Should the San Diego Chargers Be the Favorites in the AFC?

When the San Diego Chargers traded up in the 2015 draft to select Melvin Gordon, it was a signal of intent.

Intent that the franchise believed it was in position to contend in the AFC. Trading up for a running back in the first round is an aggressive move, a move that prioritizes immediate impact over long-term service at positions that are tougher to fill when building a roster.

The Chargers obviously view themselves as contenders in the AFC, but there aren't many others who do.

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports ranked the Chargers 16th in the NFL and eighth in the AFC. ESPN's John Clayton has them 13th overall and seventh in the AFC. Peter King of Monday Morning Quarterback ranked the Chargers 15th overall and eighth in the AFC. NFL.com's Elliot Harrison ranked the Chargers 14th overall and eighth in the NFL.

Considering the additions San Diego made this offseason and players returning to health after last season, it's hard to justify listing the Chargers that far down the pecking order. They shouldn't be considered just another team in the AFC; they should be a contender. A top-10 team overall.

An argument can be crafted that the Chargers are viable favorites in the AFC, although that reflects the state of the conference as much as it does the franchise itself.

Of the teams that are regularly ranked above head coach Mike McCoy's, none is without a significant flaw. Even the returning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots are dealing with Tom Brady's suspension and a cornerback depth chart that is devoid of talent.

The Chargers also have real reasons to be concerned, but the talent on their roster is enough for them to overcome those concerns.

Defense

Secondary play is crucial in the NFL today. The Patriots themselves can attest to that after relying on Darrelle Revis, Devin McCourty and Brandon Browner during their Super Bowl run last season. The Chargers secondary is one of the most talented across the whole league.

There are three key figures in that secondary who will have a major impact on the defense.

Eric Weddle is widely considered one of the best safeties in the NFL. The best safeties in the NFL are versatile and impactful in everything they do. Weddle may be small in stature (5'11", 200 lbs), but he can do everything the defense asks of him.

He has the intelligence and athleticism to work as a lone deep safety in coverage. In that role, Weddle can cover for mistakes by cornerbacks in the way that McCourty and the Seattle Seahawks' Earl Thomas are so often celebrated for doing.

The 30-year-old free safety also has the resiliency to drop down into the box as a run defender and to cover tight ends. All tight ends may be bigger than Weddle, but he boasts technical precision, physical strength and intensity to level the playing field.

Even against towers such as Travis Kelce and Julius Thomas (both 6'5"), he can play aggressive, tight coverage to good effect.

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In both of those roles, Weddle is not just excelling at his own job; he is making the jobs of those around him easier. By taking the tougher assignments, Weddle is putting less talented coverage defenders into easier matchups or more simple zone assignments.

What really pushes the potential of the Chargers secondary is that it has multiple players who can do this. Both starting cornerbacks, Brandon Flowers (5'9", 187 lbs) and Jason Verrett (5'10", 188 lbs), are similarly lacking in size, but both can also line up anywhere on the field to match up to any kind of receiver in any coverage assignment.

Retaining those three defenders, along with the other starting safety, Jahleel Addae, will allow the Chargers to comfortably replace the departed Shareece Wright and Marcus Gilchrist.

In complementary roles, San Diego will look to Darrell Stuckey, Jimmy Wilson, Patrick Robinson, Steve Williams and Craig Mager. Robinson has proved to be incapable of starting in the NFL, but he, Wilson and Stuckey are experienced talents. Williams and Mager offer the value of the unknown.

Both are young players who the Chargers hope can emerge during training camp and the preseason. Their performances, however, won't be as crucial as that of the linebackers.

Manti Te'o was drafted to be an inside linebacker who could excel in coverage. To this point in his career, he has struggled to make a positive impact. Donald Butler alongside him has all of the athletic ability to be a versatile linebacker, but he also has failed to live up to his potential consistently.

Denzel Perryman was selected in the second round this year to compete for playing time. He should become a useful piece in nickel packages if he doesn't win a starting spot outright.

Because of the versatility of Weddle, Flowers and Verrett, the inside linebackers are less of a priority than the outside linebackers. The Chargers were an average run defense by Football Outsiders' DVOA last season. They are returning the majority of the pieces who created that run defense.

Having an average run defense in today's NFL isn't an issue if you can excel against the pass. The Chargers will excel against the pass if their edge-rushers live up to their potential.

Melvin Ingram's career has been dogged by injuries to this point. He has repeatedly shown flashes of his talent, threatening to break out on multiple occasions over the past two seasons. He played in nine games last year and notched four sacks.

Ingram is healthy entering this season. The former first-round pick is under pressure to establish himself as a 26-year-old set to hit free agency after the 2016 season.

