Chargers' surprising position change could be sheer desperation

The Los Angeles Chargers will look to improve the interior of their offensive line this offseason in order to keep Justin Herbert upright more often. The trio of Bradley Bozeman, Zion Johnson and Trey Pipkins clearly didn't get the job done in 2024, which is why the Chargers are in a great position to upgrade a few of these spots.

They have the money to do so, with a projected $66 million in cap space to work with once free agency begins in just over a week. Daniel Popper of the Athletic, however, doesn't think the Chargers will be major spenders this year. "I do not expect the Chargers to be shopping at the top of the market at any position in free agency," Popper said. "Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh are trying to build a sustainable winner, and the easiest way to torpedo that process is to whiff on a big-ticket free agent."

The biggest guard that was projected to be on the market in Trey Smith was franchise-tagged by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the week. They could look to grab Will Fries from Indianapolis or Teven Jenkins from Chicago. One interesting point Popper pointed out was the Chargers potentially moving Johnson to center and splurging on a guard.

Popper wrote: "The Chargers must feel like moving Johnson to center is their best option. That would leave them with one guard spot to fill, and they could find that player in mid-market free agency. The Indianapolis Colts’ Will Fries makes sense. Then, the Chargers could draft a second guard. If they keep Pipkins, there could be a competition there."

This would certainly be a head-scratching move, especially after seeing how poorly Bozeman was as the center last season. Johnson should either stick at guard or move to the bench if he can't beat out incoming competition.

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