What I’m seeing from the Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Harbaugh’s vision, other observations

The Los Angeles Chargers are four days away from the official start of the Jim Harbaugh era. They open their regular season afternoon Sunday against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium.

Harbaugh was introduced as head coach Feb. 1. Over the past seven months, Harbaugh has molded the culture and roster in his image. Of the 53 players on the active roster, 23 were not with the Chargers last season. The organization moved into a new facility in Los Angeles County in July. This offseason can be described in one word: transition.

The first result comes Sunday. The Chargers started writing their story in earnest, though, on the practice fields during training camp.

Over 22 practices, this version of the Chargers started to crystallize. Quarterback Justin Herbert was absent for 11 of those practices as he dealt with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot. Herbert returned Aug. 19. Two days later, Herbert had one of the best training camp practices of his Chargers career, quelling much of the concern over how he would respond from the injury.

As the Chargers prepare for their opener, here is what I have seen from the team and what it means for this coming season.

An improved O-line

Harbaugh is trying to build this team through the line of scrimmage, and the organization is fully aligned with this approach. That applies to how they have spent resources, like the No. 5 pick on Joe Alt in April. It also applies to how they have coached and the environment they are cultivating.

Offensive linemen do not participate in most special teams periods, specifically when that unit is working on punts or kickoffs. They work on a separate field. In past seasons, Chargers offensive linemen would sometimes spend these periods standing in a huddle and chatting. That was not the case this training camp under new offensive line coach Mike Devlin and assistant Nick Hardwick, a former Chargers center.

Every spare moment in practice was spent working on technique. Double-teams in the run game. Picking up stunts. Pass protection sets individually. Pass protection sets as a group. Get-off drills on pad-level chutes.

When I mentioned to left tackle Rashawn Slater that there did not seem to be much standing around for the offensive lineman anymore, he smiled and said, “No. Not at all. It’s a good thing, though. We’re a young group. We can take it.”

“I remember one of the first things we talked about with Dev is just mind-numbing repetition,” Slater added. “Every day we’re going to hammer the reps, hammer the technique, and it’s gonna pay off.”

What I have seen is a more refined and polished group, in pass protection and in the run game. The starting group is set heading into the season: Slater at left tackle, Zion Johnson at left guard, Bradley Bozeman at center, Trey Pipkins III at right guard, and Alt at right tackle. This has a chance to be a strength of the team.

Pipkins has looked capable in his move to the inside. He had previously only played tackle in the NFL. I expect some growing pains, particularly in pass protection, as he adjusts to the faster reaction times needed on the interior. But the early returns, in practice and preseason game reps, have been encouraging.

Alt is going to be a difference-maker in the running game. That is already apparent. His movement skills at 6 feet 8 are remarkable. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman is going to get creative using Alt as a puller. And Alt has the body control to create push while on the move.

He needs to improve his initial anchor in pass protection. That popped up at times in reps against the Chargers edge rushers — Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Tuipulotu — and in preseason games. But one of Alt’s best traits is his ability to recover after losing initially to power, and he can mitigate the anchor issues to a degree.

Johnson might end up being one of the most improved players on the team. The attention to detail from Devlin and the rest of the staff is paying dividends for the former first-round pick.

I think this group will surprise some people when Roman unveils his full run game in the regular season.

Simple is better on defense

The most encouraging sign for the defense was how many plays the back-seven coverage players were making on the ball.

I saw a group of players — from cornerbacks to safeties to linebackers — that understood what they were trying to accomplish on a snap-to-snap basis. The pre-snap communication was loud and consistent. The breakdowns in coverage were few and far between.

Multiple players used the word “simple” to describe how defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s approach is different from previous head coach Brandon Staley’s. Last year specifically, players were bogged down with myriad pre-snap checks and adjustments and keys that slowed their minds and, in turn, their bodily reactions. Minter has streamlined everything pre-snap. And he is focused, more than anything, on communication and cohesion.

That has led to coverage players’ being in position to make more plays. The most active of those players: cornerback Kristian Fulton, who had an outstanding camp and looked incredibly comfortable in Minter’s scheme.

“There’s times, like, who cares if they know what we’re doing?” Minter said during camp. “If we’re on the same page, we’ll be fine. If we have 11 guys that are doing the same thing and know what their responsibility is … we’ll have a chance. They’ve taken that to heart.”

Now, some of this should surely be attributed to Herbert sitting out, and his replacement, Easton Stick, struggling. How much of the defensive performance is a mirage? Herbert got limited reps against the first-team defense in the week he returned to practice — the final four sessions fully open to media. Only time will tell.

If the Chargers defense makes a huge leap, it will be because their edge rushers are forming the engine. We saw a glimpse of what that could look like in the joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 4, when Bosa and Mack wrecked practice. Late in that practice, Bosa broke his hand on the rush. He said he had surgery to repair the break. Bosa returned to practice last week and is in line to play Week 1.

Tuipulotu and Dupree, meanwhile, are a formidable second line on the edge.

Enough at WR?

The Chargers do not have a star-studded receivers group after moving on from mainstays Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in the offseason. But after watching camp, I think they have enough talent with this group to be an effective offense.

I am high on Joshua Palmer, who is in a contract year. This is Palmer’s first extended opportunity as a primary target. He is just a well-rounded player. He has a good report with Herbert. He is a good route runner. He has strong hands, including in contested catch situations. He can attack multiple levels of the defense.

Rookie second-round pick Ladd McConkey has all the tools to be a standout slot receiver in Year 1. He showed off his NFL-ready route running throughout camp. It all comes down to health for McConkey, whose durability is a concern because of its smaller frame.

Free-agent acquisition DJ Chark’s game complements McConkey and Palmer well. Chark will be asked to do what he does well: stretch the defense vertically and win in contested catch situations down the field. He fits well as the X receiver in Roman’s offense. And his chemistry with Herbert was blossoming before Herbert’s injury.

Second-year receiver Quentin Johnston showed dramatic improvement as a route runner. His hands are still a concern. He had several drops in training camp. But I see a player who can offer quite a bit more than he did during an underwhelming rookie season.

Is this group perfect? Yeah. But I also do not see it as some catastrophic weakness, especially with Harbaugh’s intention to run the ball more often and efficiently. Plus, Simi Fehoko had an exceptional camp, and rookie Brenden Rice has intriguing skills as an outside receiver. Herbert will elevate this group.

All four of the Chargers’ running backs were not on the team last season. That includes JK Dobbins, who looked really explosive in camp. Dobbins is coming off two major injuries, including most recently a ruptured Achilles in Week 1 of 2023.

Based on what I saw in camp, I think this low-risk bet is going to pay off for the Chargers.

Dobbins was regularly beating linebackers and defensive backs to the edge. I also think he can be an impact player as a receiver.

(Top photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)