Chargers preview: Will Herbert hit the ground running in new offense?

Our friends at Bolts from the Blue answer a few questions about the Chargers ahead of the season opener

While the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers have had plenty of battles over the years, the Week 1 matchup between the two teams will be a little different this year. The Raiders promoted Antonio Pierce to full-time head coach in the offseason while the Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh for the same position. Also, each club brought on new offensive coordinators.

So, to preview the season opener, Michael Peterson from our friends over at Bolts From the Blue was kind enough to answer a few questions about Los Angeles heading into the matchup against Las Vegas.

Q: Justin Herbert missed a good portion of training camp with an injury which seems like a big deal considering he’s learning a new offense this season. How do you think that will impact the Chargers’ offense/play calling in the season opener? Will Herbert hit the ground running in Week 1 or will the offense have to be watered down, so to speak?

So Greg Roman is Justin Herbert’s eighth offensive coordinator since the start of his career at Oregon. It’s now his fourth NFL offensive coordinator in his five professional seasons. Herbert honestly has yet to show any signs of not being able to grasp an offense right away and Roman’s isn’t any different. Based on the hype out of training camp, when healthy, this may have been Herbert’s best training camp thus far. That sure sounds like the stuff you hear every year, but I wouldn’t be lying if I said it truly did seem a bit different this year.

I’d expect the offense to be much more diverse than what we saw during the preseason which was arguably plain vanilla outside of the end-around play that Derius Davis took to the house on the first play of their preseason finale against the Cowboys. Expect a heavy dose of the run game as the team takes their first step in establishing their new identity under Jim Harbaugh. If they can find success on the ground, be prepared to see them open things right back up to allow Herbert to show off his arm talent.

Q: After moving on from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason, who do you think will emerge as the Chargers’ No. 1 receiver? Also, is there an under-the-radar pass-catcher Raiders fans should know about?

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The hot name is rookie Ladd McConkey but I believe that’s just hype for the new guy. Joshua Palmer will likely be the team’s leader in receptions and yards this year as he’s the only returning receiver who has started a game with Herbert other than Quentin Johnston. Palmer has the best rapport and connection and his production as the team’s WR1 in several games where Allen and Williams were out showed us he’s more than capable of bearing that load this year.

3) With the addition of offensive coordinator Greg Roman and running backs JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, how similar will the Chargers’ running game be to the Ravens’ over the last few years?

It’s hard not to say that it’ll look quite similar to what the Ravens ran under Roman. It’s going to be diverse. You’ll see both zone and gap schemes on top of seeing just about all five players at one time or another pull in some facet.

The Chargers went out and got two veteran, highly-capable tight ends (both starters for respective teams at one point or another in their careers) in Hayden Hurst and Will Dissly so I also expect those two — and the tight end position as a whole — to play a huge role in diversifying their rush attack. Oh, and did I mention they’ve now got their own Patrick Ricard in the form of defensive tackle Scott Matlock?

All four running backs currently on the Chargers active roster were not on the team in 2023. Harbaugh truly stepped in and reshaped the entire room in his image.

4) How different will the Chargers’ defense look this season now that Jesse Minter has followed Jim Harbaugh from Michigan and taken over as defensive coordinator?

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According to the players, Minter has implemented a simpler defense, but don’t let that descriptive word trick you into believing it’s an easy defense to beat. Every player has lauded how much better they feel in a defense that plays to their strengths and gives them confidence on a play-by-play basis.

Cornerback Kristian Fulton said that he feels so good about their scheme that it doesn’t matter if the other team knows what they’re doing or not. The unit feels as long as they’re playing together, they’ll be successful.

I would also be remiss not to mention that Minter plans on bringing pressure in a myriad of ways. We already saw a glimpse of it during the preseason and it seems to really fit who the Chargers have in their front seven.

5) On a related note, Asante Samuel Jr. had some success against Davante Adams last year, limiting Adams to 35 yards in both games last year when he was the primary defender in coverage. Do you think Samuel will shadow Adams on Sunday? And how do you see that matchup playing out?

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Samuel shadow Adams once again, but with it being a new defensive scheme and coaching staff, I’m not 100 percent sure if that’s how they’ll go about taking away the opposition’s top wideout. I’m sure Derwin James will have a say in helping out on that assignment in some way, as well. Fulton, a first-year Charger, had a heck of a camp, too.

If the coaching staff believes Samuel can replicate his performance against Adams a year later, then by all means let that dog go at it.

As far as my prediction, I believe Adams always gets his due, but I do not think he break 100 receiving yards this game. He may come close, but that’s maybe my bold prediction. Samuel will lead the charge, but Adams will have to wait another week to hit that 100-yard mark for the first time in 2024.