3 Massive Questions Facing Los Angeles Chargers For 2024 NFL Season

The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off of a miserable 5-12 campaign that resulted in sweeping changes throughout the organization.

The Chargers brought in a new general manager in Joe Hortiz, and they also hired a high-profile coach in Jim Harbaugh with the hope they can improve the culture.

But does Los Angeles actually have enough to compete in 2024?

The Chargers play in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs, and it’s not like the team made a whole lot of big moves to get better this offseason.

So will it be more of the same for LA come September?

Here are three big questions facing the Bolts heading into this coming season.

Do the Chargers have enough weapons?

People are so enamored with Harbaugh that they seem to have amnesia over what the Chargers’ offseason actually looked like as a whole.

Los Angeles subtracted its top two receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. It lost its No. 1 running back in Austin Ekeler to free agency. Heck, tight end Gerald Everett also departed.

That leaves LA with a whole bunch of unproven commodities offensively, and it really makes you wonder how in the world some are viewing this club as a potential Super Bowl dark horse.

The Chargers did sign running backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, who new offensive coordinator Greg Roman knows well from his days with the Baltimore Ravens. They also selected wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the second round of the NFL Draft.

But who will be the No. 1 receiver? Will it be Quentin Johnston, the Bolts’ disappointing first-round pick from last year? Will it be Joshua Palmer, who is probably no more than a decent No. 2?

Will Dobbins actually be able to stay healthy in the backfield? If not, can Edwards carry the load by himself?

Justin Herbert is going to have his work cut out for him in 2024.

Is the defense going to be passable?

The Chargers actually have considerable talent on the defensive side of the football.

Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa comprise a set of fearsome pass rushers. Derwin James is an elite safety. Asante Samuel Jr. is an up-and-comer at cornerback.

But as a whole, Los Angeles’ defense ranked toward the bottom in the NFL in almost every major statistical category last season, demonstrating that the negatives far outweigh the positives.

The problem is that the Chargers were not able to do much to address the issue this offseason as a result of a miserable salary-cap situation.

Outside of bringing back linebacker Denzel Perryman for a second stint in LA, the Chargers didn’t really do much of anything in free agency, and while they did pick up four defensive players in the draft, they all came between Rounds 3 and 5.

It also doesn’t help that Bosa has quietly become one of the more injury-prone players in the league, as he has played a grand total of 14 games over the last two seasons.

Based on what we saw in 2023 and the fact that Los Angeles did little to rectify the issue over the last several months, it seems like the Chargers’ defense will be subpar again in 2024.

Can Justin Herbert take the next step?

Herbert took the NFL by storm in 2020, throwing for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during a brilliant rookie campaign. He then racked up over 5,000 yards in Year 2.

Since then, however, the 26-year-old has regressed.

Herbert put forth a decent showing in 2022, finishing with 25 touchdowns and 10 picks, but he clearly was not as impressive as he was the preceding two seasons. Then, last year, he totaled 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 13 games before bowing out due to a finger injury.

The University of Oregon product has gone just 30-32 as an NFL starter and has made the playoffs just once, where he and the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead in a Wild Card Round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As a result of Herbert’s lackluster winning percentage and dearth of postseason success, he has begun to hear serious criticism and is actually under quite a bit of pressure going into 2024.

In fairness to Herbert, Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have a wealth of offensive talent for him to utilize, but if he is truly a franchise quarterback, he will elevate the players around him.

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