3 Break Out Candidates for the Los Angeles Chargers

Break Out Candidate #1: Isaiah Spiller, RB

It looks like this will be Austin Ekeler’s final season as a Charger. And as much as Joshua Kelley is a serviceable backup, I would have a hard case making the argument for him to be anything more than a backup. Isaiah Spiller, though, still has the potential to be something more than that. He’s got to stay on the field, first and foremost. But if he can do that, he has the athleticism to act as a serviceable replacement for Ekeler in 2024. He could be similarly useful in both the ground and passing games.

There’s a chance that if Ekeler were to go down for a game or two, which is not unthinkable for a back who has gotten as much work as he has the last couple of years, Spiller might be the lead option and draw some attention from around the league. I don’t know that I would call a break out likely for Spiller, but in terms of opportunity, I think he has as good a chance as anyone on the roster.

Break Out Candidate #2: Alohi Gilman, S

Chargers S Alohi Gilman (32) – Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports

Weirdly, we might argue that the success of the Chargers’ entire season comes down to Alohi Gilman. The case goes like this: The Chargers’ offense will put up points, and the defense will determine whether they win by holding the opponent back just enough. The most important player to the success of the defense is Derwin James. James can be a versatile, dynamic threat that keeps offenses guessing where he’ll be on the field and what he’ll do. The better you feel about the safety opposite James, the more you feel you can take chances with James. So the success of the Chargers depends on how confident they feel in Alohi Gilman.

I’ll be the first to admit Gilman is serviceable but not impressive. I even recently argued for the Chargers to upgrade his spot on the field. Is a player going into his 5th season really a break out candidate? But let me clarify what I mean by break out here. I’m not suggesting that to be a break out Gilman has to take the league by storm as a defensive playmaker.

Instead, he becomes a break out payer by almost fading into the background. The more reliable Gilman is, the better James can be. We can judge Gilman’s breakthrough by James’ success. And for him to get to that level, I don’t know that he needs tremendous improvement. He just needs to be evermore consistent in what he can do. I think that’s within reach.

Break Out Candidate #3: Justin Herbert????

It seems unconventional for a star quarterback to be on a list of break out candidates. But if you’ll notice, I used the word ‘star’ and not’ superstar.’ The reality is that Justin Herbert could go up another level. Right now, he’s probably sitting near the bottom of most people’s list of top ten QBs in the NFL. A few haters might even have him just outside of it. But the reality is that Herbert has the talent to be mentioned with the top four or five QBs in the game. Honestly, the difference between Herbert and Burrow is just team success. Burrow deserves a lot of credit for that, but he’s also had a better team surrounding him.

This year, though, Herbert might have the best team he’s had around him. A lot has to break right for that to be true. The defense needs to gel quickly and force turnovers and sacks. Rookie Quentin Johnston needs to live up to the hype. And most importantly, the team needs to stay healthy because the depth is not great. However, if all of those things happen, it’s not unthinkable that come February, Super Bowl Champion Justin Herbert will be discussed on a level with the likes of Burrow and Patrick Mahomes.