Last Year:

Record: 5-11

Offense: 25.6 ppg (9th)

Defense: 26.4 pa (29th)

Offseason: 

Key Acquisitions: LT. Russell Okung

Key Losses: RG. D.J. Fluker, LG. Orlando Franklin

 Breakdown

Offense:

The Chargers have the potential to be an elite offense in 2017. Last season they were one of the highest scoring offenses in the league despite having a terrible offensive line. This season the offensive line should be improved. They picked up veteran LT Russell Okung and drafted two new guards, Forrest Lamp in the second and Dan Feeney in the third. Okung is always productive his only issue has been staying healthy. As for the rookies, Lamp was considered the top guard in the class and Feeney was top three on most boards.They were both good in college but you just never know how rookies will translate to the NFL. The two returning starters are center Matt Slauson and right tackle Joe Barksdale. Both have their troubles pass blocking but were productive run blocking. The most intriguing aspect of the Chargers is their loaded crop of skill guys. They have seven legitimate receiving options, five receivers and two tight ends. At receiver Kennan Allen is the cream of the crop but he just cannot seem to stay healthy. Knowing this the Chargers got prepared and despite having bigger needs selected Mike Williams with the 7th overall pick in the first round. Unfortunately he may not be ready to go by the time the season starts due to injury but he is the receiver of the future. Even without those two the Chargers managed to be productive with Inman, Tyrell Williams, and Benjamin as the top three receivers and there all back. The tight end position is where the Chargers really have a chance to be special. Hunter Henry has top five tight end potential and Antonio Gates can still play. Melvin Gordon had a terrific season a year ago and is on the verge of being one of the top backs in the game. With improved offensive line play I expect him to be even better in 2017 and a lock for over 1,000 yards rushing. At QB Phillip Rivers is entering his 14th season and he is not getting any younger. Quite frankly the time is now for Rivers and there are no excuses for him to at least do his part. Rivers cannot control what happens on defense but with his ability combined with how talented their skill players are there is no reason the Chargers should not be a top 10 offense.

Defense:

Defensively if the Chargers are going to compete in what is perhaps the toughest division in football they will have to improve. They did not sign any new free agents on that side of the ball and all of their top draft picks were on offense. That means the Chargers are hoping to improve on defense simply by having their younger players get better and hopefully better luck with injury. The defensive line is very good especially on the edge. It all starts with Joey Bosa who after only 12 NFL games I am comfortable saying is the best player on the Chargers entire roster. He was absolutely dominant in his first season and he did that despite holding out and missing a lot of training camp then reporting late and missing a few games due to injury. On the other end is Melvin Ingram who signed a four year $66 million dollar deal in the offseason. He has established himself as one of the better edge defenders in the league. In the interior the Chargers have two good run stoppers in Liuget and Mebane but not much pass rush. That could be a real weakness for this defense. The Chargers will need Jeremiah Attaochu to step on passing downs so that Bosa can potentially move inside some and give the Chargers some punch on the interior. The Chargers have an interesting linebacking group. It will not be an elite group or anything but they had some guys who played better than expected in 2016 and if they can build on that it can really help the Chargers at least maintain their productivity as a run defense. Jatavis Brown and Korey Toomer both were backups coming into last season but by the end of the year proved to be decent starters and most likely earned starting jobs for the 2017 season. The main guy to look at however is 2015 second round pick Denzel Perryman who took a step back last year after a really good rookie year. They need Perryman to breakout and reach his full potential this year. The Chargers secondary has all the pieces in place they just need Jason Verrett to stay healthy and get back to playing at the Pro Bowl level he did a few years ago. If he can the Chargers will have one of the best cornerback tandems in the league as Casey Hayward is coming off a monster year. He thrived in his first year in San Diego and has the versatility to play inside or out which is very useful for a team without a clear cut starter at nickelback. At safety the Chargers desperately needed someone to step up after the loss of Weddle and that someone was Jahleel Addae who had the best year of his career. The fourth year man was ranked in the top 15 among all safeties in 2016 by pro football focus and was effective both in coverage and vs the run. Dwight Lowery will be back at FS. At his best he is an above average starting safety who does not make a lot of mistakes.