Chargers roster needs: Who might they target in free agency and the draft?

Jim Harbaugh, left, celebrates with Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins Jr. after the Wolverines’ Big Ten championship win over Iowa in December. Which Michigan players could be at the top of Harbaugh’s Chargers draft wish list? (Darron Cummings / Associated Press)

After a year of too many losses, the Chargers decidedly won the start of the offseason, their addition of Jim Harbaugh trumpeted as one of the franchise’s most significant victories.

Coming off a national championship at Michigan, Harbaugh was considered by many the No. 1 option from the start , and on Jan. 24, the Chargers announced him as their new coach, employing an iconic religious image on social media.

Harbaugh has assembled a staff of 29 assistants, including two coordinators — Greg Roman on offense and Jesse Minter on defense — also new to the organization. Ryan Ficken was retained to lead the special teams.

Read more: Greg Roman and Jesse Minter join Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers coaching staff

The changes have been extensive, with the franchise also hiring a new general manager in Joe Hortiz, who has more than a quarter-century of NFL experience but never had been a full-time GM.

Now comes the business of building the roster, an endeavor that might prove trickier than landing a reigning national champion.

With the arrival of the NFL combine this week in Indianapolis, Harbaugh and the Chargers will dive headlong into a series of personnel decisions that will shape the team.

At his introductory news conference, Harbaugh set the standard, saying he wants to win multiple titles for an organization that was blown out in its only Super Bowl appearance nearly three decades ago.

Here are five areas to watch as the new bosses officially begin the latest pursuit of the Chargers’ first championship:

Salary cap concerns

Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Any discussion about the roster has to begin with four names: wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and edge…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chargers-roster-needs-might-target-120045287.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-02-26 12:00:45

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