Brandon Staley has already created the balanced Chargers team he set out to do
By Ryan Harris
LA Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has been with the team for one year, and he has already accomplished what he has set out to do when it comes to how he wants his team to be run.
When he first transferred teams inside of Los Angeles from the Rams to the Chargers, he stated how he wants to build a "balanced" team that has the potential to make a deep playoff run. After the pre-draft offseason moves and the NFL Draft itself, Staley may have done exactly that.
What additions are balancing the LA Chargers roster?
Creating a balanced team starts with building a good core, and let's start with the offense. First, having the star player in Justin Herbert, on top of an offensive line to protect him is a keystone in any offense.
The addition of Isaiah Spiller in the running back room has the potential to increase the running game efficiency to make the offense not as reliant on Justin Herbert posting 350 yards and three touchdowns a game, even though that is always exciting to watch. Balance the addition of Spiller with playmakers in each skill position on offense, and this gives the Chargers a multitude of ways to score points consistently.
Going into the defense, a big problem in past seasons has been letting up big plays and an inability to stop the run. Staley, being the defensive-minded coach that he is, wanted to change the culture of the defense immediately.
The key defensive signings made before the draft (Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, Khalil Mack, and J.C. Jackson) as well as selections like JT Woods and Otito Ogbonnia in the 2022 NFL Draft have turned this defense that ranked 29th in points allowed last season into a potential top ten defense going into the 2022 season.
Lastly, we dive into the special teams, where all but one player is new. Dustin Hopkins, who successfully converted 90% of his field-goal attempts with the Chargers is back on a three-year deal.
The new addition of punter JK Scott and long snapper Josh Harris will be great fits to limit special teams' errors and pin opponents deep if Staley chooses to punt the ball on fourth downs. Lastly, DeAndre Carter created a spark in an otherwise boring return game for Washington last year, and Charger fans hope to see that same spark in Los Angeles this season.
I have not seen a Chargers team this balanced since before Tom Telesco took over as general manager in 2013. It can also be argued that this is one of the more talented rosters he has had to work with, and he and Staley have done an excellent job in building the balanced team that they have been working towards.
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With Herbert still on his rookie contract, Brandon Staley is in win-now mode, and ready to make some noise this upcoming season.