3 Chargers with a good chance to be first-time Pro Bowlers in 2024

If the LA Chargers are going to reach their year-one potential under Jim Harbaugh then most players on the roster must play to their full potential. Thankfully, the team has the perfect head coach to get the most out of the roster.

The full potential of each player on the roster is different. For some, that potential may lead a player to be All-Pro caliber. For others, that potential may simply lead to being a productive starter who does not hurt the team.

Then there are the players who are primed to take a step up and reach a new level they have not reached before. For these players, earning a first trip to the Pro Bowl is in the cards in 2024.

3 Chargers who could be first-time Pro Bowlers in 2024

Alohi Gilman

Alohi Gilman was arguably the most overlooked safety in the NFL last season. While he did not quite reach Pro Bowl level in his fourth season, he certainly got close and may be on the path to breaking through that barrier in 2024.

Gilman was rewarded with a new contract that was still relatively team-friendly in the grand scheme of things. Now, he enters an important season in Jesse Minter's defense alongside Derwin James with a chance to make an impression.

Gilman is already extremely valuable in coverage and as Chargers fans know, he has a knack for forcing turnovers — finishing last season with three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. His coverage stats should be even better without Brandon Staley and with a handful of extra turnovers, he suddenly becomes a no-doubt Pro Bowler.

Ladd McConkey

It is not unreasonable in the slightest to believe Ladd McConkey could be a Pro Bowler in his first season in the league. The Chargers drafted a true first-round talent in the early second round of the 2024 NFL Draft and every year there seems to be at least one rookie receiver who takes the league by storm.

McConkey does not have the same franchise-altering ceiling that the early receivers in the draft have. He is not going to become a foundational field-tilter like Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze will likely become.

That being said, he is a highly productive college receiver who is entering a situation in which he has to perform due to necessity. With no true WR1 on the Chargers, the team needs someone to produce at a high clip and McConkey has the best skillset to do that.

McConkey's shifty nature to create separation early, and ability to play both in the slot and out wide, screams high production for him with Justin Herbert throwing him the football.

Joe Alt

Two rookies make the cut for first-time Pro Bowl candidates, which is indicative of the roster that Tom Telesco left behind. The top-tier players on the roster have already made a Pro Bowl and outside of that, there are not very many players who have a reasonable case.

Sure, fans could talk themselves into Asante Samuel Jr. or Joshua Palmer blossoming into Pro Bowlers but that is a random dart shot. At that point, anyone on the roster who has not been a Pro Bowler before has a chance to do it.

Instead, someone who has a very reasonable chance of being a first-time Pro Bowler is Alt. Although the pick was polarizing, the Chargers drafted a secure offensive tackle with the fifth overall pick. Alt has al the makings of being a long-time foundational tackle and it starts in his rookie season.

There is no guarantee he plays at an elite level right away but as fans saw with Rashawn Slater in his rookie year, sometimes it does happen instantly for elite tackles. Alt certainly has a chance to join that elite tackle club.

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