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Kris Rhim, ESPN
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The most viral moment from the first week of Chargers training camp came during a post-practice workout session. Six and a half million viewers on X tuned in to see the 60-year-old coach Jim Harbaugh grunting and grimacing as he used his hamstring muscles to pull a 300-pound offensive lineman in the group’s sled pulls.
A close second came after the first day when Harbaugh compared the opening day of training camp to childbirth, “it was like coming out of the womb,” he said.
If the first week of Chargers training camp showed anything, it was a reminder that Harbaugh is the biggest superstar on this team.
His face is plastered on billboards across Los Angeles, children yell and scream for autographs, and players seem to laud him every chance they get. For a franchise that has struggled for relevancy in a crowded L.A. sports market since it moved to the city in 2017, Harbaugh has made the Chargers exciting. The first week of training camp was somewhat of a coronation for L.A.’s new star.
“It’s easy to buy in when you have a guy like that,” outside linebacker Joey Bosa said.
Here are three takeaways from the first week of camp:
“Glide” is everyone’s favorite word
Defensive backs dominated the opening day of practice. There was a Tony Jefferson interception and multiple Asante Samuel Jr. pass breakups. Harbaugh said he was impressed by the defensive backs but needed them to reel back the aggressiveness.
He wants the team to “glide” to full speed like an airplane climbing up to 30,000 feet. The first week wasn’t for ascending quickly, so Harbaugh handed down what he called “tempo violations,” which essentially means when players aren’t playing at the agreed practice pace.
“It is difficult, but I still want to make sure our teammates are safe and that we get to the game healthy and listen to the coach,” Samuel said.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack has already felt the impact of the scaled-back approach. He said he is typically tight and sore at this point in training camp but feels the best he has in his career at this point in the offseason.
“Definitely feels like a glide,” Mack said. “I’m not going to say that we’re not practicing hard, but it’s definitely a progression.”
Injuries have plagued the Chargers in recent years. Wide receiver Mike Williams fractured his back in the last game of the season two years ago, missing the team’s playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wide receiver Keenan Allen, center Corey Linsley, Williams, Bosa, Justin Herbert, and multiple other chargers suffered season-ending injuries last season.
“Just making sure that we don’t have any mishaps while we’re in that glide,” Harbaugh said. “It’s been my experience that a lot of those injuries that happen day one or day two, they’re the long-term, six-month kind.”
Jim Harbaugh will be vague on injuries
While Harbaugh looks to keep his players healthy and in the “glide,” he won’t give much of any information about injuries that happen. That’s been evident throughout the offseason, but especially after this first week.
Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater left practice with athletic trainers on Friday; he appeared to attempt to return but, after stretching, went back inside the team’s facility. Slater wasn’t at practice Saturday.
When a reporter asked about Slater’s injury Saturday, Harbaugh grouped him with the starters who will have rest at practice throughout the offseason, before eventually saying that Slater “felt something” and that he is being held out with an “abundance of caution.”
For every other player that left practice or has been working off to the side, which includes TE Donald Parham Jr., RB J.K. Dobbins, and Gus Edwards, Harbaugh told reporters that they are “working through something.”
On Edwards, who hasn’t gone through practice all offseason, Harbaugh said he is “being brought back into play.”
Best highlight from today on this Ladd McConkey grab. Think this play was blown dead right before the throw though pic.twitter.com/U5BwLVrSDt
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) July 28, 2024
Wide receivers made plays
It’s difficult to put too much stock into an unpadded first week of practice where players are directed not to play full speed, but the Chargers receivers made encouraging plays even with these restrictions.
This group is the most unproven of any on the team, with just one player (DJ Chark Jr.) who has ever had 1,000 yards in a season. These next few weeks of camp are when these receivers will get the opportunity to separate themselves on the depth chart.
Quentin Johnston, the team’s first-round pick from last season who struggled in his first year, had many catches this week, but none more notable than a twisting-turning grab on the third day of camp.
“I just think he got a bad rap,” Harbaugh said. “In somebody’s mind he was a disappointment. He hadn’t been at all in my eyes. I mean I see a big, fast, strong [receiver].”
Chark caught a contested touchdown with cornerback Cam Hart draped over him; the effortless highlight drew many cheers from fans. And on the final day, a scrambling Herbert launched a ball to rookie Ladd McConkey in the back of the endzone and McConkey snagged the ball and got to two feet down for what was perhaps the week’s best highlight. The defense argued that this play was blown dead just before Herbert launched the ball, but the offense celebrated anyway.
“We’re really excited about this group,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said of the receivers. “You go into their meetings, very impressive how they meet. Guys are really dialed in and I think we got a lot of competition there.”