Chargers Training Camp is on the horizon.
The team will host 14 open practices as they welcome fans to The Bolt in El Segundo for the first time.
The Bolts are looking to have an instant impact in Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era and have a new-look coaching staff and roster that relentlessly attacked the offseason program.
Chargers.com will take a look at each position group leading up to training camp. Next up, quarterback.
Who's on the roster?
Justin Herbert, Easton Stick, Max Duggan and Casey Bauman
Camp outlook
Herbert enters Year 5 as the clear face of the franchise on the field.
The 26-year-old signed a multi-year contract extension last summer and has proven himself to be among the game's best quarterbacks.
But there's no doubt he endured a frustrating 2023 season that saw him battle multiple injuries, including a fractured right finger that ended his season after just 13 games .
Herbert still threw for 3,000-plus yards and 20 scores despite the chaos around him, and the hope for 2024 is that a new coaching staff led by Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman elevates him to new heights.
"He's a competitor," Herbert said of Harbaugh in June. "He's done such a great job taking this team and getting them to where he wants them to go.
"He's won wherever he's [been]. He's a guy that everyone wants to follow and play for," Herbert added. "Really excited to get to play for him."
On the flip side, Harbaugh has been just as impressed with Herbert in recent months. Harbaugh was asked during June's mandatory minicamp what has stood out about the quarterback.
"If I had to say the top of the list would be the way he elevates teammates," Harbaugh said. "He lifts them up, makes himself smaller and then bigger as opposed to the guys that pushes the others down and say look at me.
"Right now that would probably top the list even though there's some other ones, too," Harbaugh added. "There's never any shameless self-promotion, he's just been willing to do anything and everything for the team."
Roman and center Bradley Bozeman shared the same sentiment as Harbaugh, especially as they noted how quickly Herbert picked up his fourth offensive scheme in as many years.
"He kind of, a couple times going the extra mile, try to overload him, try to overload him," Roman said. "It just wasn't happening. He wasn't having any overload. He can shoulder the load."
Bozeman added: "He acts like he's been in the system for 10 years. He dives so deep into the system and knew it so well before anyone else could even grasp it. It's been impressive to see him put people in the right positions and just elevate people around him."
As the Bolts prepare to enter the Harbaugh Era, it's clear that No. 10 is the centerpiece for everything going forward.
Stick, who started the final four games of the 2023 season, returns as Herbert's backup.
Stick gained valuable starting experience and will continue to be a key resource for Herbert on the practice field, in meeting rooms and on the sideline during games.
Max Duggan, a 2023 seventh-round pick, is back for Year 2 while undrafted free agent Casey Bauman is also on the Bolts roster.
Quick quote
"He's been incredible. I think it's probably the reaction that everybody has. From my standpoint, I knew he was really good, but you're right up next to him watching where you can feel the way the ball comes out of his hand. When it comes out, it's going a lot faster than you think, than it looks on tape. He's bigger, taller than you'd think watching TV. Every kind of sense -- smart. It's incredible the way he picks things up and masters things. Every detail, every small detail.
The conditioning test was another eye-opener. Just when you think he can't go another rung on the ladder of my esteem, anyway, he finds another one. He smashed the conditioning test last Thursday. I mean, crushed it, like out in front with people trying to keep up with him. To the point, the athleticism and strength, really, he could play tight end here. He could play edge rusher here. And the arm talent is even better than advertised. It's an exciting thing. I found myself just sitting at my desk at times, going, 'He's on our team!' You know it's not just in shorts because I've seen him do this in 11-on-11, NFL, padded football games." - Harbaugh on Herbert's offseason
Player to watch: Justin Herbert
Who else would it be?
The Chargers have revamped their offensive system to focus on a more run-first approach with an added emphasis on a stout offensive line.
The Chargers perfect scenario in 2024 unfolds with a punishing and dynamic rushing attack taking the pressure off Herbert and allowing him to carve up defense through the air on play-action passes and deep shots.
But there will also come a time when Herbert will have the ball in his hands with the game on the line. The Chargers wouldn't want anyone else but their leader and team captain back there.
The Bolts new-look offense will feature multiple fresh faces at running back, tight end and wide receiver, while the offensive line has also been reshuffled a bit.
Herbert, however, remains the constant of the Chargers and will be the driving force behind the playoff chase if the Bolts are in position in December and January.
Key question: What does a healthy Herbert look like?
Ask anyone around the NFL and Herbert is viewed as a surefire top-five quarterback around the league.
The league's view of him hasn't changed since he burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2020 as he continued to put up gaudy stats and break multiple records.
But Herbert's past two seasons have been marred by injuries and it feels as if we haven't seen him at his full potential in recent memory.
Hence why Harbaugh made that a point of emphasis at his introductory press conference all the way back in February.
"First of all, the quarterback that we have, protect him," Harbaugh said. "Protect his environment. On the field, protect him.
"Also, beef up the run game and play-action pass and the drop back game, we're going to try to get as great as we can," Harbaugh added. "I think that we can be extraordinary there with the receivers we have and the quarterback."
Simply put, the Chargers and their re-tooled roster will need Herbert to be at his best in crunch time in order to overcome the razor thin margin between winning and losing in the NFL.
If No. 10 can stay healthy for an entire season, he'll once again be among the elite players at his position.
