The Chargers completed their first week of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs), which also marks the first media availability for most members of the organization since the draft.
Here’s some of what they had to say:
Justin Herbert: “We’re miles ahead of where we were last year.”
Entering his third season in the NFL, Herbert has been afforded continuity this offseason that many young quarterbacks lack early in their careers. With offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi returning, neither Herbert nor any returning offensive players need to learn a new offensive system. That allows the team to focus less on lining up correctly and more on pure execution, which could pay huge dividends early in the season. With two divisional games leading the schedule off, LA will take any advantage.
Herbert: “You can go to Chase Daniel and you trust him.”
Herbert credited Daniel for filling in the gaps in his knowledge a year ago, calling the veteran “another coach out there.” The third-year signal-caller also said that he’d be comfortable with Daniel stepping in for him if he had to miss time, an endorsement that many Chargers fans should be happy to hear. Of course, keeping veterans like Daniel around is always a point of contention for some fans. On the one hand, he’s thrown just 261 passes in 12 seasons, and the proposition of going from Herbert to him if Herbert were to miss time would be indeed bleak the season outlook. But on the other hand, having a second coach on the field who Herbert trusts can go a long way toward unlocking his seemingly limitless potential.
Derwin James: “My job right now is to help guys like Khalil Mack, and JT Woods get up to speed.”
James fielded a few questions on Monday about his upcoming contract negotiations, which seem poised to make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid safeties. James himself doesn’t seem too worried about it at this juncture, saying that “whenever that takes care of itself, it will take care of itself.” There’s little reason to think that James put pen to paper, considering he’s been among the NFL’s best players regardless of position when healthy. Whether the extension comes this summer or during the season, expect Derwin to remain in powder blue for the foreseeable future.
Brandon Staley: “Both of those guys played quality football for us.”
“Both of those guys” refers to right tackle options Storm Norton and Trey Pipkins here, as Staley again insisted that Norton and Pipkins will be the leading two players battling for the starting job next to rookie guard Zion Johnson. The right tackle competition has been a gigantic debate point this offseason, and rightfully so. On paper, it’s the only hole on the entire offense, and another season of poor play could be just enough to tip the scales out of the Chargers’ favor. However, Staley did say that left guard Matt Feiler and “some of these young guys” – likely Brenden Jaimes and Jamaree Salyer, who played tackle in college, could be in the mix if the staff is unimpressed by both Norton and Pipkins this summer.
Staley: “[Jerry Tillery is] going to fit into that competition of guys that’s going to have to earn a role.”
After Tillery’s unexplained absence at OTAs on Monday, Staley used a question about it to discuss the competition on the defensive line. LA’s head coach singled out Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson as “proven NFL players,” all but confirming that they will be 2 of the three starters on the interior against the Raiders in Week 1. Beyond that, Staley characterized everyone else as “guys trying to prove themselves”: Tillery, rookie Otito Ogbonnia, the recently signed Morgan Fox, Christian Covington, Breiden Fehoko, Joe Gaziano, and Forrest Merrill. Ogbonnia, Fox, and Covington were listed as virtual locks for the roster by The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, which brings the group to 5 players, as many as they carried in 2021.
This season, a sixth is likely, and I’m not convinced Covington is as strong of a lock as Popper suggests. Fehoko was arguably the best run defender on the team a season ago and could take Covington’s job this offseason. As for Tillery, Fox seems like his 1-to-1 replacement as an interior pass rusher while also providing more of a presence against the run. OTAs rarely mean much, but Staley’s comments on Monday show that Tillery may have a looser hold on a roster spot than many thought.
Staley: “We just feel like that versatility is really going to help us”
Staley’s quote here refers to linebacker Kyle Van Noy, but the same sentiment was expressed when talking about Bryce Callahan. Staley praised Callahan’s chops in the slot, calling him one of the top slot corners in the league, but also made sure to mention that he’s played on the outside during his NFL career. When the topic shifted to Asante Samuel’s role, Staley pointed out that Callahan’s addition doesn’t force LA to play the second-year corner on the inside. Instead, this summer will be about finding “our best combination of secondary players,” per Staley.
As for Van Noy, Staley mentioned the veteran’s ability to play on the edge or off-ball and praised his instincts, calling him a “playmaker.” I think it’s interesting that there’s so much emphasis on Van Noy’s versatility, especially considering the lack of depth at linebacker behind Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill. While Van Noy’s likely role will be as a third pass rusher, I think Monday’s offerings show that he may also get thrown in the mix as an off-ball linebacker, perhaps in some disguised pressure packages.
