Chargers OTAs observations: Justin Herbert’s continuity, Joey Bosa in attendance
Daniel Popper
COSTA MESA, Calif. — The Chargers held their second organized team activity open to the media Wednesday at their team facility. It was technically their fifth of nine OTAs during this year’s offseason program. They have one more this week, on Friday, before three next week on June 6, 7 and 9. They will cap the offseason program the following week with a two-day mandatory minicamp on June 14 and 15.
Here are my notes and takeaways.
1. The Chargers had an impressive turnout for their second week of voluntary OTAs. Only four non-injured players were not in attendance during the early period of practice open to the media: running back Austin Ekeler, tight end Gerald Everett, cornerback Tevaughn Campbell and tight end Donald Parham Jr. Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. was not present, but he is still rehabbing from ankle surgery. And safety Mark Webb Jr., who is rehabbing from knee surgery, was not on the field at the beginning of practice, but he was in the building Wednesday and came out to practice as players were doing extra work after the session ended.
2. There were a couple of notable additions for Wednesday’s practice. Edge rusher Joey Bosa, who typically works out on his own during the offseason program, was present. Defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, who was absent for last week’s open OTA on Tuesday, returned. So did cornerback J.C. Jackson and wide receiver Mike Williams. Williams was back for the second OTA last week, but that practice was not open to the media.
3. The attendance at this year’s OTAs is noteworthy. Returning players saw what general manager Tom Telesco and coach Brandon Staley did this offseason to beef up the roster, particularly on defense. The veteran free-agent additions signed with the Chargers, in part, because they saw the team’s potential. This is a Super Bowl-caliber roster. Everyone in the building knows that. So there is extra motivation to get as much time on the field as possible. Bosa showing up to OTAs is no coincidence. Edge rusher Khalil Mack, one of the Chargers’ marquee offseason acquisitions, was here last week. So was fellow edge rusher Kyle Van Noy.
“The culture is growing,” Keenan Allen said of all the veterans at OTAs. “You can tell with all the free agents that we signed, they like it. They like what they see. They like what they’re hearing. And they like what they see on tape, too.”
Allen said the players have not started talking about those Super Bowl aspirations. But it is implicit. All anyone has to do is look around the practice field.
“Just every position has All-Pro, Super Bowl, superstar talent. You can see it when we practice. It’s amazing,” Allen said.
He added: “It’s just an understanding of what it looks like. It looks like what it’s supposed to look like. We just have to take care of our business.”
4. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi spoke with the media Wednesday for the first time since last season ended. There were a few important and interesting moments from the news conference, but I want to start with what he said about Justin Herbert, familiarity and the continuity of the offensive staff, system and personnel.
Every offensive coach from last season has returned except one: offensive line coach Frank Smith, who was replaced by former Saints OL coach Brendan Nugent. Smith left in the offseason to take the offensive coordinator job with the Dolphins. And there are only two changes to the offensive personnel: Everett is the new top tight end, and first-round pick Zion Johnson is the new starter at right guard.
Since Herbert arrived at Oregon in 2016, change has been the only constant for the star quarterback. He had three coaches in four years in college. And he changed systems twice in his first two NFL seasons. Heading into Year 3, Herbert is in the same system, with the same offensive coordinator and play caller (Lombardi), same quarterbacks coach (Shane Day), same backup (Chase Daniel), same center (Corey Linsley) and largely the same group of skill players, with Everett as the only exception.
“Everyone’s familiar with the terminology, so a lot less stress, at this time of the year anyway, because they’ve had a year to digest everything,” Lombardi said of that continuity. “Justin’s bandwidth is a lot wider for everything, so we can focus on some Football 202 type of stuff, rather than just getting in and out of the huddle. It’s real nice.
“First and foremost, it’s just familiarity with all of the play calls. Where last year at this time, it was just hearing the play, repeating it in the huddle and just kind of understanding what the play is — that was a lot of calories burnt last year. This year, he has that part down. He can focus on what the defense is doing a little bit more, get his timing down with the receivers and all of that.”
