EL SEGUNDO — Maybe the Chargers won’t have a real offensive identity this season. Maybe their running game will pick up the slack if their passing game isn’t clicking. Perhaps quarterback Justin Herbert will limit himself to short passes and gains if deep passes aren’t available, or vice versa.
Maybe, just maybe, the Chargers’ superpower is their flexibility.
Herbert on Wednesday considered the possibility that the Chargers will have a game plan that won’t be set in stone from week to week for the rest of the week, and they’ll be happy to adjust on the fly depending on what works or what doesn’t. what the opponent does or does not do.
It could very well come down to a question of want versus need.
As in, the Chargers may want to try this or that, but ultimately what they want is what they need to gain yardage and score points. That’s certainly been the case in games like theirs victory over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday, when they opened their offense for big wins after a slow start.
Explosive plays, so rare in the first six games, were suddenly a big part of the Chargers’ operation. For example, Herbert took off on a career-high 38-yard scramble. He connected with rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey for a 60-yard catch and ran for a touchdown, for example.
“I think you go into a game and you have an idea of what you want to do, of how you’re going to attack certain coverages, certain fronts, and it’s all open to change,” Herbert said. “The defense can come up with something completely different, something they haven’t shown, and then you have to adapt and rely on the things you did in (training) camp.”
There are even times when the Chargers need to go back to basics.
“At the same time, if we think we have to win a game by playing it and getting certain looks out of it, we will do that,” Herbert said. “We believe in our offensive line and our running game. At the same time, when we have to throw the ball, I think that’s where we have both the run game and the pass game and combine the two… I think that’s what makes our offense complete.
So is flexibility the Chargers’ true offensive identity?
“That could be,” said Herbert. “Yes, that could certainly be the case. It could do everything (well).”
EXTRA POINTS
Outside linebacker Joey Bosa joined his teammates before practice after being limited to 20 snaps during his return to the lineup Sunday after a three-game absence due to a hip injury. He was not credited with a tackle and left the match after it emerged that he had aggravated his injury. …
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Wide receiver DJ Chark practiced but was listed as a limited participant. He could make his Chargers debut on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Chark was listed to return from the injured reserve list and had been participating in training on a limited basis due to a nagging groin injury. …
The Chargers signed center Sam Mustipher to the active roster and signed cornerback Kendall Williamson to the practice squad. Mustipher started at right tackle for the Chargers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4 when they were without tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater due to injuries. …
Coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged knowing more about cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.’s shoulder injury. than previously announced. Harbaugh declined to say the extent of it or whether he expected Samuel to come off injured reserve next week as planned. Samuel has been sidelined for three games.
Originally published: October 30, 2024 at 5:31 PM PDT