Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
We'll run a Mailbag each week during the regular season. Send in submissions for the Mailbag on Twitter @EricLSmith or by email at eric.smith@chargers.nfl.com.
Off we go...
So, you're looking for positivity?
You've come to the right place!
I mean, Cameron Dicker remains elite and is once again among the league's best kickers.
OK, OK. I'm kidding.
Look, the past two weeks haven't been great for the Chargers.
Jim Harbaugh knows that. So do players, coaches, fans, everyone.
But what I always try to keep in mind during each football season — and this is my 10th in the NFL — that you can't ride the wave of emotions. And yeah, that's easier said than done.
If you ask me, the Chargers are more like the team they showed in the first three weeks of the season than the one we've seen in back-to-back losses.
And the biggest thing that needs to be cleaned up is the penalties. The Chargers have been called for 24 of them in the past two games for a total of 192 yards.
"Just being made in inopportune times," Harbaugh said after Sunday's game. "We're good enough to overcome some, but you need to minimize them. That's an area that we need to get better at."
You could have a squad of All-Pros but if you take too many penalties, especially at inopportune times, it'd be tough for any team to win a game.
Are there other areas that need to be better? Sure.
The offense has stalled out a bit after a hot start and the line needs to find more consistency. Even the Chargers defense, which is usually supremely sound under Jesse Minter, has been off a bit of late.
But you know what?
Harbaugh is still a great coach and leader. Justin Herbert, Derwin James and others are still great players.
The Bolts have undoubtedly hit a slump here of late. And they'll have to solider on without rookie running back Omarion Hampton, who is going on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury.
But it's also a chance for the Chargers to dig deep and show the league what they're really made of.
Harbaugh said it best at his Monday press conference.
"It's just a time to shine for players, for coaches, for everybody in this organization," Harbaugh said. "When the going gets going, the tough get going. I look at it as an opportunity to do that. Time to shine, step up."
What's your take on the Oweh-Gilman trade? It was tough for me to see Alohi go. (Ryan via email)
In case you missed it, the Chargers and Ravens made a trade on Tuesday.
The Bolts acquired edge rusher Odafe Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick in a trade the Ravens in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
I covered my thoughts in this instant analysis piece, but here are the highlights:
1 - Oweh, a 2021 first-round pick, will provide immediate help at edge rusher. The Chargers have an ascending player in Tuli Tuipulotu. But with Khalil Mack on Injured Reserve, the Bolts were in need of more juice in the room. Oweh, who had 10.0 sacks last season, gives the Bolts that boost.
2- Gilman's departure is tough considering how respected he was on and off the field. The 2020 sixth-round pick was a undoubtedly success story by working his way from special teamer to starter on the league's top defense in 2024. But the Bolts also had a surplus at the safety position with James, Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson, RJ MIckens and Kendall Williamson on the roster. Jefferson will now slide in a starting role next to Molden while James lines up in the box as a versatile defender.
3 - Oweh is currently playing on the final year of his rookie deal and will be a free agent in 2026. It remains to be seen if the Chargers bring him back, but they at least now have the option to have a young and talented edge rusher next to Tuipulotu on defense. Keep in mind that Mack is slated to be a free agent again in 2026.
To sum it up, this was a good move for the Bolts. Credit Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz for making a move that could have both short and long-term value.
You are correct that good offensive linemen rarely get traded.
It's so tough to find quality linemen in this league, which is why teams don't move on from those players when they get them.
The 2025 NFL trade deadline is less than a month away and Harbaugh said Monday the Chargers would be "looking at all options" within the entire roster.
Does that mean adding reinforcements along the line? That remains to be seen.
Joe Alt was not placed on Injured Reserve before the Commanders game which implies that the Bolts think he won't miss four games. His eventual return will obviously vastly help the line as a whole.
Hortiz showed a willingness to upgrade one area this week when he traded for Oweh. Perhaps the Bolts make a similar move on the other side of the ball.
Gadsden has been quiet in two games since a breakout performance against the Broncos in Week 3.
He was targeted seven times against Denver but just twice in the past two games.
Tyler Conklin has been the Bolts top tight end of late with Will Dissly sidelined with a knee injury, but the veteran has had an up-and-down start to the season.
Perhaps the Bolts find a way to get Gadsden more involved going forward as a way to ignite the passing game.
