Ladies and gentlemen ... football!

(Well, almost.)

The NFL kicks off September 4 with the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles taking on Dallas, and then 24 hours later on the September 5, you can take a trip to Brazil where the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Kansas City Chiefs. This means we still have some time to take a look at this Chargers team in a little more depth, so we'll break up the preview into two parts. Why not start with one of the most talked about groups on the roster: The skill positions.

[For Part 2 of the Chargers' 2025 Preview, click here.]

Quarterback Room

When breaking down position groups on the Chargers, it doesn’t get any easier than Justin Herbert and the rest of the guys in the QB Room. If #10 is on the field, the Chargers can hang with and beat any team in the National Football League. If #10 is not under center, then the Chargers season is no longer afloat, and it’s time to take up other hobbies on your Sunday afternoon. That’s not a shot at the two vying for the backup QB Job, which is 7 year NFL Vet Taylor Heinicke whose proven to be a serviceable NFL backup, and blossoming redemption arc Trey Lance who is having a preseason that is going to make him very difficult to keep off of the Gameday Roster due to his versatility as a runner and new found confidence, but it is the truth of the Justin Herbert era Chargers. This roster (or playcaller Greg Roman) is not on the level of a team that can afford to lose their superhero QB and expect to compete. For a much briefer explanation of what I’m trying to say, Google “Tom Moore Peyton Manning Quote”.

Running Back Room

When you think Jim Harbaugh/Greg Roman football, the first thing that comes to mind is the Frank Gore spearheaded run game that tormented the early 2010s. Frank Gore put up 3 of his 5 Pro Bowl seasons totaling 4659 rushing yards on 4.4 YPC. The perfect synopsis of their offense, nothing flashy, but the pure ability to pound opposing defenses into submission throughout 4 quarters. The new age of this offense is hoping they found their Gore of the future.

Enter Omarion Hampton.

A 6’0, 220 lb freak of nature who ran a 4.45 and exhibits wicked game speed, only Breece Hall and Keaton Mitchell have been clocked as faster in-game when it comes to average game speed. There is a reason he was a running back drafted in the first round in 2025, when it’s almost viewed as a sin of roster building to do so. But this isn’t exactly a match made in Heaven, when breaking down the Greg Roman run game to schematics, Greg Roman is a gap/man scheme run game coordinator, while Hampton found much of his success as a college runner in zone concepts, posting a 92.0 PFF Zone Rushing Grade contrary to a 84.5 grade on gap concepts.

It’s very clear that the Chargers brass, along with Harbaugh and Roman believe this is a non issue that will work itself out with reps, but does present a situation where vet Najee Harris who came over on a one year deal will get some carries and play a role, assuming his mysterious eye injury allows him to do so. Behind the clear 1A and 1B in the backfield is a smorgasbord of different backfield options, from 2024 6th round draft pick Kimani Vidal who is the favorite for the RB3 job, to UDFA darling Raheem “Rocket” Sanders, who was extremely productive at South Carolina and has made a push for a roster spot this camp/preseason but will likely struggle to beat out Hassan Haskins, whose times with Harbaugh dates back to Michigan and is a crucial part to Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Ficken’s operation.

Pass Catchers

The pass catchers have been the topic of discussion since the absolute whiff of taking Quentin Johnston over the likes of Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison. And rightfully so, Herbert has thrown to a who's who of mediocre or flat-out bad, while making them look passable. So let’s take a look at the 2025 Chargers pass catchers!

Let's start with the wide receivers ... bleh.

Beyond Ladd McConkey, there are very few players who do anything for me. Keenan Allen is a lovely nostalgia addition, and the chemistry between Herbert and Allen is objectively a net positive to an otherwise very young room, but in 2025, there’s no reason to believe that prime Keenan Allen is walking through the door and giving us what we saw two years ago. Tre Harris is a rookie who finally enjoyed a breakout vs the Los Angeles Rams in his most recent preseason showing and will have to make a push to be the guy at the X receiver this year with the sudden retirement of Mike Williams. I loved the Tre Harris pick, but it’s unfair to expect him to entirely transform the WR room on day 1, despite his elite 5.12 yards per route ran in college. (Also, don't forget his absurd 128.8 yards per game in this past season at Ole Miss.)

Past the top three, it’s Quentin Johnston, who is in danger of missing the start of the season after a scary hit Saturday night led to him being carted off, when it was later announced he suffered a concussion, rookie preseason heartthrob KeAndre Lambert-Smith who despite the attention he’s garnered, will be and should be no more than a shot concept guy and WR5, return man Derius Davis whose spot is as solid as it gets, despite an up and down year last year and a trusted vet who has been praised for his leadership among the room in Jalen Reagor.

So ..let’s make our way to the tight end room!

Also bleh.

Just the most bleh room on the roster. Will Dissly, Tyler Conklin, and Tucker Fisk are all serviceable vets that play a role on an offense that could really use a playmaker at the TE spot to take that next leap. Conklin is a serviceable receiver who struggles mightily in the run game with a 42.9 run blocking grade according to PFF. Tucker Fisk is a glorified fullback in the tight end room, catching seven passes all 2024 and probably not eclipsing that total this year. And of course, one of Herbert’s favorite targets, Will Dissly, returns! The best of both worlds as Will Dissly put up a career best 69.5 PFF grade with a 71.7 receiving grade, adding on to his already stellar 72.3 blocking Grade. One name that I have not mentioned is Oronde Gadsden II, a 5th-round rookie out of Syracuse who converted from WR early in his college career and blossomed into the all-time receptions and yards leader for a tight end for the Orange. The 6’5 freak athlete exhibited sensational burst and sustained speed with a 4.65 40-yard dash and a 1.62 10-yard split. Gadsden II has a very real chance to be the best pure receiver out of this tight end room as soon as this year, provided he can get his blocking skills to a serviceable level.

Thus concludes a look into the Chargers skill rooms! Up next? The Trenches.