Chargers News: NFL Analyst Questions LA’s Offseason Coaching Decisions

Should the Bolts have tried a bold move?

The Los Angeles Chargers are heading into the 2023 season as one of the more intriguing teams in the league.

They'll come into this year looking to rebound after a losing to the resurgent Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card round and again falling short of their potential to be a true AFC contender.

They have an explosive offense led by Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler, and the addition of wide receiver Quentin Johnston in this year's draft should add a quality deep threat.

That said, should the Chargers have gone in another direction this offseason and tried a bold move on the coaching front?

Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports seems to think so, as he said this on the Yahoo Fantasy Football Forecast.

"Even if Brandon Staley ends up being a good head coach, the fact that Sean Payton was available last year, I think they should have gone for it. I think they should have gone for Payton and been all in on offense because you're never going to stop Patrick Mahomes in the division. You might as well try to outscore him. Even with Kellen Moore there, I've got enough questions about Kellen Moore where I just have a lot of questions for the Chargers."

I may be in the minority with this opinion, but I agree with the Chargers giving Brandon Staley at least one more season.

They do have a quality offense and certainly a good foundation in place to make a playoff run. If they fall short again in 2023, then I would be fully in agreement if Los Angeles were to fire Staley at that point. But for right now, I'm interested to see what Staley and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore cook up.

Even though Moore seemed to fall out of favor during his last couple seasons as the Cowboys' OC, he's still demonstrated the ability to be innovative, something that could help the Bolts find an extra gear.

And yes, seeing Payton take a job with the division rival Denver Broncos stings a little more, but I don't think the former Saints coach will be able to dramatically flip things around in year one.

Even though LA has been prone to inconsistency, I'd still put the Chargers at second place in the AFC West behind the Kansas City Chiefs, and I want to see what the team can do in 2023 with some new offensive wrinkles thrown in.