COSTA MESA, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Chargers open 2023 NFL training camp Wednesday at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, Calif. Here’s a closer look at a few storylines:
Biggest question: Can the Chargers, void of an AFC championship appearance since 2007, finally live up to potential and make a deep playoff run?
Entering the 2022 season, buzz surrounded the Bolts as a potential Super Bowl contender. However, a season riddled with injuries and uneven play ended in a 31-30 wild card playoff collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As they prepare for 2023, the Chargers return 11 offensive and nine defensive starters, but lack the buzz of a year ago.
“I know the team that we have,” third-year coach Brandon Staley said. “The players that were talked about in that way last year, they're still all on our team. We've added even more pieces. We are confident in who we are and we're just confident in the work that's ahead and that we have the guys that are capable of doing it.”
With a stacked roster rich with mega-contracts, the Bolts must break through with a salary cap crunch looming next year.
Most impactful offseason addition: Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore
The Chargers suffered several significant injuries last season, but that doesn’t negate the reality that the offense woefully underperformed and led to the firing of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.
The Bolts now turn to the 34-year-old Moore, whom they quickly hired after he parted ways with the Dallas Cowboys following a divisional playoff loss to the 49ers.
Moore is tasked with improving an offense that last season ranked No. 10 in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game.
“Smart guy,” receiver Keenan Allen said about Moore. “Obviously, a guy who played. Knows the game. Knows the ins and outs. Knows different ways to get guys open. I like what we have going right now.”
A limited glimpse during the offseason program showed that Moore is expected to utilize the arm strength of quarterback Justin Herbert to create an explosive, exciting brand of offense.
The player with the most to prove: Joey Bosa, OLB
An eighth-year pro amid a five-year, $135 million extension, Bosa must prove that he can return to form after missing 12 games last season because of groin surgery, which was followed by a penalty-ridden performance upon his return in the playoff loss to the Jaguars.
“I'm feeling really good,” Bosa said over the offseason. “I know I was talking a lot last year about how it was the best I've felt. It was true at the time, but I think I got used to a lot of the chronic pain that I was in, so it was hard to judge where I really was.... We're getting back to the old me or whatever you want to say.”
Following the 2023 season, the Chargers are expected to face a salary-cap conundrum -- they’re currently projected to be $60 million over the cap in 2024 -- and with an out in his contract, Bosa, as well as several other handsomely paid veterans, could be at risk of becoming a salary-cap casualty if he does not perform at a high level.
Fiercest fantasy-relevant battle: Quentin Johnston vs. Joshua Palmer
Receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams return in their established roles, but who will earn the No. 3 spot?
It will be a battle between the third-year pro Palmer, who started 11 games and caught 72 passes for 769 yards and three touchdowns last season, and the rookie Johnston, whom the Bolts selected with a first-round pick, No. 21 overall, in last April’s draft.
“He's a playmaker,” Herbert said of Johnston. “He's going to make a lot of plays for us. He showed up and we knew early that we got a special guy out there.”
Training camp will likely provide many hints not given during the offseason program, when Palmer worked on the sideline with the training staff because of an undisclosed injury.
Keep a close eye on: The secondary
This is an under-the-radar situation to monitor.
All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr. returns, along with cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who is coming off the best performance of his career after he intercepted three passes in the playoff loss.
However, several questions remain outside of James and Samuel.
Will cornerback J.C. Jackson, who struggled to adapt to a new team before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 7, return to the level of play that made him the NFL’s interceptions leader (25) through four seasons in New England?
Who will play slot cornerback following the departure of Bryce Callahan?
And at safety, will Alohi Gilman continue an upward trajectory to man the role alongside James?