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Highlighting five Chargers players who need to take a step forward in 2023.
The Chargers are looking to be aggressive and make a strong push this season.
They have plenty of talent to make it happen, but it’s a collaborative effort and there are some players who need to improve to bring success.
Here are five players who need to show some strides in 2023.
Alohi Gilman is headed into training camp as the starter alongside Derwin James.
Training camp is approaching and with a few more weeks of dead time in the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is documenting each of Los Angeles’ players before it kicks off.
Safety Alohi Gilman is entering his four year on the Chargers and has much more responsibility on defense than in seasons previous.
With the retirement of Nasir Adderley after the 2022 season, Los Angeles was expected by many to pick up another starting caliber safety in free agency to pair with Derwin James Jr.
Instead, they opted to rely on their current group behind James of Gilman, JT Woods, and Raheem Layne.
Woods will be battling Gilman for the 2nd starting spot, but after a fairly decent season in 2022 it is likely Gilman will be the safety who gets the number 2 position in week one.
Gilman finished off his 2022 season with 58 total tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception for 18 yards.
Contract (2023): $1,010,000 base salary, $46,969 prorated bonus, $1,056,969 cap hit.
Acquired: Gilman was selected by the Chargers with the 186th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Highlight:
Wow! Watch Alohi Gilman jump over the pile and grab Foles by the jersey to keep him from going forwardđź‘ŹWHAT A PLAY! pic.twitter.com/Ys3cGOkXht
— Herbert is Tier 1 (Just scroll on) (@SunnySideUp211) December 27, 2022
The Chargers are hoping that JT Woods can make strides in Year 2.
Training camp is nearing, and with a few more weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before it kicks off.
The Chargers selected former Baylor safety JT Woods in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.
Woods recorded 157 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two sacks, five passes defended, eight interceptions, and a touchdown through his four collegiate seasons.
Woods was taken to play him as the deep safety to allow Derwin James to move all over the field. But that never came to fruition. Woods struggled as a tackler in his limited defensive snaps and was a non-factor defensively.
Los Angeles is hopeful that Woods’ play will improve. The chances of him beating out Alohi Gilman, who played well in 2022, are slim. So he will have to show growth to be trusted as the third safety.
Contract:
Acquired:Â The Chargers drafted Woods with the No. 79 overall selection in the 2022 NFL draft.
Quote:Â Brandon Staley on Woods:
“We’re going to find out a lot more about him when the pads come on. He’s had a good offseason. He’s working hard. He has definitely improved his body. He has become the professional that we expected him to be. But we’re going to find out a lot more during training camp. But, we love working with him, for sure.”
Highlight:
The tackling will come along for Chargers S JT Woods, but the diagnosing skills and range are definitely already there. pic.twitter.com/k3eJzB3eoG
— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) August 16, 2022
Brandon Staley talked about second-year safety J.T. Woods after practice on Tuesday.
The Chargers have made progress toward their goal of competing seriously in 2023 during the offseason, and one member of their secondary earned high praise from head coach Brandon Staley after practice on Tuesday.
He said J.T. Woods looks like he may take a big step forward in his second year. Staley seemed particularly excited to see what he might be able to do when the team begins preparing for the new season in earnest during training camp.
We’re going to find out a lot more about him when the pads come on. He’s had a good offseason. He’s working hard. He has definitely improved his body. He has become the professional that we expected him to be. But we’re going to find out a lot more during training camp. But, we love working with him, for sure.
Woods was taken with the idea of playing him as the deep safety to allow Derwin James to move all over the field. But that never came to fruition as Woods struggled as a tackler and was a non-factor defensively in his limited snaps.
The Chargers are hopeful that Woods’ play will improve and that he can become the starter. But he must beat out Alohi Gilman, who played well in 2022.
Derrick Ansley said that he is still bullish on the team’s depth in the positional room.
The Chargers addressed multiple positions this offseason, but safety remains a need. However, defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said that he is still bullish on the team’s depth in the positional room.
In comments made during a press conference at the Chargers’ rookie minicamp, Ansley made his confidence in the unit clear.
