As the Chargers’ mandatory minicamp gets underway, all veterans and rookies alike are expected to participate.
Here are some names to watch as LA undergoes the first mandatory minicamp of the Jim Harbaugh era.
Fresh off of signing his new rookie deal, Joe Alt will have quite a presence in LA’s offseason period along the offensive line. Pegged to start at right tackle likely, the new rookie will have to earn that gig over the next few months formally. Expect early questions about position conversion to right tackle to be answered on the field by the former Notre Dame product.
With the aforementioned Alt in the fold, Trey Pipkins has his own questions to answer. Jim Harbaugh has consistently said since the Alt pick that he wants the best five linemen on the field. Is there a starting spot for Pipkins on the offensive line that isn’t right tackle? He has lined up at both right tackle and right guard throughout the early portion of offseason practices.
It feels like there will be a competition between Jamaree Salyer and Pipkins for that last projected starting spot at right guard.
At media availability last week, Quentin Johnston came to the podium with some positive affirmations about improving from his rookie campaign. While he mentioned focus drops and the infamous Packers game, Johnston will get another opportunity to work with the new coaching staff. So far, Harbaugh’s staff has received rave reviews from the wide receiver room.
With the wide receivers room resetting back in March, Johnston has time to win over the aforementioned coaching staff and build chemistry with Justin Herbert. Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal will also work with Johnston on some of the training and fundamentals.
This is a landmark offseason period for Josh Palmer. With the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, he is now the longest tenured Chargers’ receiver on the team. Palmer will slot in as the No. 1 wide receiver for the first time in his career.
Another aspect to watch will be Palmer’s knee injury recovery. Lal mentioned that he’s still going through strength recovery on that knee at media availability last week. As the calendar gets closer to August, expect the Chargers to continue increasing Palmer’s reps back to his normal workload.
With a lot of focus on the new coaching staff and other aspects of the changing roster this season, Hayden Hurst’s signing went a bit under the radar. With the newly signed Will Dissly taking up more of a blocking role, Hurst projects to essentially be the Chargers’ TE1. He comes in as someone very familiar with Greg Roman’s offensive scheme.
The main imperative for Hurst this training camp is staying healthy and building rapport with Justin Herbert. With the Panthers last year, Hurst struggled with concussions and missed nearly half of the season. Over the last three years of his career, Hurst has played in just 35 of 51 games.
Poona Ford is another reclamation project player that the Chargers are looking to fit into their system. Ford played in just eight games with the Bills last season despite injuries to their defensive line. He was a healthy scratch despite depleted Buffalo roster depth.
Ford is years removed from his peak years with the Seahawks in 2020 and 2021. But Jesse Minter and company believe he is still a quality nose tackle who can fit their scheme. Michigan had plenty of big bodies that could pass rush on the interior, and Ford theoretically fits the mold if he has gas left in the tank.
Today marks exactly one month since Bud Dupree signed with the Chargers. While there are certainly other possible roster constructions, an opening-day EDGE group of Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Dupree seems very likely.
What will those four pass rushers look like in a Minter scheme? Dupree interestingly received a multiyear deal with the Chargers at a relatively late stage of free-agent signings. The only other external free agents to receive contracts of more than one year this offseason were Gus Edwards and Will Dissly. Clearly, LA likes some of the varied defensive looks they can put Dupree in and is betting on him as pass rusher depth beyond 2024 as well. Let’s see how that looks in minicamp and training camp.
Junior Colson hit the ground running last month in OTAs. The Michigan linebacker received praise for his performance from both Jim Harbaugh and NaVorro Bowman. He was a cerebral player in college and it seems that the same ability has carried on to the pros.
Harbaugh has specifically noted Colson’s ability to call plays and relay information to his teammates. Both Harbaugh and Bowman have said that year one might be too soon for Colson to have the green dot signal-caller role. While it makes sense to err on the side of caution when it comes to a rookie’s potential performance, one has to wonder if the Michigan product will take on a bigger role in Minter’s defense sooner rather than later.
Kristian Fulton was another one of the Chargers’ buy-low signings in this free-agency cycle. While the former Titans’ corner and LSU star was admittedly disappointed in his FA market, he’ll have the chance for a rebound season in Minter’s defense.
Roles in the secondary will be an interesting discussion in general. Defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale previously stressed that Fulton, Asante Samuel Jr., and others in the cornerback room will need to be cross-trained to play both slot and outside roles.
Availability is a question for Fulton. Soft tissue injuries have hampered his development throughout his NFL career. Will Ben Herbert’s program be able to keep him on the field? If so, LA’s defensive depth starts to look a little better. If not, the cornerback room could be in trouble.
As reported by Jordan Schultz last week, former Ravens safety Tony Jefferson will attend the Chargers’ minicamp in a tryout capacity. Jefferson recently came out of retirement after playing with the Giants in 2022. He worked as a scouting intern in Baltimore with Joe Hortiz last year.
With effectively two roster spots left for a 90-man roster and some depth needed at the safety position, Jefferson will be out to prove he can still play in the league. But given the connections to Hortiz, one has to wonder if Jefferson’s tryout leading to a signing is more of a formality than an unknown.