With expectations low, Chargers have high hopes of answering big questions in camp

In the last 19 games of the franchise, the chargers they won five times.

This is a team that beat an opponent that finished with a winning record since December 5, 2021, a period of 40 games.

The over/under win total for the 2024 version of the Chargers has been set at 8.5, which, in the NFL, is the exact expression of .500 or, put another way, mediocrity.

Still, the Chargers will enter training camp near the end of July, full of confidence cultivated during the offseason program, above all, new coach Jim Harbaugh.

“I have no doubt that we have the right guys and the right team,” quarterback Justin Herbert said at the conclusion of the minicamp. “We just have to go out there and execute. We have faith that we will get things right.”

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This is the time of year when every NFL team believes they have improved and most are convinced the Super Bowl is a realistic possibility.

Then again, at this point in 2023, much of the talk surrounding the Chargers was how Herbert was going to uncork bombs all over the place under then-offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Instead, after a series of injuries and failed game-winning opportunities, Herbert finished with an average gain of 6.9 yards per pass attempt, the second-lowest mark of his career.

Therefore, conversation is nothing more than that – conversation. Victory will be determined by action, and here are five areas that, depending on how the action plays out in training camp, will shape the Chargers’ success this season:

The Chargers parted ways with Allen and Williams in March because of salary cap issues, leaving Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston at the top of the depth chart.

They wrote Ladd McConkey in the second round and Brenden rice and Cornelius Johnson in the seventh. Then they signed veteran DJ Chark in free agency.

McConkey displayed the most potential throughout the offseason program, his precise route running and sudden quickness in tight spaces the kind of qualities that would please any quarterback.

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“It’s like he’s been a veterinarian for four or five years,” Herbert said. “He understands the game. He understands leverage. He is an intelligent and very athletic player. I’m really looking forward to getting him the ball.”

The progress of Johnston, a 2023 first-round pick, will be another focal point. He had an underwhelming rookie season and still hasn’t answered questions about his hands.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman praised Johnston as “an explosive, smooth athlete” and called 2024 “a big leap year for him.”

Can Harbaugh-Roman develop an exciting racing game?

Both coaches have been adamant for months about wanting to build a strong ground attack to balance the offense and help Herbert, the NFL’s all-time leader in pass attempts per game.

Running the ball has been a trademark of Harbaugh and Roman during their various coaching stops, so there’s reason to believe they can do it again, especially after the free agent addition of Gus Edwards It is JK Dobbins.

Edwards is a brawler and Dobbins offers explosiveness. After missing the offseason program because of an undisclosed illness, Edwards is expected to be ready for training camp, according to Harbaugh.

Combining running and passing will be a big summer project for Roman, who said the idea is to “create options for ourselves,” options that include being formidable both on the ground and in the air.

“There is a sweet spot,” he explained. “We’re still figuring it out and learning how this is going to happen. … We’ll see where it all resolves at a certain point.”

Will the revamped offensive line find chemistry?

The Chargers used their first-round pick in April — No. 5 overall — at 6-foot-3, 322 pounds Joe Alt. At the opening of minicamp, Alt was the starting right tackle, with Trey Pipkins III moving in at guard.

Pipkins is 6-6 and, when paired with Alt, gives the Chargers 629 pounds of protection to Herbert’s right, all of that mass also significant to the success of the run game.

Roman called Pipkins “a true shining star” and said the 2019 third-round pick still possesses unfulfilled potential.

“He’s a big man with really good length and really good football IQ,” Roman said. “And he also likes being medieval.”

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The Chargers will have a new center in Bradley Bozeman, who was signed as a free agent to replace the retired Corey Linsley.

With three positions featuring new starters, the development of the offensive line will be something to monitor.

“Not having a weak link is key,” Harbaugh said. “We’re trending towards really having a great offensive line from top to bottom.”

What will the new men in the field be like?

Starting linebackers Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray Jr. are now elsewhere after finishing second and third in tackles for the 2023 Chargers.

Veteran Denzel PerrymanEntering his 10th year, he returned to the team as a free agent and spent the offseason program as one of the starters.

Alongside him most of the time was Daiyan Henley, a 2023 third-round pick who played mostly on special teams as a rookie. Henley is known for his athleticism and speed.

“He’s doing a great job so far,” linebackers coach NaVorro Bowman said. “He was here, so you have the first chance to take this position. Just don’t give up, man.

The most intriguing option on the depth chart is rookie Junior Colson, who played for Harbaugh and new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter at Michigan. The Chargers drafted Colson in the third round.

His combination of playmaking ability and defensive knowledge could mean an increasingly larger role as training camp unfolds into the regular season.

Can safety Derwin James Jr. return to his dynamic state?

As a newbie, James was named All-Pro when he entered the NFL with the kind of talent that saw him make plays out of the backfield on one snap and 30 yards on the next field. That was six years ago.

Since then, James has continued to shine, earning an extension that made him the highest-paid safety in the league and being selected to the Pro Bowl twice. He hardly disappointed.

But James also seemed to lose his talent at times, especially last season as he struggled along with the rest of the secondary in former coach Brandon Staley’s often chaotic and mismanaged system.

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During one of their first meetings, Minter said he offered James some notable encouragement.

“As I told him,” Minter told reporters, “‘Let’s reaffirm the statement that you are one of the best safeties in football.’ ”

James expressed his excitement for this new beginning by comparing what he was feeling to Christmas morning.

“We didn’t play up to our standard,” he said of last season. “We didn’t play the way we all know we can play. … We want to go to the dance. It’s time.”

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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.