Head Coach: Anthony Lynn

For me, Lynn is one of the best coaches in the game. I watched the Los Angeles Chargers when they came to the UK and faced the Tennessee Titans, and there was a good interview piece on Lynn and his road to being a head coach in the NFL. His honest and unrelenting attitude is infectious and genuine. He is more than just a likeable personality, however. Lynn is earning plaudits on the field: through two seasons, he has a record of 22-13, including a playoff win against the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. Lynn is building a unit that is difficult to beat, and I don’t see that changing in 2019.

Offensive Player to Watch: Keenan Allen

With Melvin Gordon potentially missing games as his contract dispute continues, the fate of the Chargers offense likely rests with Keenan Allen. The receiver has been a standout player in recent seasons after injuries derailed a promising start to his NFL career. Drafted in the third round of the 2013 Draft, Allen burst into the spotlight with the San Diego Chargers as he went for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns in his rookie campaign. After a lowly 2014, he suffered a tough 2015 campaign where Allen battled injury before tearing his ACL in 2016. Since then, Allen has returned to being a star - playing each game of the last two seasons and going for 2,589 yards combined. Recently called “the NFL’s most underappreciated star”, Allen is battling an ankle injury at the moment (he’ll be fit in September). When he is ready, defenses better take notice.

Defensive Player to Watch: Joey Bosa

I was so ready to write a piece on why Derwin James is the guy to watch on defense for the Los Angeles Chargers. The safety was truly special in his rookie campaign, but just recently suffered a devastating foot injury that will see him miss games into November. People are writing the Chargers off in the fallout of this news, but they don’t seem to realise how stacked this LA defense really is. I turn to Joey Bosa. The defensive end out of Ohio State is a monster: in his rookie campaign of 2016, Bosa scored 10.5 sacks in just twelve games. He followed that up with a stellar 2017, which saw Bosa collect a Pro Bowl honour as he made his mark on the league. After an injury-hit 2018 where he only played in seven games, Joey Bosa got 5.5 sacks. If he plays, you’ll know about it.