A new NFL season means changes for every team. For some teams, offseason changes can be minimal and insignificant, while others may feel major organizational shifts. The Los Angeles Chargers have changed dramatically in the last two seasons, opening many new windows of opportunity for returning players, incoming rookies, and free agents alike. In this article, we will explore the Los Angeles offense and uncover how the team’s offseason decisions will alter the outlook for 2025.
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The 2024 Season
2024 marked the first year of the Jim Harbaugh era in LA. Of course, anyone familiar with his time as head coach at the University of Michigan for the previous nine years will remember his ‘ground and pound’ and ‘Big Ten’ style of offense. The additions of J.K. Dobbins, Joe Alt, and others helped propel the Chargers’ offense from 30th in rush EPA per play in 2023 to 15th in 2024. However, there are still major areas of the offense to fix on the rushing front. Some of the team’s interior linemen graded amongst the league’s worst in run block win rate: Bradley Bozeman, Zion Johnson, and Trey Pipkins III all ranked 160th or worse among qualifying linemen in the category.
While the ground game may be an area of focus, the Chargers will also look to build around their passing attack, headlined by franchise QB and former 6th overall draft pick Justin Herbert. 2024 was Herbert’s fifth season in the league, yet his first without longtime Charger pass catchers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Last year, his WR room was instead headlined by Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer, and rookie Ladd McConkey. While fantasy managers took their chances with each of the three, who were all being selected in the later stages of fantasy drafts, it was McConkey who emerged as the clear leader of the receiver room. As a rookie, McConkey finished 10th in the league in receiving yards. Additionally, among qualifying receivers, he ranked 11th in EPA per target. McConkey specifically excelled in the Jim Harbaugh-style passing attack, finishing 3rd in the league in yards off play-action passes behind only Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
Many younger receivers are known to climb in usage and therefore production as the season progresses. This trend is clearly visible for McConkey in the graph above, which shows his and his teammates’ receiving yards by week over the course of last season. Ladd McConkey had 50+ receiving yards in each of his final 10 games in 2024, tying him with Malik Nabers for the longest streak by any rookie since 1970. McConkey is in line for a major second year, while the rest of the depth chart at the position remains unresolved.
The Chargers finished the season with a strong 11-6 record — the team’s best record since 2018 — before a devastating 32-12 Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans. Despite this tough finish, the 2024-2025 season was a major success for the franchise. Heading into this year’s offseason, the team had some major holes to address on the offensive side of the ball, and they did just that.
Offseason Recap
The Chargers kicked off a busy free agency by bringing in Najee Harris on a one-year contract. While the former Pittsburgh Steeler has seen a relative decline in efficiency and output since his electric rookie season, where he finished fourth in rushing yards, he has been an incredibly serviceable volume rusher, playing and starting in each of his 68 career games.
On the receiving front, LA brought back Mike Williams after an unsuccessful trip out East to New York and Pittsburgh. Though returning after only a year away from the team, he will be stepping into a completely different situation from the one he left.
The team then made some much-needed additions to the interior offensive line by signing Mekhi Becton and Andre James. As a very strong guard for the Jets, Becton should slot in nicely as the team’s starting right guard. On the other hand, James’ spot on the depth chart will likely be decided during training camp. Regardless, both players should elevate the offense, and Becton’s presence in the trenches should specifically upgrade the rushing game.
Former Viking and Jet, Tyler Conklin, was the team’s final notable addition to the offense in free agency. While we haven’t heard the sweet sounds of a “CONK CONK” from the guys since Conklin’s time in Minnesota, there is plenty of opportunity in a much better offense and system.
While the team brought in plenty of offensive talent in the open market, the Chargers also lost a few key players. Both of the team’s leading rushers, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, did not return to LA. The duo accounted for 64% of the team’s carries and 9% of targets. Joshua Palmer, DJ Chark, and Simi Fehoko also departed from the ‘City of Angels’ this offseason, vacating another 18% of targets. While Najee Harris and Mike Williams will likely claim some of the outstanding touches, the team set themselves up to focus on offense in April’s draft.
The Chargers drafted UNC RB Omarion Hampton with the 18th overall pick, making him the second drafted RB of the class behind Ashton Jeanty, who was a key talking point of my previous article, which focused on the Raiders. In 2024, Hampton led his team as a dual-purpose back with over 2000 all-purpose yards, paired with 17 total TDs. For a full write-up about Omarion Hampton, check out this great rookie profile by Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT).
LA went right back to the well, drafting another skill position player in the second round; the team selected Tre Harris out of Ole Miss with the 55th pick. Though he missed five games with a lower-body injury, Harris still amassed a 1000-yard season and seven TDs in 2024. At 6’2″ with a 4.54 40-yard dash, he has a strong combination of size and speed, projecting to be a powerful threat on the outside.
After a year of major organizational, cultural, and schematic shifts, 2025 sets up for an exciting new season with plenty of opportunities for offensive players. The pieces are there, but how can we expect the offense to look in 2025?
2025 Outlook
As mentioned before, the offensive line has seen significant improvements, which is an excellent sign for both Justin Herbert and the team’s brand-new RB duo. Speaking of the pair, it can be expected that Omarion Hampton will start the season as the team’s third-down back, getting a good dosage of opportunity both in the air and on the ground. Najee Harris will complement his new teammate as the proverbial thunder to Hampton’s lightning. Similarly to Ladd McConkey in 2024, I’d expect the team to gradually increase Hampton’s share of the RB workload. Harris should see an increase in TD upside due to being on a significantly stronger offense.
Now, let’s talk about the pass game. Though Ladd McConkey will lead the receiver room in 2025, he ran more than 70% of his routes from the slot, which opens up the outside for Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris. It can be expected that both will be on the field for the majority of 3WR sets, but whichever of the two can rise above the other on the depth chart will find themselves in possession of many more juicy targets. In Jim Harbaugh’s offense, two-wide sets on play action are a major key towards downfield targets (from a QB who specializes in the field) that can make or break fantasy matchups. This depth chart ordering will be determined by how the pair looks in training camp, preseason games, and the beginning of the regular season. If we’re placing bets, my money is on Tre Harris to jump QJ as the primary outside receiver thanks to a combination of his wide range of outcomes and Quentin Johnston’s struggles through his first two years.
The Chargers saw massive improvements with a new coach and system in 2024. This offseason, the team acquired new talent for all three phases of the game, making offense the primary focus. Rookies, returning veterans, and free agents will all converge in 2025 for what looks to be the team’s strongest offense of the decade. Will Jim Harbaugh’s offense of the future come to fruition, or will fantasy managers be left California Dreamin’ for what could have been?