Chargers top offensive ‘trio’ falls without Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler - Bolts From The Blue

Oct 26, 2024

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This is the first season Justin Herbert will be without his top wideout and running back. Can he still make magic happen?

Since Justin Herbert was drafted by the Chargers in 2020, the Bolts have had one of the best offensive “trios” in the league, meaning the combination of a quarterback along with their top pass-catcher (receiver or tight end) and the team’s starting running back. However, this season is the first where Herbert is no longer with Keenan Allen nor Austin Ekeler.

In 2024, the Chargers will not have to begin building their trio from the ground up. In this year’s rankings of top offensive trios by CBS Sports, their analysts have the Bolts’ trio as Herbert, running back Gus Edwards, and wide receiver Joshua Palmer. That combination was only good enough to rank 23rd in the NFL this year.

“I thought the Chargers would be higher than this, just on the strength of Herbert,” says author Jared Dubin. “I tended to weight the quarterback most in my own rankings, while my colleagues apparently felt like Edwards and Palmer should drag L.A.’s ranking down.”

Last season, the Chargers were ranked No. 5 in the NFL. This year, the highest ranking any analyst gave them 16th while the lowest was 28th.

Herbert is coming off the worst season of his career after missing the final four contests with a hand injury. He ended with 3,134 yards and 20 touchdowns, both the lowest of his career. His seven interceptions, however, were a career best.

As for the rest of the trio, Palmer ended with a 38-581-2 stat line in 2023. His touchdowns were a career low while his receptions and yardage were the second best in his three NFL seasons. The loss of Mike Williams in Week Three would make you think he could have pushed for career highs, but rookie Quentin Johnston’s presence ultimately ate into his workload. He’s now the team’s WR1, but going from a team’s WR3 at best to the top guy isn’t going to inspire those in the media until they’re given something to “wow” about.

Lastly, Edwards is coming off a career year with 810 yards and 13 touchdowns. While those scores are by far the most he’s ever recorded, his yards per carry tumbles to 4.1, the first time he’s ever ended a season lower than 5.0. Edwards is expected to be the bell cow from to begin the season, but don’t be surprised to see J.K. Dobbins eat into his workload as he continues to prove his health and stability.

For now, this is the Chargers’ top trio. By next year, it could also be incredibly different, at least as far as the pass-catcher and running back go. Will Ladd McConkey find his name here a year from now? Will either Dobbins or rookie Kimani Vidal be the top back in 2025? Only time will tell!