Last season the Chargers finished 5-11, underwhelming to say the least. After 14 seasons of being under centre, Philip Rivers and the Bolts decided to part ways. They will feature a new quarterback in ten-year veteran Tyrod Taylor.
Because of the team’s record, they had the sixth overall pick and drafted quarterback Justin Herbert from Oregon. General manager Tom Telesco made several additions to the roster to help the team and bring in championship pedigree. All four of the key additions to the club have played in a Super Bowl, with three of them having won the coveted trophy. The four players are guard Trai Turner (whom the team traded for), right tackle Bryan Bulaga, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and cornerback Chris Harris Jr.
All four will be counted on to help the Chargers try to compete in an AFC West that features the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos who are trending in the right direction, and the always tough to beat Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers went 0-6 in the division and will look to change that in 2020.
Offense
The Bolts offensive side of the ball is led by offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, who is now in his first full offseason as the play-caller. He has Tyrod Taylor under centre, who is the opposite of what the team had under centre for the last 14 seasons.
Taylor has incredible athletic ability, so he can move in the pocket, extend plays, and takes care of the football. At the running back position, the team re-signed Austin Ekeler to a four-year deal. He is coming off a stellar year where he was three yards shy of accumulating 1,000 receiving yards and added 11 touchdowns. He will be backed up by Justin Jackson, who is coming off an injury-filled season, but the staff is confident in his talent and rookie Joshua Kelley, who is having a strong start to training camp.
At receiver, Keenan Allen is coming off another pro bowl season with 1,196 yards and six touchdowns. His partner in crime, Mike Williams is starting to emerge into a star coming off his first 1,000-yard season and is one of the biggest deep threats in the NFL. Tight end Hunter Henry is coming off a career-high in yards, 652, and will be a big target for Taylor, especially when he begins to scramble around.
The offensive line went through a makeover. The team added pro bowlers Trai Turner and Bryan Bulaga, who will line up on the right side. They also get pro bowl centre Mike Pouncey back from a neck injury. The left side might get shaky at times with Sam Tevi at left tackle, who had difficulty at times on the right side, and Dan Feeney at left guard. The offense will be looking to thrive with Taylor under centre.
Defence
The defensive unit has made several strides under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Last season, the defence was top five against the pass and middle of the pack against the run. That is why the team added defensive tackle Linval Joseph. He can not only help against the run, but the team is hoping he will help create pressure up the middle which the team has needed
Next to Joseph will be third-year defensive tackle Justin Jones, who has been very good against the run and will look to improve his pass rushing ability. At defensive end, the Bolts feature one of the best pass rushing duos in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Both players are coming off pro bowl seasons, and Joseph in the middle will look to have an even better 2020. One of the weaker links of the Bolts defence has been the linebacker position, so the team traded back up into the first round to select Oklahoma linebacker, Kenneth Murray. He will be joined by Denzel Perryman, who is looking to bounce back from a poor 2019.
Drue Tranquill is coming off a stellar rookie year not only at the linebacker position but on special teams, he blocked two punts last season. The cornerback position is led by Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr., who are both pro bowlers. At safety, the Bolts feature one of the best young players in the NFL in Derwin James, who missed 11 games due to injury and will be looking to take his game to the next level.
On the other side is Rayshawn Jenkins, who had a good year last year but should improve with James next to him. The defence will be one of the best units in the NFL and will look to wreak havoc in 2020.
Predicted Record: 8-8
The Chargers have rough spots in their schedule, but with a defensive unit with so much talent, they should be able to stop or slow down high-powered offenses. The offense should be able to put points up on the scoreboard with all of the talent featured around Taylor. The run game should improve with a healthy Justin Jackson and explosive rookie Joshua Kelley backing up Ekeler. The team could bounce back this year and be a wildcard.
However, due to the rough spots, a few bad results could cause a downward spiral. An improvement on last year’s 5-11 record seems a guarantee but maybe the playoffs are just a step too far this year.
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