The Chargers Had a Quiet Deadline: What it Means for This Season, Beyond

The Trade deadline has passed, and many teams are making moves to shake up the playoff race. Of course, only some teams made a big move before the November 5 deadline. One team that didn’t do anything was the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are firmly in the playoff race at 5-3 and have shown to be a completely different team since bringing in new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Many are upset about LA’s lack of trades, but it explains everything at the end of the day. With that being said, today we’re going through what the Chargers being reluctant to go all-in says about the future of this franchise.

The most glaring thing not buying it says is that this is not the team Joe Hortiz and the front office think will go all the way. Despite being expected to make the playoffs, the front office opted not to add anything to the roster. Many are worried that having the top-scoring defense in the league and not buying in will bite them. However, the Chargers haven’t played the strongest offenses in the league yet. This month, they will face the Bengals, Ravens, and Chiefs. While this is the best defense they’ve had in years, it is still debatable whether or not they are a premier defensive unit in football. 

Another reason not to buy in is that this year was expected to be a transition year. Going from Staley and Telesco to Harbaugh and Hortiz isn’t easy, and it is clear that they aren’t a true Super Bowl favorite. Since they’ve still shown some large weaknesses in the roster, it is understandable why the front office didn’t think it would be necessary to make moves. Essentially, there were too many moves the Chargers would’ve had to make before the deadline to make this team a juggernaut.

With that being said, it is clear what the plan is for the next year. Ride this season out while retaining the same roster they came into the year with. Hope that the return of DJ Chark can help this receiver room enough that it will not be a large enough issue come playoffs. When the postseason begins, rely on the coaching and schemes to play with fewer flaws than the other team, and hope it wins them games. Other than that, they will be playing with house money in the playoffs, and that is okay. 

This team won five games last year, and they have already matched that total halfway through this season. Letting go of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen showed that this wasn’t supposed to be a year of contention. This will establish a new culture of Chargers football that fans haven’t seen, and it will draw talent in all forms to the team this upcoming offseason. 

In the offseason, the Chargers will begin to be buyers. They will bring in talent at CB and replace whoever leaves to sign with more money elsewhere (Elijah Molden, Kristian Fulton, etc.). Depending on how Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston finish the season, they may take a swing on a true WR1. It is worth noting that Tee Higgins is slated to become a free agent, someone who the Bolts could be major players for. As Joe Hortiz said when he got the job, he loved compensatory picks. That leads one to assume they will have a revolving door at many positions (specifically on defense), helping players get their money from someone else after playing in Jesse Minter’s defense. This will be a massive part of the Chargers’ future as they change their depth at some positions and bring in more young talent through the draft.

By the time next season begins, the Chargers should be widely considered to be a top-ten team in football. Jim Harbaugh will have his culture cemented into this roster and they will play with the determination a Harbaugh team plays with. The next deadline is the one they will likely go all-in during. If they don’t make any moves next year, either, it is fair to criticize the front office. Until then, however, it doesn’t make sense to go after the Chargers for not buying in during what was supposed to be a transition year.