How has Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh shifted the culture? Mailbag (2024)

It’s been nearly two months since our last mailbag, and so much has happened in that span.

The Los Angeles Chargers held 22 training camp practices and played in their first real football games under coach Jim Harbaugh. They trimmed their roster from 91 players to 53 players. Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz have been active in turning over the bottom of the roster. Quarterback Justin Herbert got hurt, then returned. Players emerged. Others faltered. The quality of the team went from speculation to something more concrete.

So, as the Chargers sit in Week 0 and prepare for their season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in 10 days, now feels like a good time to get to some of your questions.

You ask. I answer.

It’s the mailbag.

What’s the biggest difference you have seen in the culture from last year to this year? — @azheat928

I have spent a lot of time in my professional career thinking about this idea of “culture.” Is it one of those buzzwords we use in sports that is more jargon than true explanation? What does it really mean? What does it look like? Does it really matter?

Over the past few months, observing Harbaugh — and listening to people in the organization talk about his impact — led to a clearer picture of what “culture” is and how it is cultivated.

It starts with the simple things. Even what might appear like the silly things. Harbaugh has worn black and blue cleats to every practice and game. He has participated in the strength and conditioning exercises at the conclusion of practices — what he calls fourth-quarter-finishing drills — alongside the players. He has worn powder blue gloves on the field for pregame during the preseason, catching passes from the quarterbacks as they warmed up.

coach stays ready pic.twitter.com/zLH1gPEt48

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 17, 2024

After one training camp practice, Harbaugh had media obligations while Chargers players were doing fourth-quarter-finishing drills. He came back out to the field after those obligations. The players were finished. Harbaugh went through the drills on his own, squat-lifting and tossing the team’s massive weighted flip sleds. Remaining fans were screaming for his autograph. Harbaugh paid them no mind until his work was done.

An NFL head coach’s primary job is to take a group of men from various backgrounds — with various personalities and motivations and in various stages of their careers — and get them pulling in one direction for a common goal.

Harbaugh does this by showing, not telling. And that has instilled a level of belief in the players.

“You see coach Harbaugh with his cleats on doing all the stuff that we’re doing after practice,” safety Alohi Gilman said early in camp. “That’s a big change. He’s a guy who leads the right way, leads by example, and he runs a tight ship. He just changes the way that we operate, and you can see it on every level, every part of the organization.”

The culture builds in the broader approaches as well. I think there is a level of accountability Harbaugh demands that was missing under the previous coaching staff. More specifically, Harbaugh demands the same accountability from all players, regardless of contract or years in the league or anything else. He put it simply: “Those who produce will stay.” Plain and simple. No qualifications or adjustable standards. I think preferential treatment was one thing that sowed fractures in the locker room last season. That will not be the case under Harbaugh, for better or worse.

Finally, I think the approach to the roster has indicated a “culture” shift to the players. When reserve quarterbacks Max Duggan and Casey Bauman were underperforming, Harbaugh and Hortiz signed Luis Perez. “Message to Max and Casey,” Harbaugh said after the signing. “We got to step up the game.” Duggan and Bauman were off the roster 11 days later.

The Chargers had seven players on their active roster by the end of training camp who were not on the roster at the start of camp. In February, Hortiz spoke of his intention to “churn” the bottom of the roster for 365 days every year. He has followed through on that. Late Wednesday, Hortiz traded a conditional sixth-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Taylor Heinicke, an upgrade over Easton Stick at backup quarterback.

On a human level, it is a cold approach. But it is a cold business. And what this does is virtually eliminate any sense of complacency within the roster.

Just a few things I have noticed so far. And I am sure there will be plenty more throughout this season and the seasons to come.

Which wide sees the most targets this season, assuming 100 percent health? — @lafcdaniel

If all the receivers stay healthy, I think receiver Joshua Palmer will lead the team in targets. He is the returning player with the most targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns from Herbert. Palmer is the fourth-most targeted receiver in Herbert’s career, behind only Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler.

Herbert, like all quarterbacks, likes to throw to players he trusts. Palmer has earned that trust over his first three years in the league. I think the trust factor will be particularly important in the early stages of 2024 after Herbert missed three weeks of training camp with his plantar fascia injury. On a field full of new faces, Palmer is the player with an established rapport with Herbert. That matters in the context of Herbert sitting out most of August while the Chargers were finishing installing a new offense under Greg Roman.

The one hangup, of course, is that you cannot assume Palmer will stay healthy. He missed six games last season with a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve. He battled an ankle injury in 2022 and also suffered two concussions that season — one in the preseason and one in October.

In a fully healthy world, though, the only receiver I see competing with Palmer for the top target spot is rookie Ladd McConkey. Herbert and McConkey are still in the early stages of their relationship. But I could see McConkey emerging as Herbert’s favorite target on third downs because of his route-running, ability to beat man average and keen sense of leverages.

How does the staff feel about the center position? Seems to be the weakest link especially if Bozeman goes down. — @Reddeadedd

There were a couple of components to the Chargers signing Bozeman. First, he was with Roman with the Baltimore Ravens for four seasons. He is familiar with the scheme. Just as importantly, he is familiar with the identity and play style Roman likes. Because of that familiarity, I think the Chargers looked at Bozeman’s underwhelming 2023 tape with the Carolina Panthers and believed they could draw more out of his game. I do not see this as a terrible strategy. Bozeman is still an above-average run-blocker. And the Chargers’ intention to run the ball could help mask some of Bozeman’s deficiencies as a pass blocker, which are real.

One promising development at center is how Brenden Jaimes has progressed. He has looked like a functional player during the preseason games, as a run blocker and pass protector. Jaimes, a 2021 fifth-round pick, was a tackle in college at Nebraska. The Chargers tried him at guard initially before moving him to center in 2023. So this is a new position for him. I think we have seen him take a pretty massive leap at center this preseason. Starting three games down the stretch of last season certainly helped.

“The number one thing that jumps out to me with him is his level of consistency is very high,” Roman said of Jaimes earlier in camp. “Not a lot of ups and downs in his game. Every day he comes in, you know what you’re getting.”

I do not see center as a massive concern for these reasons.

Is there one unit that came out looking better than you thought it would at the beginning of camp? — @Twincoop

The inside linebacker group has really impressed. I think we are seeing the benefits of NaVorro Bowman’s coaching. Daiyan Henley looks poised for a breakout season. He is sensational in coverage. He brings sideline-to-sideline speed and tackling. He also has a ferocious physicality when playing downhill, against the run and when pass-rushing. Denzel Perryman provides a level of violence at the position. Troy Dye was one of the most consistent playmakers in camp. Nick Niemann was just behind him in that department before he sustained a hamstring injury that landed him on short-term IR to start the year. And that is not even mentioning rookie third-round pick Junior Colson, who could carve out a role as the season progresses. This has, somewhat surprisingly, turned into one of the deepest positions on the roster.

(Top photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Daniel Popper is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Chargers. He previously covered the Jacksonville Jaguars for The Athletic after following the New York Jets for the New York Daily News, where he spent three years writing, reporting and podcasting about local pro sports. Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielrpopper