Chargers' unfathomable regression on special teams has (and will) cost them games

Ryan Ficken's Chargers ST group was truly elite in 2023. Cameron Dicker nailed 93.9% of his field goals and 100% of his extra points. WR/PR Derius Davis was an AP second-team All-Pro as a returner. The kickoff coverage and punt coverage units were elite. Rick Gosselin ranked the Bolts as the fifth best special teams unit that season.

It looked like the Chargers had it all figured out in terms of staying on top of the NFL's special teams' rankings for the foreseeable future. It was a huge part of why Ficken was essentially the lone Brandon Staley staff member brought back for the Jim Harbaugh era. There was speculation at the time that Harbaugh could choose his son Jay Harbaugh to be the Bolts ST coordinator over Ficken. He ended up going to the Seahawks before his father decided to stick with Ficken.

The Chargers are in a special teams crisis in 2025. And they don't have much time left to fix it.

The new kickoff rule in 2024 allowing for dynamic kickoffs was a change that has been thought to have nerfed LA's special teams a bit. Although the Chargers weren't an "elite" group in 2024, they were 15th in special teams PFF grade and still were a top 10 team in terms of punt return average.

But in 2025, the Chargers' special teams stats have cratered. They're dead last in the NFL in kickoff coverage yards allowed at 29.3 yards per attempt. They're also dead last in punt coverage, allowing 18.0 yards per punt return. On their own punt returns, the Chargers are averaging just 7.1 return yards per attempt-that ranks 29th in the league. On kickoff coverage, the Chargers are allowing their opponents drives on average to start at the 31.24 yard line. That's the ninth worst opposing starting field position in the league on kickoffs.

Tyler Schoon of the Guilty as Charged Podcast showed the sheer extent of turnover in the special teams room following the trade of ST gunner CB Ja'Sir Taylor yesterday. Part of the regression of Ficken's special teams has to do with key injuries to players Deane Leonard, Josh Harris, Junior Colson, and Hassan Haskins.

However, part of it also has to do with which players the Chargers opted to move on from. The Chargers cut Caleb Murphy to make room for Khalil Mack's return. While not exactly a great edge setter, Murphy was a key special teams weapon for the Chargers. His absence was felt in the Colts game as Tuli Tuipulotu had to sub in for the special teams unit. They gave up a massive return to Ameer Abdullah just as the Chargers had made it a 13 point game. The Athletic's Daniel Popper highlighted this example of ST roster mismanagement on his podcast.

The Chargers allowed a punt return TD to Chimere Dike of the Titans this week. Tennessee had not score a touchdown off of a punt return in 13 years.

After having a massive kick return against Miami that saved the game, the Chargers also moved on from Nyheim Hines after he had somewhat stabilized their kick return game. It feels like they haven't had a good kick return since. S Alohi Gilman along with the aforementioned Taylor and Murphy were all key special teams snaps contributors that had been moved on from for one reason or another.

Who could forget LB Marlowe Wax's roughing the kicker penalty that wiped out a Ladd McConkey touchdown vs. the Commanders?

Ficken is ultimately expected to make do with whatever players he has on the roster. That's the case with most, if not all, special teams coordinators around the league. But with the trade of Taylor and players coming in and out of the special teams units every week, it's hard to put all of the blame on him for the underwhelming Chargers' ST performance.

Help is on the way to an extent. LS Rick Lovato retired and he had more than a few errant snaps that almost cost the Chargers. Los Angeles opened up the 21-day practice window of Josh Harris last week. That will be a massive upgrade once Harris is able to return.

Deane Leonard being back as a potential option for ST gunner should at least help ease the loss of Taylor in the trade to the Jets.

Ficken's group has eight games to dig themselves out of the bottom of the league's special teams rankings. The special teams teardown and rebuild outside of key players like Harris, Scott and Dicker has to eventually yield some results. If not, it will end up being a stain on both the front office and Ficken.

More importantly, bottom tier special teams play has the chance to cost this Chargers team a playoff bid or win. Right now, the Chargers don't have the margin for error on offense to overcome bad ST play against better teams than the Titans or Dolphins. With Joe Alt done for the rest of the season and Omarion Hampton not back for another three weeks, the Chargers will need special teams to find its previous 2023 or even 2024 form again.