Justin Herbert didn’t sign up for this. When he signed that massive extension with the Chargers a couple of offseasons ago, the vision was clear: a loaded offense, a fresh start under Jim Harbaugh, and a real shot at something special. But just a few days into training camp, that vision’s already starting to crack. The surrounding arsenal? His weapons are vanishing.
Herbert and Jim Harbaugh are probably out there scratching their heads right now. First came the injury concerns. Then, just hours after landing on the PUP list, Herbert’s go-to deep threat retired out of nowhere. And as if that wasn’t enough, the backfield took a hit. So, yeah. Herbert’s receiving options and protection? Both are falling apart. And all Harbaugh can do is sit and wonder: where do we go from here?
The blueprint was clear: veteran deep threat Mike Williams and RB1 Najee Harris were supposed to be foundational for Herbert. But then it all started to unravel. Williams hit the reserve/PUP list… and then retired out of the blue. In a recent episode of Sports Talk Denver, the host gave a vivid picture of just how messy things are at the Chargers. “Chargers put Mike Williams on the PUP list, and he comes out and retires, and now the Chargers only have Ladd McConkey,” he said.
The reason for him to be on the PUP list is the ACL tear he suffered back in 2023. He missed all of last season in rehab, but there was real hope that he would come around this season. Then, out of nowhere, just hours after the PUP news dropped, Williams announced his retirement. It came as a shock because the Chargers had just restructured his contract and brought him back on a one-year deal earlier in the offseason.
Sad but true. The 30-year-old walks away with 330 catches, 5,104 yards, and 32 touchdowns, not to mention a pair of 1000 yard seasons. That’s a huge piece of the offense Greg Roman was surely counting on in 2025, just gone. And now? It’s officially the Ladd McConkey show at WR1. He made a statement in his rookie season. 82 catches, 1,149 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a top-10 finish in receiving yards across the league. No doubt, the kid can play. But let’s be honest: stepping into the No. 1 role in a Justin Herbert-led offense is a challenge, to say the least.
INGLEWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 25: Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates after a touchdown was scored with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert 10 during the NFL, American Football Herren, USA game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers on November 25, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire NFL: NOV 25 Ravens at Chargers EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon241125370
He doesn’t bring the size or contested-catch ability that Williams did, and he’s still finding his footing at the NFL level. According to ESPN’s latest depth chart, it’s McConkey, then Quentin Johnston, and after that? A bunch of undrafted rookies. That’s a lot of pressure on a young guy to level up, and fast.
But the headache doesn’t end with the WR depth. Let’s move on to the other side now. After stacking four straight 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh, Najee Harris came to L.A. on a one-year, $5.25 million deal, ready to take up that RB1 spot. What happened? We all know about the fireworks incident. His agent’s still playing it cool, staying optimistic, but the Chargers aren’t taking any chances.
GM Joe Hortiz has already placed Harris on the active/NFI list to open camp. If he’s not cleared by cutdown day, he could miss the first four games. And their fallout plan? Gone. “Harbaugh was never sold on Najee, that’s why the Chargers put that tender on JK Dobbins. They wanted Dobbins as the fallout plan, but they (Broncos) took away their fallback plan, and now they’re without Najee Harris,” the host added.
Well, this is not just the only bad development for Harbaugh. Denver has served them another curveball.
Another missed chance for Harbaugh
Just when you thought the Chargers’ situation couldn’t get any more chaotic, the Broncos swoop in and snag Evan Engram. Yeah, the same TE the Chargers have been eyeing. For a while now. The host, who’s a Denver fan, is clearly having his fun. “They were like ‘we didn’t really want Evan Engram.’ They did. And they had them in their building. And he chose the Broncos over the Chargers,” he said.
Evan Engram might’ve had a down year in 2024, but make no mistake, he was still one of the wanted names on the market. The guy had 114 catches for 963 yards and 4 touchdowns with Jacksonville just a season earlier. So yeah, teams were calling. After getting released, he ended up signing a two-year deal with Denver worth $23 million, with a solid $16.5 million guaranteed.
The fact that Engram visited the Chargers and still chose Denver? That’s a tough look. It just highlights how badly L.A. fumbled the bag. With Mike Williams retired, Najee Harris sidelined, and now Engram off the board, Justin Herbert’s list of weapons is getting thinner by the day. You almost feel bad for the guy.
All of it’s adding up to a bigger mess than Herbert. It should’ve been something the front office saw coming. On paper, they had depth: Williams as the deep threat, McConkey coming into his own, Harris and J.K. Dobbins ready to tag-team the backfield. But Denver came in and blew that plan up, poaching their fallback option at tight end. Now? Justin Herbert is staring at a receiver room with barely any experience and a backfield that’s already banged up. So yeah, Jim Harbaugh has got some thinking to do.
The post Mike Williams’ Retirement Deepens Justin Herbert’s Crisis After Broncos Snatch Evan Engram appeared first on EssentiallySports.