The 2021 season is in the books and over the next few weeks, we'll be checking in with a few of the team's beat writers, along with fellow team reporter Chris Hayre and yours truly, to take a look back and a look ahead for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Last week, it was 2021 Team MVP.
This week, the writers gave their picks for the Most Improved Player of 2021 for the Bolts.
2021 Most Improved Player
Mike Williams
He's always been a good player, always been a clutch player. Some of the plays he makes in the fourth quarter when you need him most, they're unreal plays. It's not the first time he's done that this year. But just to be a complete, all-around wide receiver … He showed to be a complete player and I think for me, the most improved player. We know what Mike Williams can do, but to show all that, especially at his size, 6-4, a big-body frame, usually these guys are kind of red zone targets, touchdown machines, but he kind of played like Keenan Allen out there. He was a first down machine, he was a YAC guy, he showed some speed out there, too. Credit to [offensive coordinator] Joe Lombardi for unleashing that potential of Mike Williams and now he's due for a big payday in the offseason. – Gilbert Manzano, Southern California News Group
Uchenna Nwosu
There were a couple guys I was going back and forth with, but I'm gonna go with Uchenna because of the big plays he made in the biggest games. He started the season a little slow, but kind of picked up his play with the interception against the Chiefs, and in my opinion, I think he was the best player on the field at times in that Week 18 game against the Raiders. It was his first opportunity to start on the other side of Joey Bosa and I think he took advantage of it, especially late in the year. The Chargers are gonna have big decisions to make with a lot of free agents, but I think Chenna fits really nicely with what Brandon Staley likes to do. He said when he was in Chicago, he was watching tape of Nwosu coming out of USC. I think Uchenna really helped himself, especially late in the year. – Chris Hayre
Justin Jones
When we looked at the defensive line, we were wondering who could step in during the Melvin Ingram departure. I think Justin, more than anybody, kind of helped with the depth and also, with a couple key plays – certainly had one in the opener against Washington and really upped his play throughout the season. This 2018 draft class, Derwin [James] certainly gives it the star power and the grade for how well it does, but I think a lot of those 2018 picks really accounted for themselves this year. It'll be really interesting going into free agency [and seeing] how many they're able to retain. – Joe Reedy, Associated Press
Kyzir White
I'm gonna go with another 2018 guy and that was Kyzir White. I don't know if 'improved' is necessarily the right word I'd use here because he has dealt with injuries during his Chargers career but this season, you talk about Uchenna coming into his own? Kyzir came into his own. Especially, when linebacker has been one of the positions over the last couple years with these Chargers teams where we hadn't really seen production. But production from Kyzir in 2021? It was all caps. He was so close to 150 tackles, he was doing things Chargers linebackers hadn't done since Donnie Edwards in the mid-2000s. You mention that 2018 class, Derwin sees the credit a lot of the time, but that class has really come into its own in terms of production, availability and maximizing their potential within this new scheme, too. – Hayley Elwood
Take a look at the best photos from the Chargers 2021 campaign through the lens of team photographer, Mike Nowak, manager of photography, Ty Nowell, and gameday photographer, Travis Ellison.
