Los Angeles Chargers 2024 NFL offseason primer: Jim Harbaugh takes over team that needs significant facelift
Los Angeles Chargers' 2023 season: 5-12, missed playoffs
Overview: The Chargers ended up having a massively disappointing season fueled by injury and poor defensive play. Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL as the new head coach with the task of getting quarterback Justin Herbert and this team moving in the right direction after the quarterback had the worst season of his career.
But the Chargers will be undergoing a significant facelift to try and become salary-cap compliant while building a new identity for this team. They have the fifth overall draft pick, but also one of the worst cap situations in the league.
Key free agents
CB Michael Davis
Who's in/out? Longtime running back Austin Ekeler is out the door after reaching a deal with the Commanders, but the team had already chosen a replacement by adding RB Gus Edwards in free agency. Like Ekeler, LB Kenneth Murray and TE Gerald Everett have also agreed to deals elsewhere. Davis had disappointing season in 2023 and won't likely be a priority re-signing. The team did add TE Will Dissly on a three-year agreement.
Key free-agent needs
Offensive line
Cornerback
Running back
Why the holes? Ekeler is gone and Joshua Kelley is slated to be a free agent, though the Edwards' deal partially addresses the running back issue. They also need work at the right tackle spot and the cornerback position needs to be retooled after whiffing on the J.C. Jackson acquisition.
Do they have the money?: The Chargers are projected to be $25.4 million over the 2024 cap, according to Spotrac. That’s going to force them to cut, trade or restructure some key pieces in order to become cap compliant.
Potential notable cuts
EDGE Khalil Mack
WR Keenan Allen
WR Mike Williams
Why they might be gone: Cap space, cap space, cap space. The Chargers don’t have any, which could force their hand to move on from some very well known players. Khalil Mack, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams all have big contracts that are entering their final years, putting their status with the team moving forward in danger. Even if the team cuts or trades these players, it would still endure a massive dead cap hit for 2024. The idea would be to reset things for 2025 and beyond.
2023 NFLPA report card
Draft picks
1st round: No. 5
2nd round: No. 37
3rd round: No. 69
4th round: No. 104
4th round: No. 110 (from Bears)
5th round: No. 139
6th round: No. 180
7th round: No. 225
7th round: No. 253 (compensatory)
Good draft fit
Penn State OT Olu Fashanu
Why him? The Chargers need to run the ball better and protect Herbert better in 2024. A high-floor, top shelf offensive tackle who just might be the best player in the entire class would be a good start to the Harbaugh era.
What can move the fantasy football needle this offseason?
I don’t think people realize how up in the air every skill-position room is on this roster. Wide receiver has names but perhaps just as many open slots. Mike Williams will almost surely be a salary-cap casualty, and while I think it’s unlikely Keenan Allen plays somewhere else in 2024, he is squarely in his 30s with a beefy salary for a cap-strapped team. I’m not sure how committed this new regime will be to the likes of Josh Palmer and certainly Quentin Johnston. Running back is uncertain; Austin Ekeler is gone and Joshua Kelley may follow him out the door. The tight ends room has quietly been one of the least inspiring units in the run-and-pass game the past two seasons, so that needs a full-scale makeover with Greg Roman’s offense coming to town. So, with all this potential turnover taking place on the roster, essentially any new body paired with Justin Herbert has the chance to become a fantasy football needle-mover. — Matt Harmon
