Yahoo Sports What's next for the Chargers after their latest playoff Chargers-ing?
Justin Herbert had three interceptions in 17 regular season games in 2024. He had four interceptions in 32 pass attempts in his lone 2025 playoff start.
Herbert dropped to 0-2 in the postseason and the first season of Jim Harbaugh's return to the NFL landed with a thud in a 32-12 wild card loss to the Houston Texans. After exceeding expectations and jump-starting the Chargers' rebuild, Los Angeles's playoff run ended much like their 2022 attempt -- with a come-from-ahead defeat against an AFC South opponent they were favored to beat.
That familiar frustration made the Chargers the first playoff team to head back to the drawing board this winter. Despite an ugly finish, there's still plenty of reason for optimism on the West Coast. Let's look at what Los Angeles is working with and what it needs to fix.
1. What do the Chargers have to build around in 2025?
The headline here is Justin Herbert. Despite a regrettable performance in Houston, the young quarterback had the best season of his career thanks to an offense whose run-heavy approach opened up passing lanes downfield. Los Angeles wasn't heavy on brand-name playmakers, but Herbert still managed to be a top 10 quarterback in passer rating (101.7) and yards per pass attempt (7.7) while sporting the league's lowest interception rate. He was also 11th in expected points added (EPA) per dropback.
Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater had rough performances in Houston, but are franchise building blocks at the tackle positions. Ladd McConkey is a versatile do-everything wideout. Derwin James is healthy and has returned to All-Pro form. Tarheeb Still and Tuli Tuipulotu look like young, reliable starters on the defensive side of the ball. Cameron Dicker is one of the league's best kickers, even if he has no idea what to do once his kick gets blocked.
The Chargers will have a first round pick hovering around 20th overall depending on how the rest of the wild card round plays out. They have an estimated $73 million in salary cap space for 2025, per Over the Cap -- fourth-most in the NFL. They'll have to decide how much of that space will go toward retaining key players, as Los Angeles has a good chunk of veteran talent set to hit free agency this spring.
2. What players could leave the Chargers in 2025?
The following players played at least 50 percent of Los Angeles's offensive or defensive snaps and will be free agents in 2025:
C Bradley Bozeman
CB Elijah Molden
CB Kristian Fulton
WR Josh Palmer
EDGE Khalil Mack
DL Poona Ford
DL Morgan Fox
RB J.K. Dobbins
Of that group, Molden (a 62.5 passer rating in coverage in 2024) and Dobbins (905 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns in 11 games) will likely be top priorities when it comes to re-signing.
3. Offseason priority No. 1: Playmakers
Herbert was able to elevate Ladd McConkey into a do-everything marvel as a rookie wideout. Behind him, things get grim. Dobbins is a pending free agent. So is Joshua Palmer, who didn't seize the opportunity of a depleted receiving corps and remained a modest WR3 type. 26 percent of Quentin Johnston's 2024 yards came in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. His struggles in Houston reverberated through the offense.
Finding another reliable wideout or tight end -- Will Dissly had a career year but isn't exactly striking fear in the hearts of defenses -- would be a boon for Herbert's passing game. Bringing back Dobbins and buttressing him with a capable platoon-mate would help elevate the throwback offense with which Harbaugh thrives.
4. Offseason priority No. 2: Interior offensive line
Despite Dobbins's solid performance, the Chargers averaged only 4.1 yards per carry in 2024 -- 24th-best in the NFL. Their run game's -0.079 EPA/play ranked 18th in the league. Los Angeles's 2.0 yards before contact per rush was second-worst in the league.
Things were better in terms of pass protection. Until they weren't. Herbert struggled as chaos unfolded around him in the pocket. He completed just one of his first 10 passes under pressure. Zion Johnson may be worth another shot, but center Bozeman is a free agent and Trey Pipkins underwhelmed. There will be plenty of veteran help available this spring -- Zach Martin and Trey Smith lead this year's class of pending free agent interior linemen. The Chargers can take a swing at a proven starter with some miles on his tires or poach from a good-not-great crop of IOL prospects at this year's draft.
5. Offseason priority No. 3: Free safety
The Texans' offense came alive by spamming the same routes over and over -- in-breakers, typically from Nico Collins (seven catches, 122 yards and a touchdown). Through three quarters, C.J. Stroud completed eight of 11 targets over the middle for 123 yards, a touchdown and a 139.6 passer rating.
As good as Derwin James has been, Alohi Gilman has been a weak point in this secondary. Pair that with a fairly average pass rush and you have the circumstances that allowed Los Angeles to get beat over the middle repeatedly with its season on the line. There's plenty to like about the Chargers secondary (and concerns about the pass rush with Khalil Mack a free agent and Joey Bosa with only 14 sacks his last three seasons), but bringing in a rangy free safety who can make reads over the middle and force the action back to the sideline would be a boon for a rising Harbaugh team.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: What's next for the Chargers after their latest playoff Chargers-ing?