HANDS UP - Although wide receiver Mike Williams didn't catch this, I liked the juxtaposition of the ball hovering over his hand and the defender's hand in his grill. It's called football, but every now and then, we're reminded it's a hands game. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
FUMBLE IN THE FOURTH - Washington ended the third quarter of the season opener with a 16-13 lead over the Bolts. But that all changed quickly in the fourth quarter as linebacker Kyzir White forced a fumble on running back Antonio Gibson deep in WFT territory which three plays later, led to a Chargers touchdown. I like how you can see the varying levels of defense and a goal-line view of the ball popping out. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
W FOR HC - Week 1 was Brandon Staley's first win as a head coach in the NFL. He was so excited to hand out game balls, but the ever-conscientious quarterback Justin Herbert flipped the script and delivered a ball to Staley himself. It was a small space, but the emotion was big. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
BACK TOGETHER - SoFi Stadium finally got to play host to fans in 2021. Here's a shot which shows the perspective of being in attendance at the very first regular season home game for the Bolts at SoFi with fans. - Travis Ellison/Los Angeles Chargers
33 - No one was probably more hyped to be back at SoFi Stadium than safety Derwin James. This photo encapsulates the sheer emotion of No. 33 being extra fired up for his return to homefield action. - Ty Nowell/Los Angeles Chargers
ENEMY TERRITORY - Kansas City is notoriously one of the most hostile environments in the NFL and as you can see, Chiefs fans were out in full force in Week 3. I liked this shot of our captains walking out as the colors pop against the sea of red. The Super Bowl champions sign was a reminder to keep an eye on the ultimate prize. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
VICTORY - Here's an inside-look at the locker room after the victory over the Chiefs in Week 3. Wins are sweet, but wins against your largest divisional rival are even sweeter. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
IN MOTION - You achieve a look like this by keeping the shutter open and I like the stark contrast of the movement on the field set against the stillness of the fans in the stands. The lighting also makes everything look so vibrant, a benefit to shooting a night game. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
30 GOES UP - Guard Oday Aboushi gives running back Austin Ekeler an assist in celebrating this MNF touchdown. I like how this shot takes the viewer onto the field to show what a TD celebration is really like from an NFL player's (or photog's!) perspective. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
OUR WAY - Derwin James is unmistakably the heart and soul of the Chargers defense and one of the squad's leaders overall. This photo showcases his intensity leading a pregame huddle. I also like how you can see the reflection of the infinity screen in his visor. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
MIKE & JUSTIN THINGS - Here's a shot at the celebration after the 42-yard touchdown from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams which put the Bolts up 28-27 over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5. Herbert ran all the way down the field to celebrate. Crazy to think this was just the beginning of a wild fourth quarter that cracked the game open with the Chargers ultimately winning, 47-42. - Travis Ellison/Los Angeles Chargers
81 FOR SIX - Williams had a big day against Cleveland, but I love how this photo shows off the unique aspects of SoFi. If you look closely at the infinity screen, you can see the reverse angle of this shot. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
ELECTRIC- A static electricity globe is setup in the tunnel to charge players up before they are introduced to the SoFi crowd. It's usually so dark back here, but when guys touch the globes, the light from the bolts pop against their hands. Note tight end Jared Cook looking into the camera here, too. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
GET LOW - Because the player tunnel entrances were back this year, I put a camera on the ground to really get a good look at the guys walking, running, or dancing out. As Mike Williams moved forward, he missed stepping on the camera by about an inch. All for the shot, right? - Ty Nowell/Los Angeles Chargers
HERBO BOMB - With :23 seconds left in the first half in Week 14, Justin Herbert launched an absolute bomb to wide receiver Jalen Guyton for a 59-yard score. The pass traveled 63.8 yards in the air and went viral - for good reason - but this angle shows just how incredible of a feat it was as Herbert was getting hit as he threw. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
ALBUM DROPPING SOON - Primetime games are exciting for lots of reasons, but as a photographer, having them at night presents a whole different canvas for shots. This was taken in the tunnel pregame. The blue lights and smoke give off a silhouette-type look almost akin to a music video.- Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
NO DICE ON 4th DOWN - Chargers and Chiefs games are always emotional, but here's an emphatic Joey Bosa after the defense stopped Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense on fourth down in primetime. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
30's GOT HOPS - Austin Ekeler is known as pound-for-pound the strongest guy on the team, but it's impressive how high he got after this touchdown celebration which gave the Bolts the lead in the fourth. - Ty Nowell/Los Angeles Chargers
BROTHERHOOD - Specialists are a unique group on a football team, and this photo of kicker Dustin Hopkins, long snapper Matt Overton, and punter Ty Long really showcases the bond between them. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
GO DEEP - This was another seemingly routine deep ball catch from Mike Williams. I really love the way the gold on his sleeves and pants (and the lightning bolts) shines and pops against the rest of the photo. - Ty Nowell/Los Angeles Chargers
LEFT IT ON THE FIELD - Though this photo marks the end of the Chargers season, it truly tells a story. The story of a team that fought, battled, and clawed their way to tie the game and bring it to overtime. Though the team didn't get the outcome they wanted, they gave it everything they had. - Mike Nowak/Los Angeles Chargers
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