[We have] good competition. We have competition at every spot in the secondary, especially safety. You have Derwin James [Jr.], who can play multiple spots. You have Alohi [Gilman] that has played a lot of ball around here. You have JT [Woods], we have a lot of expectations for him this year. It’s going to be a really competitive group. Mark Webb [Jr.] is in that mix, Michael Jacquet, Raheem Layne. That group is very competitive. A lot of different skillsets in that group, which is what you need at safety.
2022 third-round pick JT Woods was taken with the idea of playing him as the deep safety to allow Derwin James to move all over the field. But that never came to fruition as Woods struggled as a tackler in his limited defensive snaps and was a non-factor defensively.
The Chargers are hopeful that Woods’ play will improve and that he can become the starter. But he will have to beat out Alohi Gilman, who played well in 2022. Additionally, they liked what Raheem Layne brought as a rookie last season so he could be in the mix.
Ansley’s faith in the talent currently available to him is a good sign that the team is in a good position moving forward.
Here are some of the Chargers’ most glaring position needs that they should look to address.
In the draft, the Chargers addressed wide receiver, edge defender, linebacker, offensive line, defensive tackle and quarterback.
However, Los Angeles still has remaining needs that they must consider filling before the 2023 season to avoid holes in the roster.
Here are some of the Bolts’ most glaring needs that they should look to address before camp in the new couple of months:
Chargers GM Tom Telesco has a track record of drafting players that have been a part of the event.
For the 32 NFL teams in attendance, the Senior Bowl is a chance to see some of college football’s top players square off in a week of practices and a full game to wrap things up to prove to them that they can prepare, practice and compete like pros.
Within all of the action on the football field, this is the team’s first opportunity to sit down and get to know the prospects after watching them for years at their perspective school and talking to their coaches to gain more information on them.
While many clubs view this as just the first step of the pre-draft process, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco sees it as more than just that, given his track record of drafting players that have been a part of the week’s long event.
Since 2017, Los Angeles has drafted 23 former and current players who have participated in the Senior Bowl:Â
G Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky — 2017
G Dan Feeney, Indiana  – 2017
S Rayshawn Jenkins, Miami – 2017
DB Desmond King, Iowa – 2017
DE Isaac Rochell, Notre Dame – 2017
DT Justin Jones, NC State – 2018
LB Uchenna Nwosu, USC – 2018
C Scott Quessenberry, UCLA – 2018
LB Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame – 2019
S Nasir Adderley, Delaware  – 2019
QB Justin Herbert, Oregon — 2020
RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA — 2020
S Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame — 2020
WR K.J. Hill, Ohio State — 2020
WR Josh Palmer, Tennessee — 2021
TE Tre’ McKitty, Georgia — 2021
OL Brenden Jaimes, Nebraska — 2021
RB Larry Rountree, Missouri — 2021
S Mark Webb, Georgia — 2021
OL Zion Johnson, Boston College — 2022
S JT Woods, Baylor — 2022
DT Otito Ogbonnia, UCLA — 2022
OL Jamaree Salyer, Georgia — 2022
Since he took the job in 2013, some of Telesco’s most significant values when evaluating players are production, statistics, and time spent at school. Another thing that he covets is not only good players but good people.
It’s rare that any of the guys brought in have issues or are constantly in trouble with off-the-field stuff. Instead, Telesco brings in good football players that are tough and competitive and fits the culture of what the Chargers want to be both on and off the field.
There will be plenty of players that should draw the attention of Telesco and the rest of the staff on hand, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Here are six positional groups that the Los Angeles Chargers need to address to revamp their roster
The Chargers are hard at work, identifying their strengths and weaknesses from this season as they head into the offseason in a little over a month.
With that being said, here are six positional groups that Los Angeles needs to address to revamp their roster.
Here’s who showed up and who disappointed in the Chargers’ win over the Cardinals.
[sendtonews_embed video_id=”IhRm3Kbt0J-2389092-7498″]
The Chargers came from behind to defeat the Cardinals in the final two minutes of regulation.
Along the way, some players and groups helped the team to victory, while some were an issue.
Here is a look at my studs and duds from Los Angeles’ Week 12 victory.
Here is how the Chargers can beat the Broncos on Monday night.
The Chargers return to SoFi Stadium on Monday night for a showdown with the 2-3 Broncos, who enter the game with three extra days of rest after playing the Colts last Thursday.
