How far will the Los Angeles Chargers go in the 2023 season?

The Chargers ended the 2022 season with a record of 10-7, putting them in second place in the AFC West and fifth place in the AFC. They fell in the Wildcard round to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 273 yards and one touchdown. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 288 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions as Jacksonville clawed back from a 27-0 deficit to take the 31-30 victory at TIAA Bank Field.

“Anytime you’re up 27-7 at halftime and you’ve got four takeaways, and you end up winning the takeaway margin (5-0), you know, it’s gonna be a killer,” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said, via the Associated Press. “I’m hurting for everybody in that locker room. … We just didn’t finish the game.”

The Chargers added linebacker Eric Kendricks in free agency after he played and started in 17 games for the Minnesota Vikings last season. Los Angeles added seven rookies via the 2023 NFL Draft, including TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston and USC edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu.

Who are some players who could have breakout seasons for the Chargers in 2023?

Joshua Kelley

Who will lead the Chargers' running back room next season?

Los Angeles took 30th place in the NFL with 1,524 rushing yards last season. They took spots over the Houston Texans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while placing behind the Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams.

Running back Austin Ekeler led the team with 915 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns last season. Running back Joshua Kelly earned 287 yards and two touchdowns on 69 carries. Having depth at the running spot will be key in an offense under the guidance of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who was hired after he parted ways with the Dallas Cowboys in January. The Cowboys took eighth place in the NFL with 2,298 rushing yards last season.

“We're playing 17-plus weeks in the season,” Moore said about using depth in the backfield in February, via NFL.com. “Those guys, you need to keep them fresh so that they're playing a really, really good football in December, January and so on. Certainly, from my vantage point, what Austin (Ekeler) has done has been remarkable.

“You saw Josh (Kelley) start to develop a role. Certainly, that'll be a situation that, hopefully, we develop two or three guys in there that can all take turns. You saw what Zeke and Tony were able to do in Dallas this past year. I thought that it allowed both of those guys to be playing really good football late in the season, and as fresh as they possibly could.”

If Kelly were to have a larger role in LA's offense, he and the team's other running backs could be ready for a breakout year in 2023. One can only hope Isaiah Spiller, a former fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, can have a breakout year of his own along with Kelley.

Zion Johnson

No competitive team can be complete without talent on both sides of the trenches.

Johnson played and started in 17 games for the Chargers last season. The 23-year-old lineman took 1,184 snaps on offense and 53 on special teams, according to Pro Football Reference. He earned a spot on the 2022 Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team along with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Chicago Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco praised the Chargers' offensive line in January.

“Zion, really happy with him. He had his ups and downs like a rookie offensive lineman is going to have,” Telesco said of Johnson, via Charger Report. “I know when we drafted him, I said, ‘You can’t expect him to step in like Rashawn Slater did.’ What Rashawn did is just really uncommon, but Zion gives us an edge and a toughness inside.

“If he makes a mistake, he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. I just think he has a really high ceiling. He’s really mature. A lot of that stuff that we thought when we drafted him, you don’t know until you see it at this level, and to see him out there, he battled for us. I’m really proud of how he played, and I think he has a long way to go.”

Johnson will need to hit the high ceiling Telesco highlighted if the Chargers are going to make a lengthy run in the NFL playoffs. He will be moving to the left guard for the 2023 season, according to The Athletic Chargers Staff Writer Daniel Popper, potentially putting him in-between left tackle Rashawn Slater and center Corey Linsley.