Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
The offseason is here but the Mailbag keeps going. We'll do one of these every month or so in the offseason. Send in submissions for the Mailbag here on Twitter or by sending me an email.
Off we go...
What is overall vibe of the team as April is almost here? (Daniel via email)
Good!
The end of March is always a bit quiet around the league as most free agency moves are done and teams start really ramping up for the 2025 NFL Draft.
The next big event on the calendar is the Annual League Meeting, which takes place next week in Florida. For what it's worth, Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh will hold court during the annual AFC coaches breakfast so we'll be able to get his current thoughts on where the Bolts stand.
But from a big-picture perspective, the Chargers are in a good spot.
I know many fans were clamoring for the team to make a bunch of splashy free-agent moves, but Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz and his staff instead took a practical and measured approach.
And if you looked closely, the way the Bolts operated shouldn't have been a surprised given Hortiz's comments from January when I asked him about having a bunch of salary cap space.
"You look at it from a responsible way just like we did last year," Hortiz said. "Last year we had less money to spend but we were responsible with our spending. I think you always stay responsible with your spending on the salary cap.
"There's a lot of things to balance. In the end, if you get reckless then you always pay the piper eventually," Hortiz added. "We're going to be responsible and clinical in our approach and there's going to be a plan for it. That's how we're going to roll."
And that is exactly how the Chargers indeed rolled.
Najee Harris is as durable as any running back in the NFL and will be a workhorse on offense.
Mekhi Becton has immense upside at right guard — if the Chargers choose to keep him there — and provides more size (6-foot-7 and 363 pounds) in the trenches.
Andre James might start at center but at the very least give the Bolts an extremely capable backup along the interior.
Tyler Conklin adds value to the tight end room as a pass catcher and a blocker, while others such as Da'Shawn Hand, Naquan Jones and Donte Jackson could all end up being key pieces for the defense.
That doesn't even include the Chargers own players they ended up bringing back, whether it was Khalil Mack, Elijah Molden, Troy Dye, Teair Tart or JK Scott.
History shows that teams who spend lavishly in free agency oftentimes aren't fully rewarded for those big contracts.
The Chargers still need to have a successful draft class — something Hortiz certainly accomplished in Year 1 — but the Bolts recent moves have made it to where the Chargers aren't desperate for any one position in the first round.
A fun scenario to debate here.
In this situation, we'll hypothetically imagine that options at offensive line, tight end, running back and wide receiver are all off the board.
So, which direction could the Bolts go on defense?
Edge rusher and cornerback were thrown out above, and I can see both being options.
Adding a young and talented edge rusher to the current room makes sense in my eyes. Khalil Mack will be back in 2025 and Tuli Tuipulotu is a key piece of that room, but Bud Dupree is set to be a free agent in 2026.
A potential first-round edge rusher wouldn't need to be a star in Year 1 and could learn from the trio mentioned above, especially Mack.
Cornerback is also a sneak option is a highly-touted prospect were to slide a bit. Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still are obviously a bright part of the future at this spot, but this rest of the group in includes players who are a bit older.
Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste, two recent free-agent signings, will surely help out in 2025. And while Deane Leonard and Ja'Sir Taylor will continue to be vital pieces on special teams and maybe on defense, both will be free agents next offseason.
Getting a young star cornerback would give the Bolts a long-term trio of that player plus Hart and Still. That potential room might be the envy of the league if it pans out.
I'd also throw defensive tackle into this conversation, too.
The Bolts lost Poona Ford in free agency but collectively added to the room by signing Da'Shawn Hand and Naquan Jones. Bringing back Teair Tart was a key move, too.
Nearly every draft pundit is raving about the 2025 defensive tackle group. If a game changer is there at No. 22, perhaps that is the direction the Chargers go.
One final thing I'll add here is that Minter proved he's one of the league's best defensive minds in his first season in Los Angeles.
He showed last season that he can take a collection of players and mold them into a top unit. Getting a first-round talent would certainly be great, but I'm not sure the specific position matters.
Lumping these two questions together as they both pertain to potential first-round wide receivers in Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden of Texas.
Could either player — or another wide receiver — be the pick at No. 22? Of course.
The Chargers could certainly use more wide receiver depth alongside the likes of Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Mike Williams, a player we didn't even mention in the free agency recap above.
