As the Chargers are set to embark on a new era under head coach Brandon Staley, there’s plenty of optimism surrounding the team after their offseason haul.
Los Angeles’ acquisitions had so much value that ESPN’s Bill Barnwell tabbed them as having the third-best offseason leading up to the 2021 season.
The team’s biggest priority entering the offseason was building around quarterback Justin Herbert, which they did by bolstering the offensive line with All-Pro center Corey Linsley, guards Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi and first-round selection Rashawn Slater.
The Chargers shored up an offensive line that ranked 32nd in pass block win rate last season in front of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. General manager Tom Telesco signed away Corey Linsley away from the Packers and added Matt Feiler from the Steelers before using his first-round pick on Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater.
Barnwell also liked the move of signing backup quarterback Chase Daniel.
What wasn’t Barnwell a fan of? He didn’t like that the Chargers didn’t keep cornerback Casey Hayward, edge defender Melvin Ingram or safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
While the defensive side of the ball wasn’t a focal point, Los Angeles still managed to re-sign CB Michael Davis, draft CB Asante Samuel Jr. and lock up some special teams aces and key depth players at vital positions like EDGE Kyler Fackrell and Chris Rumph II, linebacker Nick Niemann and safety Mark Webb, among others.
Most importantly, safety Derwin James is fully healthy after missing all of last season with a knee injury and assuming he can stay injury-free, he will be a difference-maker on defense.
How could have they gone about filling in their losses? Addressing cornerback by adding a veteran in free agency like Troy Hill, who played under Staley a year ago. Also, instead of signing Linsley, the team could have drafted Creed Humphrey in Round 2 and used that money to sign an edge defender.
All in all, this was a successful offseason for general manager Tom Telesco. If key players can stay healthy, the Chargers are capable of making a playoff run in 2021.