Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz made a conscious decision to sell off their receiver group this offseason. They traded Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears. They released Mike Williams. They brought in three new players, free agent DJ Chark and draft picks Ladd McConkey and Brenden Rice.

The changes led to a pretty pressing question heading into the season: Who would step up in this revamped and largely untested group?

Through four games, McConkey has emerged as the receiver best able to fill the void. The rookie leads the Chargers in receptions and receiving yards. In Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs, the most productive game of his young career, he caught five passes on seven scores for 67 yards and a touchdown.

McConkey is the best route runner and separator on the team, and his relationship with quarterback Justin Herbert has only grown on a weekly basis.

“Nothing but respect for the way he plays,” Harbaugh said of McConkey, a second-round pick in April. “He’s a loyal man out there. He’s one of those guys.”

Replacing all of Allen and Williams’ production will be impossible, and the Chargers have struggled in the passing game for four weeks. They rank 31st in passing yards per game.

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Could Justin Herbert solve the Chargers’ offensive problems with more throws?

As is often the case when diagnosing problems in football, several factors come into play in the Chargers’ passing game. The Chargers are navigating injuries to multiple position groups. Herbert hasn’t been close to 100 percent since suffering a severe ankle sprain in Week 2. Left tackle Rashawn Slater (strained pectoral muscle) has been out since halftime of a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Right tackle Joe Alt (knee) missed last week’s loss to the Chiefs. The pass protection struggled with Slater and Alt out.

Chark has also been on injured reserve all season with a hip injury, and the Chargers have failed to stretch his field outside of the starting lineup.

Some of the low-pass production is also intentional. Harbaugh wants to establish the running game, and he and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have made that intention a reality with their game planning and play calling.

Still, it’s clear that the Chargers need to get more out of their passing attack. According to TruMedia, McConkey ranks 12th in targets per route run among receivers with at least 10 targets. Giving McConkey even more options could help. According to TruMedia, he was extremely efficient this season, ranking 13th in first downs per route run.

McConkey is an asset who can attack a defense in a variety of ways. According to TruMedia, he has been used primarily as a slot receiver so far, playing 63.3 percent of his snaps inside. From this alignment, where he typically has a two-way attack, meaning he has the ability to cut inside or outside, he is extremely effective. His route running shines in these areas.

McConkey also has considerable explosiveness after the catch. He showed that on his 37-yard catch-and-run against the Chiefs. McConkey won on a slant route. Herbert hit him. McConkey then beat safety Bryan Cook to the rim and turned the 15-yard gain into the Chargers’ longest offensive play of the game.

Early in the game, McConkey caught a touchdown from Herbert, which showed how much trust was developing between the two players. McConkey was covered in the back of the end zone by Cook on a red zone snap. Herbert threw inside full of anticipation. McConkey made a huge adjustment, catching the pass and bringing his knee down for the score.

Boy is different pic.twitter.com/F85648YXmy

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 1, 2024

This is the type of throw that Herbert Allen and Williams made. Herbert believed the two could play in tight windows and under coverage. The same belief begins to develop in McConkey.

“He does everything you can ask,” Harbaugh said of McConkey.

The key to improved run defense

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is leading an impressive turnaround on his side.

One of the biggest changes so far has been in run defense. From 2021 to 2023, the Chargers were consistently one of the worst run defenses in the league. According to TruMedia, the Chargers ranked 31st in expected points per projected rush on defense during those three seasons. They ranked last in defensive success rate.

Through four games this season, the Chargers are first in EPA per designed rush and third in success rate.

Defensive tackle Poona Ford is at the center of that improvement.

Ford was virtually absent from the Buffalo Bills roster last season. He only played in eight games. The Chargers identified Ford as a potential low-cost, high-yield free agent who could provide a solid interior. He signed a one-year, $1.79 million deal to come to LA and has significantly exceeded that deal in four games.

Poona Ford has helped transform the Chargers’ run defense. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Ford brought a consistent physicality to the run. He is difficult to move. He can withstand double teams. He is active in dissolving blockages and creating penetration. Ford seems like a player with something to prove.

By laying the foundation on the front line, Ford highlights the front seven as a whole. Central defenders Morgan Fox and Otito Ogbonnia have more support. The edge players and off-ball linebackers can be more aggressive when attacking ball carriers. Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Daiyan Henley and Denzel Perryman all made plays as a result.

Ford is the unsung champion of an unsung interior defensive unit.

“We want to be part of the group that people talk about when they talk about this team,” Fox said earlier this season. “You talk about the edges, our DB room, everyone is great, our linebackers. But we want to be people they talk about. …Let’s let people feel us when they watch the tape. When they see the tape, they look at the D-line and say, ‘This D-line is playing.’ It doesn’t matter who’s there, from the fifth player to the first player, we’re going to play.”

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Ryan Ficken’s best coaching job?

Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken is in his third season with the Chargers. He and assistant special teams coach Chris Gould were two of only four coaches Harbaugh was able to keep on last year’s team.

In his first two seasons, Ficken has greatly improved the Chargers in this stretch. In 2021, the Chargers ranked 28th in special teams EPA, according to TruMedia. In 2022, Ficken’s first year with the team, the Chargers finished 11th. In 2023, the Chargers finished sixth.

On paper, it might look like the Chargers have taken a step back on special teams in 2024. They rank 15th in special teams EPA through four games, according to TruMedia. But in reality, this might be Ficken’s best coaching job yet.

The Chargers’ special teams team has been plagued by injuries this season. On cut-down day in August, the Chargers placed linebacker Nick Niemann and edge rusher Chris Rumph II on injured reserve. Niemann led the Chargers in special teams scoring last season. He was on the field for nearly 75 percent of those snaps. Niemann did not play this season. Rumph was one of Ficken’s most experienced special teams players. He is out for this year.

When healthy, Niemann is the Chargers’ personal protector on the punt team. His backup at that spot, safety Alohi Gilman, suffered a knee injury in Week 1. Gilman sat out Week 2. He has played just two special teams snaps in the last two games. The Chargers have used rookie cornerback Cam Hart as their personal protector, the player who actually calls for the snap, over the last three games.

Cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor, the Chargers’ best shooter, suffered a fibula injury in Week 1. He has played just eight special teams snaps in the last three games. Taylor was out in Week 4. Cornerback Deane Leonard, the shooting guard opposite Taylor, suffered a hamstring injury in practice and also missed the Chiefs game.

Rookie linebacker Junior Colson was expected to be a key contributor on special teams. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 and has missed the last two games. Colson has played just 14 special teams snaps this season.

Despite all of these injuries and moving parts, the Chargers still have a functioning special operations unit. Coaching is a big part of it.

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(Top photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)