The Chargers were supposed to make a name for themselves this season and cement their dominance in the AFC.
Instead, they had a nightmarish season, finishing with a 5-12 record. Here are the most disappointing players of 2023:
Austin Ekeler
Coming in at No. 1, Ekeler was by far the most disappointing player this season. 2023 was Ekeler’s opportunity to show the organization that he was worth a contract extension, especially since last offseason he requested a trade in March after he and the Chargers could not come to terms on a new contract. With the $2 million incentive Los Angeles gave him, there is no question whether he had the proper motivation to play at a high level this season. However, he had some of his most disenchanting performances this year. He ranked 38th in the league for rushing yards, totaling 628 on 179 carries (career-low 3.5 yards per carry), and he had just five rushing touchdowns.
Derwin James
James became the highest-paid safety in the league when the Chargers signed him to a four-year, $76 million extension in August 2022. In Brandon Staley’s scheme, James played five different positions. He had always played in dime packages when Staley was the team’s coach. But by the end of this season, he was playing limited snaps at safety. Against the Bills, James played slot defender for most of the game and was on the sideline at the end of the fourth quarter. He used to be fast. He used to be ferocious. But all of the playmaking that made him an All-Pro has since left, and it’s clear that he needs to revamp his caliber of play.
Michael Davis
The Chargers’ defense had some of its worst performances this season and one of the unit’s weakest points was the pass defense. A big contributor to their woes in the secondary was Davis, who gave up 55 completions on 84 targets. The defense allowed opposing teams to average over 260 passing yards per game. Like James, Davis was a ball magnet, but he only recorded one interception the entire season and had far too many lapses in coverage.
Offensive Line
Along with several issues with the defense, the offense also had some performances that were disheartening for fans. The Chargers offensive line allowed 43 times this season. If a quarterback has no protection, he can’t do his job. There were several occasions where the offensive line added pressure on Herbert instead of giving him time to run deep plays.