The LA Chargers offense took a step back last season in terms of points scored per game, and everyone is hoping Kellen Moore's arrival will help instill more consistency from Justin Herbert and company week-to-week.
Still, the offense will push for 25 points every Sunday as long as Herbert is quarterbacking the offense.
Those standards aren't reciprocated by the defense, however, which also has someone new at the helm after the Chargers hired Derrick Ansley as defensive coordinator after Renaldo Hill left to become the Dolphins pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
With the Bolts back on the practice field for OTAs, players got their first glimpse of Ansley as defensive coordinator. It's early in the process, but the initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.
The leader of LA's defense, Khalil Mack gave Ansley a glowing review.
Khalil Mack a big fan of new Chargers DC Derrick Ansley.
“He pulled me in right away, we had a conversation,” Mack said of Asnley. “We chopped it up. You could tell that he’s excited to be in that position. He is going to make the most of it, as well, and try to get the best out of all of his guys on defense.”
It's always great when new coordinators and coaches reach out to the veterans on a team upon getting hired. It shows a commitment to building a strong relationship with players and Mack's comments suggest Ansley has brought a contagious energy to the team's voluntary workouts.
Check out Ansley's reaction to a Derwin James interception at practice.
OTAyyyye pic.twitter.com/uOSuErO4eA
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 25, 2023
It's like we said: contagious energy.
Fittingly, the Chargers' defense has been all the rage at the start of OTAs. While Justin Herbert only took a handful of reps with the first team, a number of LA defensive backs broke up passes on Wednesday, including Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr., and Deane Leonard.
The bigger takeaway from the practice, though, was undrafted free agent Jerrod Clark taking reps with the first-team defense, per The Athletic's Daniel Popper. It was only post practice walk-throughs, but it's not like the Chargers were down multiple defensive linemen.
This certainly backs the notion that Clark has the best chance of LA's undrafted free agents to make the 53-man roster. It'll be interesting to see if Clark keeps this momentum once the pads come on, but it seemingly hasn't taken long for the Coastal Carolina product to make a strong impression on the coaching staff.