Here are the keys to Los Angeles winning this game:
Find a way into the backfield
Khalil Mack and company failed to sack Jacoby Brissett last Sunday, as the usually statuesque veteran was able to slip out of the clutches of defenders on multiple occasions. Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin are, to their credit, a very good tackle duo. Denver is not so lucky, especially after losing Garett Bolles for the season with a broken leg. The Broncos are slated to start Billy Turner and Calvin Anderson at tackle on Monday unless Cameron Fleming starts again as Turner continues to rehab from an offseason knee injury. Which spot any of them will be playing seems to be anyone’s guess right now, although I would assume Turner starts on the right side if he plays. Either way, that’s at least one backup with another backup or a player making his season debut on the other side. Russell Wilson is not immune to pressure; most quarterbacks aren’t. Make Denver keep extra blockers in and move the pocket to avoid getting Wilson’s jersey dirty.
Pass game contributors
Keenan Allen seems like he’s on track to miss his fifth consecutive game with a hamstring injury, but there’s a chance he plays after returning to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday and Friday. If he goes, it’ll be a huge boost to LA’s offense, considering that Patrick Surtain II will likely be matched up with Mike Williams for most of the game. Surtain has continued his ascension to the upper echelon of cornerback play in his second season, forcing Justin Herbert to turn his eyes away from Williams more often than not in this one. The Chargers will need someone to step up, whether Josh Palmer, DeAndre Carter, Gerald Everett, or another player.
Lock up Courtland Sutton
If Denver takes away Herbert’s favorite target from this season, the Chargers need to respond by doing the same to Wilson. Per ESPN, Sutton has 17 more targets than any other Bronco, with Javonte Williams still third on the team in targets despite missing last week’s game. Sutton’s reception total of 29 is equal to the number of targets the second option Jerry Jeudy has received all season. Bottom line: Wilson trusts Sutton and not much else so far in Denver. Whether that’s bracket coverage, trusting JC Jackson to bounce back and follow him, or leaving him in the hands of the undersized Asante Samuel Jr., Los Angeles needs to limit Sutton on Monday if they want to lock up Denver’s offense.
Keep the run game going
Last week’s 238-yard explosion against the Browns was a positive sign for Austin Ekeler and the running game, but it came against one of the worst run defenses in the league. Denver gives up 112.4 ground yards per game, putting them in the middle of the pack as a yardage defense. Still, there’s reason for optimism, as the game film shows the offensive line beginning to gel as they settle into their rest-of-season lineup. That’s positive news for Ekeler, who is averaging the most yards per carry on perfectly-blocked runs in the league this season but is among the worst on plays with non-perfect blocking. Outside of Ekeler, Joshua Kelley has repeatedly shown that he’s the team’s best RB2 option. Get him another ten carries and keep things rolling.
Wrap up the rushing attack
On defense, the Chargers have a tackling problem, namely at safety outside of Derwin James. LA benched Nasir Adderley against Cleveland for his poor performance as a tackler, only for fill-in Alohi Gilman to miss two tackles last Sunday. The spot next to James was supposed to be earmarked for third-round pick JT Woods, but he missed enough tackles in the preseason that the Chargers have not yet been confident enough to play him for a single snap in the regular season. Per PFF, Los Angeles has missed 50 tackles in total, tied for fourth most in the league through five games. This has all led to Los Angeles allowing a league-worst 5.8 yards per carry this season. The Bolts catch a break by missing Javonte Williams on Monday, but Melvin Gordon and Latavius Murray have both made a living on being physical backs. Finishing plays and limiting Denver’s progress on the ground will force the Broncos into tough third downs, an area where they are currently converting just 30.56% of the time, third worst in the NFL.
Capitalize on small mistakes
Los Angeles commits roughly five penalties a game, seventh best in the NFL, while Denver commits 8.8, tied for the worst mark in the league. That’s at least 15 to 20 yards of leeway and realistically more like 30 to 35 when you look at the penalty yardage numbers: Denver is giving away 67 yards per game on penalties, while LA is losing 35.6 per game. Neither team turns the ball over at a rampant rate, which makes capitalizing on smaller-scale mistakes much more important. The Broncos have shown a penchant for giving yards away and managing the game poorly. The Chargers must make them pay for those mistakes if they want to do away with their decade-long Monday Night Football curse. The team is just 3-8 in their ESPN appearances since 2012.
