How Did They Do?
The Los Angeles Chargers ended the 2022 season with a 10-7 regular season record. Their offense scored 391 points, ranked 13th in the NFL, and gained the ninth most yards in the league. They did fire their offensive coordinator, Joe Lombardi, after the season, so we may see a very different team on the field with Kellen Moore as the new play-caller going into the 2023 season. After seeing them reach the playoffs and lose to the Jaguars in the wild-card round, let’s look at all the factors that went into the Charger’s offense last season.
Elite Quarterback: Justin Herbert
Almost every offense’s most important player is the quarterback, and the Chargers are no different. Fortunately, they also have one of the best in the league in Justin Herbert. He ranked 12th among quarterbacks last season according to PFF. He quite the step down from 2021 when he was fourth, but it does show that he has the ability of being a top-five quarterback.
I think what Joe Lombardi did to Herbert and how he used him this season was criminal. Lombardi sees some of the passing game as an “extension to the run game”, but Herbert was bottom three in average depth of target. It seemed like Lombardi simply didn’t play to the team’s strengths. Herbert has an exceptional arm to push the ball down the field, but his average pass from him was one of the shortest in the NFL. From what I’ve seen with Kellen Moore from Dallas, I think he will use Herbert more efficiently, producing a much better offense. It seems like Moore will try to run the ball more effectively which will also help Herbert and the offense.
Protectors: The Offensive Line
The Chargers have at least a top-ten offensive line and arguably a bit higher if healthy. Rashawn Slater only saw a few weeks of action last season before getting injured for the remainder of the season. He was fantastic as a rookie and one of the best tackles in the league, so if he can return to form, Herbert will be in good hands.
One bright spot that came from the Slater injury was forcing the Chargers to turn to sixth-round rookie Jamaree Salyer. He wasn’t as fantastic as Slater was in his rookie season, but not many are. Salyer played well enough though to give the Chargers another long-term piece on the offensive line. There was also another rookie lineman for the Chargers that played pretty well this season, and that was first-round guard Zion Johnson. Johnson and Salyer are both young linemen who can hopefully develop into plus-starters in the NFL.
Their possible best lineman, though, is one of the best centers in the league, Corey Linsley. Linsley has been one of the top-tier centers in the league for his entire career, ranking top ten every single season except for two, according to PFF. With one of the best offensive lines in football, The Chargers have nothing to worry about upfront.
Supporting Cast: Wide Receivers and Running Back
The Chargers made sure to keep their offensive weapons for Herbert to play around with. After paying Mike Williams last season, they have the lethal duo comprised of him and Keenan Allen. Keenan Allen was graded as a top-ten receiver last season according to PFF. If he can keep up that level of play with a new (and improved) coordinator then we may see a prolific offense. Their third option last season was Josh Palmer who did well with around 750 yards over the season. This was probably inflated due to both Keenan and Mike seeing some injuries last year. The third receiving option doesn’t seem to be super valuable as they have one of the best receiving backs in the league in Austin Ekeler and tight end Gerald Everett doing well to pick up some slack in that aspect, but I would like to see them add some speed to this group.
Speaking of one of the best receiving backs in the league, Ekeler has been a great piece of this offense. In Joe Lombardi’s offense, there wasn’t much of a run game. Ekeler only had 204 attempts, ranking 20th in the league. He was efficient on the ground with 4.5 yards per carry which is solid but was a fantastic weapon in the passing game. He had over 100 receptions and over 700 yards, but the factor of a receiving back goes a long way in making the defense have to scheme against him.
The next leading rusher on the team was Joshua Kelley. He ran for 287 yards on 69 attempts and over 100 receiving yards. Rookie Isaiah Spiller didn’t really produce much last year, but he can hopefully develop and receive a larger role moving forward. It will be interesting to see which skill position players get used more under Moore.
How They Get Better
After the replacement at OC with Moore, they have completed step one (and the most important step) of improving the offense by firing Joe Lombardi. It will be interesting to see what players will produce in the new offense. They should see more success if they get luckier with fewer injuries this season as well. Speed. The team could use a bit of a speed boost so we can see some more explosive plays. Speedsters can also create matchup nightmares for defenses so maybe we see them address WR in the draft.
Final Thoughts
With Kellen Moore as the new play-caller, this team could look a lot different and exciting to watch this season. They also have some young pieces that will be interesting to see how they develop and play. The offense is insanely talented on paper so they don’t need to change much. I do think this unit will be one of the more exciting offenses to watch this season.
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