• The Chargers' shopping list: To effectively run his offense in 2024, Jim Harbaugh will need an above-average run-blocking right tackle, a reliable run-blocker to serve as a sixth offensive lineman, a run-blocking second tight end who weighs at least 250 pounds, a lead-blocking fullback and a workhorse running back.
• Taliese Fuaga fits the bill: Former Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga seems like he was custom-built in a laboratory to be a Jim Harbaugh right tackle. Fuaga is currently the second-ranked tackle prospect in the class and the No. 12 overall prospect on the PFF big board.
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The 2024 NFL offseason has almost had it all. We've had surprise retirements, pre-draft trades and a whirlwind free-agency period. Some teams have gotten markedly better, and others have gotten markedly worse. But somewhat lost in the flurry of activity is one of the biggest stories of the offseason — Jim Harbaugh's return to the NFL.
After years in the college football spotlight, Harbaugh signed a five-year contract to rejoin the NFL ranks and take the reins of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The longtime coach is coming into an ideal situation, too. Not only will he be reuniting with his former offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, but he also already has a talented young quarterback on the roster and holds the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
So, with the most important position in sports taken care of, what should the Chargers do to build around Herbert?
The Chargers could quite easily draft a pass-catching weapon in the first round — this is admittedly what I would do if I were their general manager — but the fastest way for Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman to incorporate the offensive scheme and structure they want in Los Angeles is to draft a solid run-blocking right tackle in the first round to give their run game an anchor for years to come.
What Jim Harbaugh wants to do on offense
Justin Herbert with a great running game? 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JFnfzcdwYS
— PFF (@PFF) February 26, 2024
Under Harbaugh and Roman, the Chargers will immediately become one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL.
There are a number of reasons for this. First, it’s just who they are as coaches. They believe in running the ball to the point of it being a team identity and not a slogan, press conference quote or motivational poster on the weight room wall. Second, a successful run game will take some pressure off quarterback Justin Herbert, the cornerstone of the franchise. Third, Harbaugh is entering a division and a league that is now dominated by Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes was just a freshman at Texas Tech during Jim Harbaugh’s last season in the NFL, but now Mahomes will be the biggest obstacle to L.A. making the playoffs each season for the foreseeable future. Therefore, Harbaugh's team will want to run the ball successfully to dictate game script and shorten games to keep Patrick Mahomes off the field as much as possible in their two division games each year (and possibly a third game in the playoffs).
The prominent feature of Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s run game is putting an extra blocker at the point of attack, either by pulling one or more linemen on power and counter, motioning tight ends pre-snap or using a lead blocker. Their favorite run play in the red zone was a power run out of a two-running back set.
Additionally, Harbaugh and Roman lean heavily on size and physicality in the red zone. They frequently deployed offensive personnel groupings with extra offensive linemen on the field, a personnel grouping with seven offensive linemen being their preferred personnel when they had the ball down inside the opponent's 5-yard line.
They will want to rely on brute force to accomplish their goal, and there will be more red-zone plays run with an extra offensive lineman on the field than a third wide receiver.
NFL Teams from 2011-14: Percentage of red-zone plays with six or more offensive linemen
| Rank | Team | % of plays with six or more offensive linemen |
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers | 21.0% |
| 2 | Atlanta Falcons | 16.3% |
| 3 | New York Jets | 16.2% |
| 4 | Oakland Raiders | 15.8% |
| 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | 14.3% |
What Harbaugh inherited in San Francisco
Jim Harbaugh reached the pinnacle of the NFL coaching experience last time he was in the league, as he came just one unsuccessful red-zone audible away from beating his brother John and winning the Super Bowl.
If you look at that Super Bowl team’s roster as a possible blueprint for what Harbaugh will want to do with his roster in Los Angeles, it highlights a need to improve along the offensive line.
Harbaugh’s roster in San Francisco was loaded with talent on the offensive side of the ball. He had Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, Frank Gore at running back and a freak of an athlete at tight end in Vernon Davis. He was also blessed with incredible play at both tackle positions during his four years in San Francisco, as he had Joe Staley at left tackle and Anthony Davis at right tackle.
At that time, Staley was one of the best all-around offensive linemen in the league. The former first-round pick was an excellent pass protector and run-blocker. In fact, Staley was the highest-graded run-blocking tackle in the NFL for two of Harbaugh’s four seasons.
Anthony Davis was a 323-pound, physically imposing and dominant run-blocker who set the tone for the team’s physical style of play.
