Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers roster is getting better, and an old friend returning to the team may end up being the X-factor for the offense in 2025.
NFL analaysts Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus just dropped a lengthy piece where they analyzed each of the 32 NFL rosters and highlighting such areas as strengths and weaknesses from the previous season, the team’s x-factor during the 2025 season, and a rookie to keep an eye on.
We’re going to go ahead and dive in to see what they had to say about the Chargers.
PFF’s analysis: “Herbert had a career season in his first year with head coach Jim Harbaugh, placing third among quarterbacks with a 90.2 PFF passing grade. He tied for the third-most big-time throws (33), and his 96.4 PFF passing grade on 10-plus-yard passes trailed only Lamar Jackson. Keep in mind that Herbert did all of that while dealing with a receiving corps that placed only 19th in PFF receiving grade.”
Our analysis: Justin Herbert or the defense are the only two answers for this one. Herbert’s career-low three interceptions during the regular season a year ago was a big reason the Chargers defense was able to play and stay fresh week-in and week-out. Within Greg Roman’s system, I don’t think Herbert will have much of a chance to
PFF’s analysis: “Los Angeles ended 2024 with the fourth-worst PFF rushing grade in the NFL (69.6) and tied for the seventh-lowest rushing-yards-per-attempt average (4.1). Our rookie to watch should help fix those issues, though.”
Our analysis: After watching the first two games of the season in which J.K. Dobbins rushed for a combined 266 yards, one would have been confident the Chargers were about to become one of the best rushing teams in all of football. That ended up being far from the case as the team’s rushing efficiency tanked against better teams further down the schedule. Dobbins also ended up missing four games and he would not surpass the 100-yard mark in a game again all season.
PFF’s analysis: “Williams is back with the Chargers after an uninspiring season with the Jets and Steelers, during which he earned a 59.6 PFF receiving grade. That was the first time he garnered a sub-70.0 PFF receiving grade since his rookie year in 2017. Now that he’s back in Los Angeles, he’ll look to revive his career and be a reliable No. 2 option behind Ladd McConkey.”
Our analysis: I believe you could pick a number of X-factors for the Chargers this upcoming season, and Williams would certainly be one of those as he returns to his former team now almost two years removed from a torn ACL that took away the majority of his last campaign in powder blue. Before collapsing on the turf inside U.S. Bank Stadium, Williams was actually on pace to...
