COSTA MESA, Calif. -- As training camps around the NFL prepare to kick off, the Los Angeles Chargers are one of the league's trendy sleeper picks for 2017.
ESPN fantasy writer Mike Clay offered a detailed analysis regarding why he picked the Chargers to win the AFC West.
And Gregg Rosenthal of the NFL Network writes that the Chargers could have one of the most explosive offenses in the league.
Of course, teams do not win divisions on paper. And after posting just nine wins over the past two seasons, the Chargers have to make it happen on the field. With less than two weeks to go before the start of training camp, here are five lingering questions the Chargers must answer when they take the field in Costa Mesa, California, on July 30.
How healthy is WR Mike Williams? Williams, the team’s first-round selection in 2017, sat out organized team activities and minicamp with a disc herniation in his lower back. Head coach Anthony Lynn is hopeful the Clemson product will be healthy for the start of training camp, but it will likely take some time for Williams to get up to speed mentally and physically. It would not be surprising for Williams to start training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list just to make sure the back injury will not be a lingering issue. The Chargers will take a long-term approach to getting Williams back on the field. He’s a perfect fit for what Philip Rivers likes to do in the vertical game and in the red zone. When healthy, Williams will be an impact player in the offense.
Can the Chargers stay out of the training room? A point of emphasis for Lynn during the offseason was creating a training regimen that would give his players a better chance of staying healthy during a long and grinding season. New head trainer John Lott focused on building more endurance and lower-body strength to help prevent soft-tissue injuries during the year. So we’ll see how that translates once training camp begins. Football is a collision sport, and injuries will happen, but the Chargers would like to avoid having the most players on injured reserve for the second straight year.
Which player starts at slot defender? Most NFL defenses, including the Chargers, will play at least five defensive backs two-thirds of the time, so the slot defender is essentially a starter. Experienced cornerback Brandon Flowers filled the role last season, but struggled to stay healthy and was released during the offseason. Trevor Williams and Trovon Reed competently filled that role in the second half of last year with Flowers on injured reserve, and the Chargers drafted Iowa cornerback Desmond King in the fifth round to compete for time in the slot this season. The Chargers are pretty solid in other areas of their defense. They have one of the better defensive fronts in the NFL and two quality cornerbacks in Casey Hayward and Jason Verrett, so securing consistent play in the slot is a point of emphasis during training camp.
Who wins the starting kicker job? Entering his third season, incumbent kicker Josh Lambo was inconsistent last year, leading general manager Tom Telesco to add undrafted rookie kicker Younghoe Koo out of Georgia Southern. Koo and Lambo both had their moments during offseason work, and the competition should come down to which player performs better during exhibition play. Both kickers have strong legs, so the player who performs more consistently under duress will likely win the job. The Chargers had one of the worst special teams units in the NFL last season, so it will be up to new coordinator George Stewart to get things headed in the right direction, starting with his choice at kicker.
Will NFL fans care about the Chargers in L.A.? The Chargers already sold out the 30,000-seat StubHub Center for the 2017 season, but that was expected. Racking up wins while playing an exciting brand of football will go a long way in winning over NFL fans in Los Angeles with no allegiance to a team. Because of the Los Angeles Rams's struggles during their first season back in town, the Chargers have an opportunity to grab some headlines in L.A. During the first few weeks of camp, it will be interesting to monitor the turnout at the team's new training location: the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa.