But will they take a wide receiver in Round 1? That remains to be seen and is also dependent on how the board falls.
Perhaps both McMillan and Golden are both gone by the time the Bolts pick. Or maybe they are both on the board.
As it stands now, both players are Top-25 prospects according to Daniel Jeremiah, Pro Football Focus and Mel Kiper, Jr.
Jeremiah actually has the pair ranked one spot apart with Golden at No. 15 overall and McMillan at No. 16.
Here's what Jeremiah's blurb on Golden said:
Golden has average size, but he plays with tremendous polish, instincts and toughness. He spends a lot of time operating out of the slot. He can defeat press coverage with quickness or strength. He understands how to tempo routes and sets up defenders down the field. He can change gears when the ball goes up and he tracks it naturally.
Jeremiah added that "Golden doesn't have dynamic traits, but he's a natural football player and a quarterback's best friend. He's dependable."
As for McMillan, Jeremiah wrote:
McMillan is a tall, rangy receiver with a Drake London-like skill set. He primarily lines up outside, though he'll take some reps in the slot. He lacks ideal suddenness or burst in his release, but he's a smooth, easy mover. His tape is littered with contested catches.
Overall, Jeremiah said he "thought London played with more urgency as a prospect, but McMillan has the potential to provide a similar impact at the next level."
McMillan, listed at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, has the bigger frame of the two. Golden is listed at 6-foot and 195 pounds.
It will be interesting to see which direction the Chargers could take if both players end up being on the board at No. 22.
A few layers to this one.
First, Hortiz and Harbaugh demonstrated how much they want to build through the trenches by taking Joe Alt at No. 5 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Alt was stellar in year 1, finishing the season as Pro Football Focus' highest-ranked rookie tackle in offense (77.6), pass-blocking (79.4) and run-blocking grades (71.6).
That belief was reinforced in recent weeks, too, as seven of the 21 moves the Bolts made in free agency were either along the offensive or defensive line. That group was three offensive linemen, three defensive linemen and an edge rusher.
I get the sentiment about Baltimore focusing on skill players because the Ravens drafted a first-round wide receiver in three of Hortiz's final five drafts there.
But from a bigger picture, Baltimore also took 17 offensive linemen in Hortiz's final 10 drafts with the Ravens.
Baltimore took at least one offensive lineman in all 10 of those drafts and selected two offensive linemen in five drafts. And that doesn't include the 2018 draft when Baltimore selected three offensive linemen.
Hortiz and Harbaugh were pretty clear from the moment they arrived on how they wanted to build the Chargers.
So far, they've stuck to their word. And I expect them to do the same going forward.
According to the NFL, teams that have a returning head coach can start their voluntary offseason program on April 21.
I'd keep that date in mind for when Chargers players will likely return to the building.
As for what the 2025 offseason program will look like, expect the Bolts to hit the ground rolling now that Ben Herbert — the Chargers Executive Director of Player Performance — has had a full year to implement his program.
Herbert will surely still be his usual detailed and intense self, but he also won't need to worry about introducing himself to the entire roster like he did a year ago.
In fact, Harbaugh said in mid-January that one of the things he was most looking forward to was Herbert's impact in Year 2.
"Ton of excitement for Ben Herbert and his staff and what they're going to be able to accomplish with a full offseason," Harbaugh said. "Two to three more months than what we had last year. Excited for first-year players, rookie plays here, now they're going through everything they did a second time.
"Everything they're going to do throughout the offseason, throughout the year will be done for a second time. In my opinion, that's when a player can make his biggest jump, from Year 1 to Year 2," Harbaugh added. "All those good things, want to build off them. It wasn't the ultimate success, but there was success. There was success from this season and we want to build on it. Build, build, build, better, better, better."
Hortiz was asked at the Combine about a potential contract extension for Slater.
"I love Rashawn," Hortiz said. "Rashawn's a great player and he helps us win football games so I'd love for Rashawn to be around for a long time."
Since neither Hortiz or Harbaugh have spoken publicly since then, there haven't been any updates.
But, as I stated way at the top of this Mailbag, Harbaugh is scheduled to talk next week at the Annual League Meeting so perhaps an update is on the way.
