Chargers already reaping the benefits of controversial Cole Strange signing

The Los Angeles Chargers had one mission this offseason that superseded all others— replenish the interior of their offensive line.

They started by inking Tyler Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million deal prior to free agency. Outside of a massive contract for Tyler Linderbaum, they likely couldn't have done a better job upgrading over the retired Bradley Bozeman.

But their next move certainly raised some eyebrows, at least at the time. Los Angeles signed Cole Strange to a two-year, $13 million deal two a day before the official start of free agency. Initially, the thought was that Strange, while he has his inconsistencies, would make a solid backup guard as the Chargers filled out the rest of their line.

It quickly became clear, however, that Strange was hand-selected by McDaniel to start in Los Angeles. Whether this was the right move or not will depend on Strange's actual in-season performance.

But in the meantime, the Chargers have already begun to reap the benefits of carrying Strange over from McDaniel's old roster. Justin Herbert said during his press appearance on Tuesday that Strange (and FB Alec Ingold) have been integral in helping him acclimate to Los Angeles' new offensive scheme.

Chargers are leaving it all on the table for new OC Mike McDaniel

This offseason, many of the moves the Chargers made have been direct gambles on McDaniel's ability to successfully reach the ceiling of his offensive scheme with Herbert at the helm. There's certainly still room to doubt the Strange signing, however.

Per Pro Football Focus, Strange allowed 21 pressures and two sacks on 457 pass-blocking snaps with the Miami Dolphins last year.

There's also reason for optimism. Although he started the year with a set of brutal performances, Strange found his stride in McDaniel's system around Week 13, and he put together a string of solid pass-blocking outings before the end of the season. He's clearly the mobile type of guard that McDaniel has sought out, and it's reasonable to trust McDaniel and new offensive line coach Butch Barry's judgement.

At the very least, though, Strange has already proved to be helpful in the Chargers attempt to transition to McDaniel's outside-zone heavy scheme. Herbert has stated that the toughest transition for him will involve learning to get the ball out quicker, something that was not necessarily a tenet of Greg Roman's offense. Having someone like Strange, who can help communicate the intentions behind the blocking schemes to him at this point in the offseason, is invaluable.

Even two-time Pro Bowler Rashawn Slater stated yesterday that Strange's presence has been helpful to him as well.

Hopefully the Chargers will see the benefits of the Strange signing in a more direct fashion on the field. But for now, it's clear that Strange is making an impact in camp as Los Angeles attempts to wrap their head around McDaniel's scheme.

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