Joe Staley’s and Anthony Davis’ run-blocking grades and ranks from 2011-2014
| Joe Staley | Season | Anthony Davis |
| 90.5 (1st) | 2014 | 79.1 (13th) |
| 74.2 (22nd) | 2013 | 71.4 (32nd) |
| 92.4 (1st) | 2012 | 85.7 (6th) |
| 82.3 (8th) | 2011 | 77.9 (13th) |
In three out of Harbaugh's four years in the NFL, his tackles finished the season with top-15 run-blocking grades. That San Francisco 49ers’ regime had invested two first-round picks in the tackle position, which paid off tremendously for years. The talents of Staley and Davis allowed the 49ers' run game and offense to function, thrive and win.
Harbaugh will now go into a very different situation
The situation the Chargers head coach is inheriting this time around is not the historic duo he coached during his first tenure.
Chargers’ left tackle Rashawn Slater is a talented fourth-year player who just turned 25. While he took a step back as a run-blocker in 2023—his 59.5 run-blocking grade ranked 39th among tackles—the 80.2 run-blocking grade he earned as a rookie put him 10th at the position. Slater should prove to be a valuable piece to Harbaugh's offense going forward.
Right tackle Trey Pipkins‘ 50.3 run-blocking grade ranked 51st among all offensive tackles in 2023, while the 50.5 grade he earned the year before ranked 48th.
The offense will need more strength and size at the right tackle position, and having a player in the 320-plus-pound range would be a valuable commodity.
The pieces Harbaugh will need to implement his scheme in Year 1
To effectively run his offense in 2024, Jim Harbaugh will need an above-average run-blocking right tackle, a reliable run-blocker to serve as a sixth offensive lineman, a run-blocking second tight end who weighs at least 250 pounds, a lead-blocking fullback and a workhorse running back.
While some of these roles could be carried out by players already on the roster, the Chargers will be forced to turn to the draft to find specific body types they will want to implement in their offense next season.
The single biggest need for this offense is a powerful run-blocking right tackle. In particular, a thicker-framed starter at right tackle, like Harbaugh had in Anthony Davis — a new starter who outweighs the current starting right tackle by about 15-20 pounds.
Drafting a heavier right tackle who can be a better power run blocker than Trey Pipkins and then subsequently moving Pipkins to a swing tackle/sixth offensive lineman role will instantly improve the Chargers run game at two positions.
Harbaugh and Roman will use extra offensive linemen in every game, so the sixth and seventh offensive linemen still play a valuable role. Pipkins is a proven player whose strong suit has always been his length more than his power. Lining him up outside of the left or right tackle instantly gives him an advantage in the run game, as he is much larger than a traditional in-line tight end and can use his 33 7/8-inch arms to initiate engagement against a smaller D- or C-gap defender.
Which 2024 NFL Draft prospects could they target?
Several 250-plus-pound tight ends will be available for the Chargers in the draft after the first round.
Former Michigan tight end A.J. Barner already knows Harbaugh’s scheme, weighs over 250 pounds and is a highly effective run-blocker. Barner’s 81.6 run-blocking grade ranked first among all FBS tight ends in 2023.
The 260-pound tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford also fits the bill, as his 66.4 run-blocking grade ranked seventh at the position last year. And Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott is a great fit for the 250-pound lead-blocking fullback in Harbaugh and Roman’s offense.
While several offensive tackle prospects are worthy of being selected in the first round, two players stand out above the rest as being able to make an immediate impact on the Chargers' running game.
Former Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt is a dominant run-blocker and an excellent pass-blocker. He is currently the No. 1 tackle and the No. 5 overall prospect on the PFF big board.
Alt played on the left side in college, but his athleticism and youth indicate a high chance of success in his ability to potentially shift to right tackle. His 86.5 run-blocking grade ranked third among all FBS offensive tackles, and his 90.8 run-blocking grade in 2022 ranked first.
Former Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga seems like he was custom-built in a laboratory to be a Jim Harbaugh right tackle. Fuaga is currently the second-ranked tackle prospect in the class and the No. 12 overall prospect on the PFF big board.
The 324-pound Fuaga earned a 90.9 run-blocking grade in 2023, the highest mark at his position, and one of his negatives is that he’s probably going to receive several unnecessary roughness penalties because his second-level work on linebackers might be considered a tad too rude for the modern game.
No player in the 2024 NFL Draft could make a more drastic or immediate impact on the Los Angeles Chargers offense than selecting Fuaga in the first round. The selection would give Harbaugh and Roman an injection of physicality, identity and practicality but also give them a foundational piece for their future.
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