Chargers News: Bolts Near the Bottom of League in Important Category
There might be a method to the madness...
There's a new sheriff in town, and things in Los Angeles are operating a bit differently than in years past.
With the 2024 NFL Draft coming up, we'll gain even more insight into how influential Jim Harbaugh has been since taking over the LA Chargers' head coaching job. What we've seen so far is an emphasis on building as strong of a coaching staff as possible.
From a personnel standpoint, the Chargers have operated on the fringes of things. You're not seeing the flashy signings, nor the acquisitions that will 'win the press conference' as many like to reference.
This tweet from Spotrac truly illustrates how hands-off the Chargers have been when it comes to building their roster:
Only the Dallas Cowboys have spent less when it comes to extensions and new contracts over this current offseason.
Three of the team's core members on the offensive side of the ball -- Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler and Mike Williams -- are all playing elsewhere. While Allen would have loved an extension, LA seemingly preferred to save cap space and reposition its funds accordingly. The same can truthfully be said for Ekeler and Williams.
We wouldn't take the lack of activity and immediately equate that to laziness. On the contrary, the Chargers are being extremely methodical in building this roster the right way -- which is through the draft.
There are still several high-priced players on this roster, namely Justin Herbert, Joey Bosa, and Khalil Mack. Harbaugh and the front office felt as if it would be prudent to get younger, shed salary, and operate a bit more smartly financially speaking.
The draft will tell us a whole lot. If what we suspect is true, these selections likely will have Harbaugh's fingerprints all over them. We're talking about tough, fast, physical football players.
