Chargers improved Justin Herbert’s cast of weapons…but not by much in new rankings

The Los Angeles Chargers upgraded the depth chart around Justin Herbert this offseason, of that there is no doubt. 

But the moves were underwhelming to those who went in with expectations that the Chargers would use some of the NFL’s most free cap space on big moves like DK Metcalf or otherwise. 

Instead, the Chargers were intent to sign free agents tight end Tyler Conklin and running back Najee Harris, reunite with veteran wideout Mike Williams, draft running back Omarion Hampton in the first round and wideout Tre Harris in the second and sign free-agent offensive lineman Mekhi Becton. 

The moves help the Chargers climb out of 32nd place up to 22nd in Bill Barnwell’s annual skill position rankings at ESPN: 

“Is there a receiver who can win on the outside when teams double McConkey? Mike Williams is back after an ill-fated run with the Jets and a brief foray with the Steelers; I'm a little nervous that a torn ACL he suffered in 2023 might have sapped his ability to separate, with the 30-year-old ranking 155th out of 159 receivers in ESPN's open score a year ago. Rookie second-rounder Tre Harris has real potential and is already a smooth route-runner, but he's making a significant scheme adjustment in moving from the spread attack at Ole Miss to the run-intensive, heavy play-action approach Greg Roman uses in L.A. I wouldn't be surprised if it took him some time to get going as a rookie, even if he does emerge as a starter by the midway point of the season. Just hope McConkey stays healthy.”

A nice jump, but a far cry from fifth-overall in 2023, too. 

A dip was expected, of course. The rebuild parted ways with Keenan Allen and Williams and the progress to readjust has been slow. It says a lot that Ladd McConkey, a holdover from last year, is the main reason the Chargers jumped up to No. 22 this offseason. 

Given the mild addressing of the need at tight end and the question marks that are the interior of the offensive line and running back, never mind what Barnwell mentioned about wideouts, the Chargers weapons around Herbert will need to play better than expected to live up to these rankings.