Chargers roster needs: Will L.A. pursue a Michigan star to bolster Justin Herbert’s game?

From drafting fifth overall to set up a quick one-year turnaround, the Chargers hold the 22nd overall pick in April’s draft after an unexpected 11-6 record and wild-card round appearance. Between next month’s draft and one of the most flexible salary-cap scenarios in the league, the Chargers can address their most pressing concerns at offensive line, receiver and on the defensive front to gear up for what coach Jim Harbaugh called “Version 2.0.”

Although the Chargers are seemingly ahead of schedule in their rebuild, each hole is still glaring for a franchise searching for its first playoff win since 2018.

“It’s a thousand little things that add up to make all the difference,” Harbaugh said last month. “We were close. Now we want to put it over the top.”

Here are five questions facing the Chargers as they shuffle their roster this spring:

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz speaks during a news conference at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

The Chargers are estimated to have the sixth-most cap space in the league, according to Overthecap.com.

General manager Joe Hortiz will weigh decisions on 12 key players who are free agents after they took on significant snaps. Harbaugh called the 2024 Chargers his “favorite ball team [he’s] been on” and hoped to keep the roster as intact as possible.

Hortiz already locked in starting safety Elijah Molden, who agreed to a three-year contract extension. Defensive tackle Poona Ford may be another candidate to return after he anchored the Chargers’ run defense and showed his ability in the passing game with a career-best three sacks and nine quarterback hits.

Although Joey Bosa restructured his contract in 2024 to take a pay cut, the edge rusher’s hefty $36.4-million cap hit, his diminishing performance and growing injury list make it unlikely he would return. The Chargers save $25.36 million if they trade or cut him before the new league year.

Fellow edge rusher Khalil Mack, 34, is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. When asked immediately after the season if he wanted to have Mack back, Hortiz didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely,” he said.

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland is among the players the Chargers could target in the draft.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

Hortiz aced his draft debut as a general manager as five of the team’s top six draft picks turned into regular contributors as rookies. Four flashed their star potential, including underrated draft gems Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart, a pair of fifth-round cornerbacks who took on starting roles.

In a pre-NFL scouting combine media Zoom call, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah called this year’s college prospects a “starters draft” full of pro-ready players, although some positions may lack star power. After prioritizing the trenches by choosing right tackle Joe Alt with their first pick last year, the Chargers may opt for a skill player to complement Justin Herbert, Jeremiah said, suggesting Michigan’s pass-catching tight end Colston Loveland or North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton as late first-round options.

Could Mike Williams be headed toward a reunion with the Chargers?

(Matt Freed / Associated Press)

The Chargers receiver room is likely due for major changes as rookie Ladd McConkey was the group’s only consistent force. Joshua Palmer, the Chargers’ 2021 third-round draft pick, is a free agent for the first time after finishing third on the team with 584 yards receiving on 39 catches. D.J. Chark Jr. and Simi Fehoko will hit the open market after injury-riddled seasons.

Bengals star receiver Tee Higgins has been a top free-agent name, although the 26-year-old could be franchise-tagged for the second consecutive season or re-signed to a new contract before he becomes available. After the Chargers cut him to manage the salary cap, Mike Williams could return to the team that drafted him in 2017.

Running back J.K. Dobbins is also a free agent and could re-sign after rushing for a 905 yards on a one-year deal.

Harbaugh said he believed the Chargers’ tackle duo of Alt and Rashawn Slater was the best in the NFL. But the deficiencies on the interior line were never more apparent than in the wild-card loss to Houston, when Herbert got sacked four times and hit nine more times.

Center Bradley Bozeman is a free agent. Although he is valued for his experience and leadership, he has struggled in pass protection. Among the Chargers’ starting offensive linemen, Bozeman was fourth in pass blocking grades, per Pro Football Focus, surpassing only Trey Pipkins III.

Left guard Zion Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie contract.