The Chargers have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but is this roster finally ready to make a deep playoff run?

 

Projected Starters

 

Offense

QB: Philip Rivers

RB: Melvin Gordon
WR: Keenan Allen
WR: Mike Williams
WR: Tyrell Williams
TE: Virgil Green
LT: Russell Okung
LG: Dan Feeney
C: Mike Pouncey
RG: Forrest Lamp
RT: Joe Barksdale

 

Defense

DE: Joey Bosa
DT: Brandon Mebane
DT: Corey Luiget
DE: Melvin Ingram
OLB: Denzel Perryman
MLB: Jatavis Brown
CB: Casey Hayward
CB: Jason Verrett

CB: Desmond King
S: Derwin James
S: Jahleel Addae

 

Roster Notes/Thoughts

 

Notable depth

QB Geno Smith, RB Austin Ekeler, FB Derek Watt, WR Travis Benjamin, WR Artavis Scott, C Scott Quessenberry, DT Darius Philon, LB Hayes Pullard, LB Kyle Emanuel, LB Uchenna Nwosu, CB Trevor Williams, CB Tony Brown, S Adrian Phillips, S Jaylen Watkins, S Kyzir White

 

Biggest strength: Cornerback

Has there ever been a cornerback group as loaded as the Chargers will be in 2018? All-Pro cornerback Casey Hayward will obviously be a starter on one side, but Los Angeles has two borderline shutdown options (Jason Verrett and Trevor Williams) that will both make a case to start across from him, and Desmond King proved to be an elite, all-around slot corner as a rookie. Good luck throwing against LA this season.

 

Biggest weakness: Tight end

A torn ACL unfortunately ended Hunter Henry’s season before it was even close to getting started, and now the Chargers have a big hole on an offense. I expect Antonio Gates to eventually be re-signed, which would somewhat soften the blow of Henry’s injury, but right now, the team is going with Virgil Green atop the depth chart. Whether or not they bring back Gates, what was previously one of LA’s biggest strengths will probably be a weakness in the fall.

 

Position battle to watch: Wide receiver

Can Mike Williams stay healthy and turn into a significant contributor alongside Keenan Allen? I think so, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Clemson product this summer. The second-year wideout will be pushed by former 1,000-yard receiver Tyrell Williams and deep threat Travis Benjamin for snaps, so he needs to perform every day to earn playing time.

 

Early over/under: 9.5 wins (via Odds Shark)

Over. I feel less confident about this after Henry’s injury, as it suggests the long-standing injury curse is far from over for the franchise, but Los Angeles is loaded on both sides of the ball in a division that has a new head coach and two new starting quarterbacks. With Philip Rivers’ career dwindling down, this is the year to make a run.