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xpectations are high for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025. A season removed from finishing 11-6 in Jim Harbaugh’s first year as the head coach, the Chargers are looking to not only build off of that, but reach even bigger heights. For that to happen, everything will need to come together.
But one position that is appears to be thriving is the wide receiver corps, a group that surprised a lot of people in 2024. Expected to struggle after the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, rookie Ladd McConkey took the league by storm– finishing with well over 1,000 yards and establishing himself as the Chargers long-term No. 1 wide receiver. And even with McConkey as the star heading into year two, offensive coordinator Greg Roman believes that this year’s corps as a whole is even better.
Roman’s Comments
The Chargers are very happy with what they got out of McConkey last season, but they consider themselves lucky considering how little depth they had outside of him. Aside from McConkey and Quentin Johnston, the Chargers very much thinner at wide receiver than in years past, with the team’s third leading receiver being Josh Palmer— finishing 2024 with 584 yards. But this season, McConkey and Johnston will be joined by the return of Williams as well as the additions of rookies KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Tre Harris. Now, the Chargers have a lot more options in terms of rotations and where to use guys like McConkey.
“They’re a completely different unit now from a discipline standpoint, being on point play in and down in, down out. And I think we’ve added a lot of talent,” Roman said of the wide receivers. “[I’m] Really excited about our two draft picks. I think those guys are affording themselves well. Ladd’s gonna get better and better. Q [Johnston] is having a great spring so far, so I see him taking another step this year. And then Jalen Reagor, J.J. [Jaylen Johnson], Dez [Fitzpatrick] and obviously Mike, all these guys are gonna factor in. Love how that group’s playing right now and excited about them. The rookies, we’re just gonna keep pushing them, pushing them, pushing them to get up to par with the vets.”
Under Harbaugh, quarterback Justin Herbert put together one of his best seasons and now that he has even more weapons to work with, it is very possible that his ceiling got even higher.
LA’s Plans for McConkey in 2025
McConkey’s big season gave the Chargers high hopes for him– not only that he can be a long-term star, but that he can also be used in a variety of ways. While he was deployed mostly in the slot as a rookie, Roman suggested that the team could look to move him around in order to create mismatches and give opponents less opportunities to double cover him.
“We’re gonna move him around,” Roman said. “The guy’s got some serious talent and a serious will to get it done. Even in the playoff game, look at his production in the playoff game. He’s a guy that we’re just gonna continue to grow with. But when they double Ladd, you’ve got to play the percentages. The ball needs to go somewhere else. … So, that’s gonna open up opportunities for everybody else, and we’ve got to take advantage of those.”
Chargers Offensive Coordinator Raving About WR Corps