Chargers Deserve Spot With Cowboys, Rams as Super Bowl Contenders

The Chargers earned this spotlight they're getting after wave of smart offseason moves.

Justin Herbert | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How hyped are the Los Angeles Chargers right now? 

Jim Harbaugh’s team has slotted alongside the likes of the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams as bona fide Super Bowl contenders on various national lists this offseason. 

One of the most recent examples comes from Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, who picked just four teams as clubs “reaching” for contender status after an offseason full of moves. 

The Chargers? It’s all about the upgraded offensive line around the elite returning-from-injury offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. 

“Slater's and Alt's return from season-ending injuries will help significantly, of course,” Sobleski wrote. “Tyler Biadasz signed in free agency to provide a more consistent presence in the middle. The Chargers also drafted four offensive linemen, including second-round interior blocker Jake Slaughter.”

Some might scoff at the Chargers making these types of lists right now. 

And those scoffing would be wrong. 

Chargers’ Super Bowl contention status analysis

Justin Herbert | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Pull back and think about this for a second. 

On this mentioned list, the Cowboys are an on-paper powerhouse. The Rams traded for Myles Garrett. The other team, the Cincinnati Bengals, traded for Dexter Lawrence. 

The Chargers…acted like the Chargers. 

Kidding aside, fans couldn’t have asked for much more in the way of smarter moves around Justin Herbert. Renowned offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is in town and getting whatever he wants, whether it’s a rookie draft pick like Brenen Thompson or even something as small as a fullback in free agency like Alec Ingold. 

That includes, by the way, McDaniel forcing Herbert to rework his old footwork habits in the name of getting the ball out faster and making it harder for defense to assess what they want to do. 

On the defensive side, the Chargers lost fantastic coordinator Jesse Minter, but brought back Chris O’Leary from the college ranks in the name of continuity. Better deal than it seems, considering O'Leary was a positional coach for the Chargers under Minter before going to those college ranks to get coordinator experince. Smart move by Harbaugh.

Said continuity also means the return of Khalil Mack for a promising defense that added first-round pass-rusher Akheem Mesidor. 

None of this guarantees anything. And little of it was flashy. But the smart moves around a quarterback like Herbert and McDaniel mean the Chargers get the best of both worlds: Contention now and a bright long-term future because of savvy cap and overall resource management, too. 

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