There hasn't been this much positivity about LA Chargers football in quite some time, but here we finally are.
Jim Harbaugh is the new head coach, he's bringing some of his staff from the University of Michigan, and things are looking up with this Chargers franchise heading into 2024.
With such a drastic change at the head coaching position, and a positive one at that, there is sure to be a long list of players who will undoubtedly benefit from Harbaugh's presence. I'm going to take you through four such players who I believe can really have things turn around for them with this new regime taking shape.
I can write for hours about how Justin Herbert will benefit, so for the sake of your time today, I'll talk about some other very important guys on the team. There might also be two bonus players from college football at the end who I wanted to briefly talk about.
Chargers who will benefit the most from Jim Harbaugh:
1. Mike Williams
Mike is a hot candidate for the Chargers to drop this offseason to shed some cap space, but it should not go underappreciated how much he has meant to this offense. His ability to grab the contested catches has opened up the rest of this passing offense ever since Justin Herbert came into the league.
When he's been in the lineup, the offense has looked up to standard. When he hasn't, things have fallen apart. Case in point, his absence in the infamous Jacksonville game last January and his absence most of this season.
He may be pricey and he may be forever injury-prone, but the majority of this wide receiver group cannot seem to get themselves open on a consistent basis when Mike is on the sidelines.
Mike's M.O. has always been "toughness," and that should be a quality coaches like Jim Harbaugh will value above all else.
Harbaugh is going to want to keep guys on this roster who can impose their will on their opponents. Mike Williams embodies that archetype to a tee. I would not be surprised in the least if the Bolts swallowed the money he's owed in 2024 to keep him on the roster. In that case, Mike would be one of the immediate beneficiaries of Harbaugh's presence in the building.