Breaking away from the off topic discussion of the plight of the RB in today’s NFL and back to the task at hand …
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J.C. Jackson, Kellen Moore, WR battles: 10 Chargers training camp storylines to watchBy Daniel Popper
Chargers veterans report to training camp in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Tuesday. The first practice of camp kicks off Wednesday morning at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex. The 2023 season is officially upon us, and the stakes could not be higher for coach Brandon Staley, general manager Tom Telesco and the organization as a whole.
The Chargers used the 2023 offseason to keep their roster as intact as possible. Despite a mind-boggling slew of injuries last season, the Chargers still made the playoff. We all know how that ended. This year, they are running it back with what remains a very talented group, with the hope that improved injury luck will only foster improvement on 2022’s 10-7 finish.
The expectations are as clear as an Alpine lake: win. Win in the regular season. Compete for the division. Make a run in the postseason. There is no other option.
Before then, though, the Chargers will sharpen their roster on the training camp fields. There will be plenty of questions to answer in the summer heat. Here are the 10 most interesting storylines I will be watching when training camp officially begins Wednesday.
1. How far along is J.C. Jackson?Jackson has made a pretty remarkable recovery from the ruptured patellar tendon he suffered in his right knee in Week 7 last season. Though he did not participate in team drills during minicamp in June, Jackson was back on the field with his helmet on stretching with teammates and participating in some defensive back drills. Jackson said that week he was “right on track” in his recovery and expected to be ready for camp. Doctors initially gave him a seven- to eight-month timetable for his rehab after the surgery in late October. July 23 marked exactly nine months since the injury.
The Chargers have been operating under the premise that Jackson will participate in training camp in some capacity. That aligns with the overall timetable. But to what degree will Jackson be able to participate? How slowly will the Chargers bring him along as far as full-speed team reps? And will Jackson be ready to start the Sept. 10 opener against the Dolphins?
Those are the remaining questions. We will find out the answers soon enough. If Jackson is back for Week 1, and if he can return to the form he showed in New England, that would significantly change the makeup of the Chargers secondary. Jackson would start on the outside opposite Michael Davis. Asante Samuel Jr. would move into a reserve role, and the Chargers would have a lot of flexibility in how they deploy Samuel, who can play outside and in the slot. Jackson’s return would give the Chargers much more depth at both positions. Samuel could even challenge Ja’Sir Taylor for the starting slot corner spot. More on that later.
2. The full-fledged debut of Kellen Moore’s offenseThe Chargers hired Moore in January to replace Joe Lombardi, and he will be calling plays for the offense in 2023. We got a taste of Moore’s offense during organized team activities and minicamp. But the Chargers only held seven-on-seven drills, and there is only so much to glean from a broader schematic perspective on those reps. The real evaluation will come in training camp when the pads come on and we can see the offense in full view, with the running game and offensive line play factored in. One thing that jumped out in the spring: Justin Herbert looked far more aggressive in terms of taking shots downfield. That will be a big component of the offense. The Moore vs. Staley play-calling battles will be fascinating to analyze throughout camp. The Chargers are banking on Moore’s unlocking Herbert and the offense this season.
3. Roster and position battles up and down the WR depth chartThe Chargers bolstered their receivers by drafting Quentin Johnston in the first round. Johnston performed well in spring practices, and he is going to bring a different element to the position group with his explosiveness, particularly in yards-after-the-catch situations. OTAs and minicamp are one thing. Training camp is a different beast. And Johnston will have to prove himself again in those practices before I am ready to make any sort of call on who the primary third receiver will be behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Joshua Palmer did not participate in spring practices while he nursed an injury. Johnston is ahead of Palmer heading into camp, but Palmer will have his opportunities.
Further down the depth chart, the Chargers will have a heated competition for the final one or two spots in the receivers unit. The Chargers could keep five or six receivers. Rookie Derius Davis has a clear pathway to the 53-man as the team’s starting kick and punt returner. Jalen Guyton is coming off a torn ACL he suffered in Week 3 last season. He did not participate in OTAs or minicamp. Can Guyton make a case for the 53-man as a sixth receiver? He gives the Chargers another deep-field speed option. Keelan Doss was also a standout performer during spring practices.
4. Is Ja’Sir Taylor ready for a full-time starting role?Taylor, a sixth-round pick who is entering his second season, was the primary slot corner during spring practices. That position — the star, in Staley’s verbiage — is a starting position in the defense. The Chargers played with five or more defensive backs on the field on close to 70 percent of their defensive snaps in 2022, according to TruMedia. Taylor made his first career start at star against the Dolphins in Week 14 last season. He played a tremendous game, and that performance gave the Chargers confidence Taylor is ready for the role full time in 2023. Right now, there is not a lot of competition on the roster. But as we mentioned above, that could change if Jackson is back. The starting star spot will be Taylor’s job to lose in training camp. I expect him to be the starter there this season. And how he progresses in his second season will be a major component in how Staley’s defense fares.
