Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Gavino Borquez

Projecting Chargers’ offensive depth chart for Week 1 vs. Dolphins

The Chargers are just days away from their season opener against the Dolphins

The positions are set after finalizing their 53-man roster, but the team has yet to release the official depth chart.

Buy Chargers Tickets

So let’s dive into how the offensive side of the ball could shape up heading into the 2023 season, highlighting who is likely to start and serve as depth pieces behind them.

Quarterback

Starter Backup Reserve
QB Justin Herbert Easton Stick

The Chargers elected to roster two quarterbacks instead of three, as they have frequently done in the past.

Running back

Starter Backup Reserve Reserve
RB Austin Ekeler Joshua Kelley Isaiah Spiller Elijah Dotson

Kelley will get most of the carries behind Ekeler to start the season. He earned every bit of the backup job, flashing when he was on the field last year and during the summer. Spiller had a great training camp and preseason, too. He will be playing more snaps as the season progresses. Dotson will likely be an inactive player on game days.

Starter Backup
WR1 Keenan Allen Quentin Johnston
WR2 Mike Williams Derius Davis
WR3 Josh Palmer

Allen and Williams will be the top two receivers, while Palmer gets the majority of the snaps as the third receiver early on. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will draw up plays for Johnston to take advantage of yards-after-the-catch skills. Davis will primarily serve as the return specialist, with some gadget plays and to keep the defense honest with his speed here and there.

Tight end

Starter Backup Reserve Reserve
TE Gerald Everett Donald Parham Tre’ McKitty Stone Smartt

Nothing surprising here. Everett will be the featured tight end, with primarily receiving responsibilities. Parham is another option as a receiver and should have blocking duties, as he was one of the best in that department before dealing with his respective injuries. McKitty will strictly be a blocker, but he will need to show improvement in this area after underwhelming during the summer. Smartt will be a core special teamer, but he deserves offensive snaps after proving to be the best tight end during training camp and preseason.

Offensive line

Starter Backup Reserve
LT Rashawn Slater Foster Sarell
LG Zion Johnson Brenden Jaimes
C Corey Linsley Will Clapp
RG Jamaree Salyer Jordan McFadden
RT Trey Pipkins

The starting five have been set in stone for quite some time, so there aren’t any changes here. Sarell will be the primary swing tackle, meaning he will slide in at the left or right tackle should an injury occur to Slater or Pipkins. McFadden is the swing guard. Clapp is the swing center. Jaimes can play all interior spots.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.