A pair of Chargers players received some recognition on Tuesday following their debut seasons.
Guard Zion Johnson and kicker Cameron Dicker were the two Bolts rookies that were recognized by the Pro Football Writers of America on their 2022 All-Rookie Team.
Johnson, the Chargers 2022 first-round pick, hit the ground running in his rookie campaign starting at right guard.
In a year where the Bolts offensive line battled injuries, Johnson was a consistent figure, starting all 17 games on the interior. He missed only eight offensive snaps the entire season, finishing with 1,184, which led all rookies.
"Zion, really happy [with him]," Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco said during his season-ending press conference last week. "He had his ups and downs like a rookie offensive lineman is going to have."
"He's smart. If he makes a mistake, he doesn't make the same mistake twice," Telesco later added. "I just think he has a really high ceiling. He's really mature. A lot of that stuff that we thought when we drafted him, you don't know until you see it at this level, and see him out there, but he battled for us. I'm really proud of how he played, and I think he has a long way to go."
As for Dicker, his rookie campaign took a little longer to get on a roll but was still nonetheless impressive.
Dicker played in one game for the Eagles early in the season before joining the Chargers in Week 9 due to injuries. He took hold of the kicking game for the rest of the season, making 19 of 20 field goals while hitting all 22 extra points.
The rookie kicker was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December and made three game-winning field goals in his rookie season — including two with the Bolts. Dicker had the best field goal percentage (95.5 percent) by a rookie kicker with at least 15 attempts since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger and had second-best kick percentage by a rookie kicker over that same timespan.
"He has done such an incredible job and even in practice," quarterback Justin Herbert said following Dicker's Week 15 game-winning field goal over the Titans. "We have so much confidence in him.
"The way he stepped in, has made his kicks and the way he has gone about it is a true professional," Herbert added.
To view PFWA's 2022 All-Rookie Team, click here.
