that he believes executive director of player performance Ben Herbert will be able to remedy some of those issues.
Specialists
Starters: PK Cameron Dicker, LS Josh Harris, P JK Scott
These three were all exceptional last season, as the Chargers finished the season ranked second in special teams DVOA, according to FTN Fantasy. They return for special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, who Harbaugh held onto from the previous Chargers staff.
Returner
Starter: Derius Davis
McConkey, Rice
Davis was a second-team All-Pro punt returner as a rookie last season. I think he should be a weapon for the Chargers with the new kickoff rules. McConkey has punt return flex. Rice has kick return flex.
(Top photos of Ladd McConkey, Joe Alt and Junior Colson: Sam Navarro / USA Today, Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press and Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