Continuity was a key part of the offensive success the Saints had during Sean Payton’s and Drew Brees’ time in New Orleans. Lombardi, of course, has brought a version of that offense to the Chargers. Pete Carmichael has been on the Saints’ staff in some form since 2006 and served as the offensive coordinator since 2009. Outside of a two-year stint with the Lions, Lombardi was on the Saints’ staff from 2007 to 2020 as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. Having the same coaches and the same brilliant quarterback all that time allowed Payton to build a complex and immensely efficient passing offense year after year. It is early for the Chargers, but they are on the same trajectory.
“If you have continuity with the right people, that helps,” Lombardi said. “I think we have the right people here, so it’s just more time on task, throwing certain routes to certain individuals. You just get more comfort, you’re able to read their body language better, the receivers understand what Justin is expecting. It takes time, and the more time that you have on it, the better it works out.”
5. Lombardi also addressed the competition at right tackle. It sounds like it will be a two-man competition between 2021 starter Storm Norton and 2019 third-round pick Trey Pipkins III, who started two games last season: one at left tackle and one at right tackle.
“We feel pretty positive about it,” Lombardi said of the position. “The great thing about that position, it’s probably a position where people can improve more year to year than maybe some other spots. There’s so much technique involved and understanding where your help is, your set patterns. And seeing how Trey went in last year when he had to play, he played pretty well for us, so we feel that competition, we’re going to be very improved at that position coming out of training camp, whether it’s Storm making improvements or whether Trey shows that he’s the guy. We think that we’ll be a lot better at right tackle than what we had last year.”
6. The Chargers took a running back in the fourth round of the NFL Draft in Isaiah Spiller, and Lombardi is excited about the rookie.
“We like his size,” Lombardi said. “He was productive. He’s still a young guy. I think there’s going to be a lot of growth from him, physically, as he gets older and gets more time in the weight room. But, man, you can see the talent there.”
The part about Spiller growing physically as he gets older is interesting. Spiller appears to have a direct path to the backup job behind Ekeler. But he might have a little more developing to do before he is ready for that role, based on what Lombardi said. This will all be decided in training camp, with Spiller, Larry Rountree III and Joshua Kelley all competing for the RB2 spot.
7. As I wrote about last month, the Chargers feel like they have a genuine yards-after-the-catch threat in Everett, who signed a two-year deal in March. Lombardi reiterated that point Wednesday. Everett spent last season with the Seahawks after four seasons with the Rams, where he crossed paths with Staley in 2020.
“When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a weapon,” Lombardi said. “That’s an exciting thing to add, that element. He’s a good receiver as well. Blocker, receiver, running after the catch — there are a lot of things that we like.”
8. Finally, Lombardi spoke on the addition of Nugent and called the transition “seamless” so far. Lombardi and Nugent coached together for six years with the Saints. And they have been apart for only one season. Lombardi left in 2021 to take the Chargers’ OC job, while Nugent stayed in New Orleans as the offensive line coach.
Smith was also from the New Orleans tree. He was the assistant offensive line coach there from 2010 to 2014. But he had been away from the system for six seasons before reuniting with Lombardi last season in Los Angeles.
“It’s been smooth,” Lombardi said of bringing on Nugent. “I feel very fortunate that he was available. Frank did such a good job. When we found out he was leaving, it was a blow, but then knowing that Brendan was available after the coaching change in New Orleans, it was fantastic. It’s been very smooth. In some ways, because of Nug and myself, we had a lot more recent history, it’s almost been smoother than it was at first with Frank because we’re just one year apart. A lot of the way that we talk about it, the language that we speak, is even more similar than it was for Frank and I.”
This was the first opening the Chargers had on their offensive staff since Staley took over as head coach last January. Lombardi joked that the recruiting process with Nugent was rather easy.
“I don’t think Southern California hurts, and I don’t think the quarterback hurts at all,” Lombardi said. “It couldn’t have worked out better. You hate to lose Frank, but the way that it worked out was perfect.”
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