Bolts From The Blue
Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz must decided how to build the Chargers roster for year two via a strong cap situation and eight current draft picks.
The Chargers have a bunch of needs this offseason despite filling several of them with their 2024 draft and free agent class. With a full offseason ahead of Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz, they’ll now have every possible minute given to teams to make their squads better before the 2025 season.
Below, I touch on what I believe to be the Chargers’ biggest needs this offseason and how I’d personally attack each one. Let’s dive in!
The collapse of the interior offensive line against the Texans in the wild card round has most likely boosted this need to the top of the team’s draft board. If Jim Harbaugh truly believes that offensive linemen are “weapons” for the offense, there’s no way he’s not going to turn over every stone possible to fix this issue as soon as possible.
I’m not a big fan of the free agent crop this year, but chances are higher of a great immediate impact from a guy who has been in the league a bit as opposed to hoping you hit on a generational guard or center like the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey.
For center specifically, I like Drew Dalman, the center from the Falcons. Played at Stanford (some Harbaugh ties there obviously) and he had a 78.8 PFF season grade in 2024. He did miss half the year with an injury, but that level of play is worth taking a shot on.
The talent pool of the tight end position in the NFL is very shallow compared to a lot of others. It sure feels like there’s a small minority of teams who find these game-changing athletes who can break open contests on command, and then there’s just a ton of players who could feasibly start, but they’re just sort’ve “a guy” and don’t often leave their mark on the game.
The Chargers have had the latter on their team for the majority of the past four seasons and it’s time they take a shot at finding an elite tight end of their own. A year after the Raiders drafted Brock Bowers, the Chargers could have their shot at Michigan’s Colston Loveland or Penn State’s Tyler Warren.
Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. is likely their in the second round but he’s much less of a complete tight end compared to Loveland and Warren, although he’s most certainly the top receiving threat at the position in this draft class. Still a game-changing talent, but limited in his impact on a game-to-game basis.
It’s a weak free agency class at edge rusher so I have to think the Chargers try to tackle this group from both sides. A young guy like Malcolm Koonce (eight sacks, nine TFLs in 2023)...
