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As we’ve mentioned before, the first six weeks of this Falcons schedule are truly brutal, and will likely determine the Falcons’ fortunes the rest of the way. I hate to be so disrespectful, especially in July, but the San Diego Chargers loom as a genuine respite from difficult football.
It’s not that these Chargers don’t have quality players—Phillip Rivers is still good, I have high hopes for running back Melvin Gordon, and the defense has some nice assets—but the overall team leaves something to be desired, and Mike McCoy appears to constantly be in over his head as the team’s head coach. This is one of the few obvious wins on the team’s schedule.
To learn more about the Chargers’ offseason, we turn to Bolts from the Blue.
Notable free agent additions: NT Brandon Mebane, CB Casey Hayward, WR Travis Benjamin, S Dwight Lowery, OG/C Matt Slauson
Notable free agent departures: TE Ladarius Green, CB Patrick Robinson, S Eric Weddle
Trades: None
Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies: DE Joey Bosa will start at the 5-tech in the base defense, TE Hunter Henry will see a ton of time in 2 TE sets, LB Joshua Perry will challenge Manti Te’o for playing time
Biggest offseason addition: OG/C Matt Slauson
Biggest storyline heading into training camp: Not football-related, it’s still “will this be the Chargers’ last season in San Diego?” Slightly more football-related, it’s “will Joey Bosa get signed in time for training camp or will he continue to holdout?”
Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp: The return of Ken Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator should see a return to the quick passing game that allowed Philip Rivers to flourish previously.
Notable injuries heading into training camp: OG/C Chris Watt will miss time due to surgery (roster spot could be threatened). RB Melvin Gordon is still recovering from offseason surgery (though appears on schedule)