With the All-22 coaches’ film from the Chargers preseason opener now available, I revisited the game from a new angle to draw some more conclusions.
Here are some of the takeaways from the offensive side of the ball:
Joshua Kelley’s development
Watching the game live, it was clear that Kelley has made strides this offseason with the added pressure of an RB2 competition. The coaches’ film shows even more signs of that improvement:
This play calls for Kelley to follow fullback Zander Horvath through the hole between rookie linemen Jamaree Salyer and Zion Johnson. But Kelley sees that Johnson’s assignment is pushing him back into the hole, while Salyer is losing leverage against his man. Kelley takes one step and cuts hard to the outside, using his speed to reach the edge and turn it into a positive play. Previously, Kelley would follow his blocks and gain maybe a yard or two.
The other hyped area for Kelley this offseason has been receiving, where he’s had a limited role to this point. He’s always been a good pass blocker, but on Saturday he showcased his pass-catching chops:
Kelley does a good job securing the ball before turning upfield even with a defender crashing at his ankles. The balance to keep himself upright gains him an extra few yards. Ideally, he keeps his feet under him trying to juke the DB and follows the open field all the way home for a TD, but it’s still a good rep.
Zion Johnson looks pro-ready
It’s unfair to Johnson to expect him to play at the level of Rashawn Slater’s 2021 season, in which the tackle was named a second-team All-Pro. But those in the building have said Johnson’s approach to the game reminds them of Slater’s and have had high praise for the rookie’s potential.
Here, Johnson’s power is on display. With Will Clapp helping him out, Johnson drives the defensive lineman into the gap the linebacker is supposed to be defending, thus knocking both defenders out of the play as the linebacker is forced to readjust. Meanwhile, Johnson stays locked up with the lineman and continues to drive him off the ball through the whistle.
Johnson did get beat on a swim move in this game, but overall his play was that of a competent NFL starter. It looks more and more possible that the Chargers have struck gold for the second season in a row with their offensive line draft pick.
Jamaree Salyer is a future starter
Offensive line is hard to evaluate without the benefit of All-22, so it’s hard to blame you if you thought Salyer looked merely solid in his NFL debut. With the benefit of an end zone angle, however, Salyer looked like a player drafted three or four rounds higher:
This is the kind of hand replacement you see from multi-year NFL starters, not sixth-round rookies who played tackle in college. Every move from the Rams’ defensive lineman is perfectly countered, leading to a decisive victory for Salyer. He also had this picture perfect block against a stunt the Rams ran:
You simply cannot do any better than this as an offensive lineman. Salyer hits the interior defender directly into the clutches of left tackle Foster Sarell, then slides back over to drive the looping edge rusher completely out of the play. Pause the clip after Salyer latches on to his second block and you can see Easton Stick had a wide-open running lane if no receivers were open downfield.
Right tackle battle far from decided
Both Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton looked like improved players on Saturday. For Norton, the focus is pass blocking, where he had several plays that looked somewhat like this:
As he does here, Norton takes an incredibly wide set, which forces him to operate on an island. Last year, losing those reps led to instant pressures and flushed Justin Herbert out of the pocket. On Saturday, Norton showed that he has the chops to win those battles for just long enough. In the clip above, he stays connected to the defender even as his head dips and he bends at the waist, usually trademark signs that a tackle is losing ground. That allows Chase Daniel to make a play.
In this clip, Daniel does not have such an opportunity. But I still liked what I saw from Pipkins:
99% of the time, this is a win for the offensive tackle. With Justin Herbert in the game, this is a win. With anything short of perfect coverage, this is a win. But it just so happens that every receiver is covered up and the much less mobile Chase Daniel is under center on this play, forcing a throwaway and overshadowing the technique of this rep. Pipkins anchors well against the bull rush and straightens up to continue his block as the defender rises up to attempt a pass deflection. In regular season action, we would be praising this sort of play ten times over.
Michael Bandy is an NFL route runner
I assume that Bandy has been following Keenan Allen around everywhere he goes ever since the Chargers signed him out of San Diego as a 2020 UDFA. There’s really no other explanation for how he’s developed this kind of route running savvy:
This looks like a basic play, but it’s a good job by Bandy to execute. With the DB showing off coverage, Bandy knows he has a free release. He shows good tempo, forcing the DB to stay honest against a potential vertical route. Then, with no wasted movement, he gets to the middle of the field, hauls in the pass, and makes a linebacker miss before being wrapped up by a host of Rams tacklers.
Of course, there was also his touchdown catch:
This one made the rounds even before the All-22 was available, but with the benefit of the sideline angle, you can see just how much space Bandy creates for himself on this play. The Rams line up in single high, meaning all Bandy has to do is beat his man, and he’s home free. Again, his tempo is what wins him the battle here: the hard sell on an in-breaking route followed by a quick pivot back outside breaks his DB’s ankles, and he has five yards of space around him in every direction. It’s an easy score.
