Justin Herbert needs another receiver for Chargers to succeed

Stone Smartt, pursued by Julian Okwara, loses his grip on the ball.

Staff Writer

Oct. 22, 2024 3 AM PT

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Should Mike Williams run a comeback pattern?

The Chargers could sure use him now, as they’re painfully low on players who can strike fear in a defense.

That was evident in their 17-15 loss to Arizona on Monday night, when they subsisted on five field goals from Cameron Dicker and consistently came up short in the red zone.

Williams, a lethal receiving threat when he could stay healthy, was released by the Chargers after seven seasons when he became too expensive to keep. He signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets and recently was called out by Aaron Rodgers for running the wrong route on a pivotal play, and now figures to lose some of the spotlight to the newly acquired Davante Adams.

Will the Chargers figure out a trade to get Williams back? That might just be online chatter, but it’s certainly worth considering. At 3-3, and 2-1 in the AFC West, they still have ample opportunity. Williams also could wind up in Pittsburgh.

Jets wide receiver Mike Williams pulls in a pass against Steelers safety DeShon Elliott.

Regardless, the Chargers need to solve their offensive issues, and fast. Their receivers gathered in the locker room after the loss for an impromptu position meeting, trying to figure how they can do a better job on the other end of Justin Herbert’s pinpoint passes.

“We don’t want to let our guys down,” receiver Joshua Palmer said. “We’ve got to be more consistent with the little things.”

The little things are becoming big things, particularly when the ground game is stymied. Establishing the run is a hallmark of the offense of Jim Harbaugh and coordinator Greg Roman, but the Cardinals loaded up to stop that and the Chargers averaged just 2.7 yards per carry.

It’s at those times the passing game has to click, especially with a quarterback as talented as Herbert, yet the Chargers failed to get any sort of rhythm going.

There were drops and deflections and multiple missed opportunities. It doesn’t help that the group is missing Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark Jr., Derius Davis and Hayden Hurst, all injured.

And they had let another starter go, six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen, now playing for Chicago.

Herbert made do against the Cardinals, leaning on a collection of lesser-known players best exemplified by below-the-radar tight end Will Dissly, who caught eight passes for 81 yards, both game highs. He came into Monday night with 13 catches in five games.

After a couple drops early in the game, Chargers rookie Ladd McConkey got more in the flow and wound up with five catches. The visitors rarely ventured into the red zone, however, and when they did they failed to take full advantage of it.

There were a couple of spirit-wilting plays early that the Chargers had to overcome. On Arizona’s first possession, Kyler Murray’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and defensive lineman Teair Tart intercepted the deflection — only to give the ball right back to the Cardinals when the ball was stripped from his grasp.

A few minutes later, Herbert connected on a deep pass to Jalen Reagor, who was about five yards from scoring before the ball was hammered from his hand as he tried to cross the goal line. The fumble rolled around the pylon and out the side of the end zone for a touchback, giving the Cardinals possession at the 20.

“It’s the details of locking it up, whether you’re an offensive player or defensive player,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve just got to continue to emphasize it. When you fumble near the goal line, gosh, the ball’s got to be in the other arm. … The experience of these kind of games puts the steel in your spine.”

Herbert did what he could. He spread the passes around to nine receivers, with seven of those racking up at least 31 yards. There’s a difference between moving the ball between the 20s, however, and effectively operating in that compacted area around the goal line.

The Cardinals, near the bottom in rushing defense, loaded up to stop the run — and did — and the Chargers didn’t make them pay for that commitment. The passing game was more cosmetic than consequential, other than setting up those field goals.

This team can’t rely solely on the foot of Dicker. It needs hands too.