5. The development of JT WoodsWoods’ NFL career got off a bumpy start in 2022. The Chargers drafted him in the third round, and he just never progressed enough to make an impact on defense or special teams. The low point of his season came in Week 12 at the Cardinals. With Nasir Adderley sidelined because of a thumb injury, Woods played 10 snaps as the Chargers’ third safety, coming on in dime — or six defensive back — packages. Woods had a dreadful missed tackle on DeAndre Hopkins that resulted in a touchdown. This play exposed what was then the biggest weakness in Woods’ game: tackling. Woods played two defensive snaps the rest of the season.
The Chargers, though, remain very optimistic about Woods, largely because of his range and physical tools. Woods must show marked improvement as a tackler and physical presence in training camp. Woods is in line to be that third safety on the roster this season, behind starters Derwin James Jr. and Alohi Gilman. That is an important role in Staley’s defense. Is Woods ready for that challenge? He ran track in college at Baylor, and so this year was his first time devoting himself fully to football through the spring. We will see whether an offseason of coaching and learning has translated into tangible development for Woods.
6. Kicker competitionDustin Hopkins and Cameron Dicker will be battling it out for the kicker job in camp. I see this as a fully open competition. Hopkins injured his hamstring in a Week 6 win over the Broncos last season and ended up missing the rest of the season. Hopkins made four field goals in that Denver victory, including the winner in overtime, despite tweaking his hamstring in the second quarter. Overall, Hopkins has made 27 of his 30 field goal attempts since signing with the Chargers midway through the 2021 season. Dicker, meanwhile, took over the job in Week 9 of last season. He missed only one kick until the postseason loss to the Jaguars. Having two quality kickers is a really good problem to have. We will see who rises to the occasion in training camp and the preseason. Whoever loses this battle will be a potential trade chip for the Chargers later in August.
7. First real evaluation of solidified yet reconfigured offensive lineThe Chargers will enter camp with an exciting and promising group of five offensive line starters. Rashawn Slater will return at left tackle after missing most of last season with a torn biceps. First-round pick Zion Johnson will be moving from right guard to left guard, his more natural position. Jamaree Salyer, who was a revelation last season filling in for Slater as the starting left tackle, will kick to right guard. Corey Linsley, the veteran of the group, will play center. And Trey Pipkins III will start again at right tackle. I am curious to see how this group melds together through camp. The offensive linemen did not get any full-contact reps in the spring, so training camp will provide our initial evaluation of this group. I am most interested in how they look in Moore’s new run scheme, which will be more direct and downhill between the tackles. Individually, I will be watching how Salyer performs in a new position at right guard. He played there in training camp last year but was forced to move to tackle after Slater’s injury. The Slater-Johnson pairing on the left side should be fun to watch. And Pipkins was battling through a sprained MCL for most of last season. He should be even better now that he is healthy.
8. Will Austin Johnson and Otito Ogbonnia be ready to contribute — and if so, when?In the defensive trenches, Johnson and Ogbonnia are the biggest question marks. Johnson suffered a fractured knee and MCL injury in Week 9. Ogbonnia ruptured his patellar tendon a week later. Neither participated in spring practices as they continued their rehabs. Will they be ready for the start of the season? If both players are back, the Chargers would have a pretty deep and versatile interior defensive line group. Without them, they are pretty thin and would need big contributions from rookie sixth-round pick Scott Matlock and free-agent acquisition Nick Williams.
9. The impact of Eric KendricksHow much does Kendricks have left in the tank? That will become increasingly evident in training camp when the Chargers have to start defending the run. Seven-on-seven drills in the spring were only passing plays. After evaluating Kendricks’ 2022 Vikings film, I believe he can still be an above-average run defender. In addition, I think his football IQ, awareness and communication will help the Chargers be a more consistent run unit as a whole. We will not know for sure until the pads come on, though. Kendricks is expected to be wearing the green dot and relaying the plays to the defensive huddle this season.
10. Who emerges as No. 2 to Austin Ekeler?This feels like an important storyline every year, doesn’t it? Ekeler is back with the team after agreeing to an adjusted contract in May that added $1.75 million in incentives for 2023. The Chargers had permitted Ekeler to seek a trade partner, but nothing materialized. Ekeler turned 28 in May. He is coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 275 touches. He set a career high in touches last season with 311. The Chargers need a second running back to step up and take some of the load off Ekeler, preferably a back who can provide some physicality. The battle for the second spot will be between Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller. Kelley was on an encouraging trajectory last season before injuring his knee on special teams in Week 6. A preseason ankle injury derailed Spiller’s rookie season. I could see this competition stretching deep into camp and the preseason.
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