4 Chargers players with an all-time high stock heading into training camp

It is safe to say the stock of the entire LA Chargers organization is trending in the right direction after hiring Jim Harbaugh to replace Brandon Staley this offseason.

Zooming in on the roster specifically, there are several players who also enter the 2024 season with all-time high stocks — for better or for worse. Only time will tell if these players live up to their stock prices but it does not change the fact they are in great positions heading into this new era of Chargers football.

4 Chargers with an all-time high stock ahead of 2024:

WR Joshua Palmer

No Keenan Allen or Mike Williams anymore. For all intents and purposes, it's Joshua Palmer's turn to be WR1. Whether he finishes the season at that top spot is another conversation, but Palmer is in as much of a prime position for targets as he'll ever be.

To some extent, the Palmer breakout season was halted by injuries last year. Had it not been for his IR stint, he would've most likely set single-season career highs in receptions, targets, and touchdowns on a 17-game pace. In 2022, Palmer reeled in 72 receptions for 769 yards. His 17-game pace last season would've had him around 65 receptions for 988 yards.

If the Tennessee product can bounce back health-wise from an availability standpoint, the sky is the limit. With a WR room full of new guys, it's fair to say that Justin Herbert's previous rapport with Palmer will go a long way.

RG Trey Pipkins

Questions lingered about what exactly Trey Pipkins' role would be as soon as the Bolts drafted Joe Alt with the fifth pick. But the one person who has consistently been in his corner since that moment is HC Jim Harbaugh. Right after the draft, Harbaugh said he wanted the five best offensive linemen on the field.

Fast forward to minicamp a few months later, Harbaugh further amplified the chances of Pipkins sticking around in the starting lineup at right guard when he was asked about the offensive line:

Of course, Pipkins will have to formally earn the starting RG spot at training camp. But the fact that he has already separated himself from competitors in OTAs and minicamp is a substantial development. The path to Pipkins continuing as a starter (and even staying with the team past 2024) is there for the taking.

LB Junior Colson

Junior Colson impressed the coaching staff quite a bit at OTAs and minicamp. A quote from Jim Harbaugh early on in May's rookie minicamp sums it all up:

"It’s been great. [LB] Junior [Colson], he knows the defense so well. It’s such an incredible thing. I’m not saying he’s going to be wearing any dots or anything anytime soon — probably not the first year. He’s literally making all of the calls. He’s making all the linebacker calls. He’s making the DB calls right now. The safeties that are making calls are getting it mostly right. I’d give them an ‘A,’ but the ones that they miss on, Junior will make the call and correct the call for the safeties, which is awesome. In a meeting with the linebackers, [Linebackers Coach] NaVorro [Bowman] would ask a question and Junior would give the right answer. It finally got to the point, ‘Somebody other than Junior answer this next question.’ [laughter] It’s safe to say that he knows he’s on it. It’s a great thing for our team."

Like other rookies, Colson will still have to earn his stripes the traditional way. But with how much he already knows Jesse Minter's defense and excels in coverage, there is a built-in advantage for him as he gets his pro career underway in LA.

While Harbaugh made it a point to not overwhelm Colson with responsibilities like the green dot role, don't be surprised if they put more on his plate sooner rather than later.

DT Morgan Fox

Morgan Fox finds himself in a rather unique position with Jesse Minter's defense. While he doesn't exactly fit the prototypical build of the types of DTs Minter preferred at Michigan, he has unique pass rush upside. Fox has racked up 12 sacks and 77 pressures in his first two seasons with the Chargers.

To be quite blunt, the Chargers don't have a lot of natural pass rush upside from their interior outside of Fox and potentially rookie Justin Eboigbe.

A lot will hinge on the EDGE players getting their pressures on the outside or when Minter kicks them inside. But Fox feels like the DT that the new Chargers' defensive coordinator can trust in 2nd and 3rd down situations for obvious opposing pass sets.