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What makes him such an appealing pass-rusher is his versatility. On this snap against Nate Solder of the New England Patriots, Ingram's burst off the line puts Solder in a losing position from the beginning of the play.

As he advances downfield, Ingram shows off impressive footwork and hand usage to get into Solder's body before he can establish a base to work from. This gives Ingram a leverage advantage against the bigger, stronger offensive tackle.

Having this leverage allows Ingram to concentrate his power through his hands and drive Solder backward. Solder is unable to offer any resistance because of how fast and precise Ingram is.

Ingram is able to attack Brady high in the pocket, and he goes low to create potential for a fumble and avoid risking a roughing the passer penalty. He got to the quarterback so quickly that Brady couldn't look to the open receiver in the back of the end zone.

In Ingram, the Chargers have one very talented edge-rusher. In Jeremiah Attaochu, they have another.

Attaochu was a second-round pick for the Chargers in 2014. He played a bit-part role in 11 games while dealing with hamstring issues as a rookie, finishing the year with two sacks. Despite his limited exposure, it's clear he has a lot of talent as a pass-rusher.

Like Ingram, he's not reliant on one area of his game. Unlike Ingram, he is more fluid and explosive than he is bulky and powerful. He is slightly taller and slightly heavier than Ingram, but both are ideally built to be full-time edge defenders in the NFL.

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In his NFL debut, Attaochu (6'3", 252 lbs) showed off his explosiveness and fluidity for a sack against the Arizona Cardinals' Bobby Massie. He initially lined up with his hand on the ground as the left defensive end. Massie wasn't fast enough in his drop to keep up with Attaochu, giving the defensive end a chance to run past him.

To prevent Massie from recovering, Attaochu seamlessly dipped beneath the offensive tackle's outstretched arms before turning the edge. From there, he only needed his strength to hold off Massie before tackling Carson Palmer in the pocket.

In a vacuum, the Chargers defense is too flawed to be one of the best in the league. It doesn't need to be one of the best in the league, though.

What the Chargers need is for their defense to complement their offense. The offense should be one of the best units in the NFL if Philip Rivers stays healthy, meaning a greater emphasis will be put on San Diego's pass-rushing and coverage units than its ability to be balanced.

Offense 

Through the first six weeks of last season, Philip Rivers was as solid an MVP candidate as any other player in the league. His exploits were highlighted by two exceptional displays against the Buffalo Bills' and Seattle Seahawks' league-leading defenses.

While the Chargers tried to hide it, it quickly became clear after Week 6 that Rivers wasn't fully healthy. The quality of his performances plummeted, while his supporting cast proved incapable of carrying him through games.

It's impossible for the Chargers to control Rivers' health, but he has healed up ahead of this season. What the Chargers can control is the quality of his supporting cast.

Gordon is obviously the highlight addition from the offseason. He doesn't have overly impressive vision and has a tendency to squat behind the line of scrimmage, but his explosiveness and elusiveness in space will allow him to create big plays on a regular basis.

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Although Gordon will likely be a frustrating back on a snap-by-snap basis, the spread-out approach of the Chargers offense should help to put him in space. Once Gordon finds that space, it's very difficult to stop him with his acceleration and balance, as is evidenced on the above play against LSU.

The Chargers were the perfect landing spot for Gordon because they don't need to rely on him as an every-down back.

Danny Woodhead's return will be huge for the passing game. Woodhead suffered a season-ending injury in San Diego's third game last year. He is one of the best receiving backs in the NFL, offering versatility, elusiveness and consistency to his quarterback.

Just as important as the new backfield combination is the state of the offensive line in front of it. Adding Joe Barksdale and Orlando Franklin to the group not only creates greater depth, but gives the Chargers legitimate options to tinker with their starting lineup.

D.J. Fluker could play guard if Barksdale forces his way into the starting right tackle spot. The Chargers lost Nick Hardwick to retirement, but he missed most of last season via injury anyway. Chris Watt, a third-round pick in the 2014 draft, will assume his starting role.

The sheer size of the Chargers offensive line should aid it in run blocking, while Rivers' ability to get rid of the ball quickly and from tight pockets will elevate the unit's ability to keep the passing game on track.

That passing game will be without Antonio Gates for the first four games of the season. But adding Steve Johnson to the wide receiving corps will offset that loss, and the pass-catchers will get a boost once Gates returns. Johnson is an ideal fit with Rivers, and he's the best quarterback Johnson has ever played with.

Johnson is a very difficult receiver to cover. He runs unorthodox but effective routes without having great physical attributes. He will assume the Eddie Royal role in the passing game alongside Malcom Floyd, Keenan Allen and Jacoby Jones.

Over the course of a seven-year career, Johnson has accumulated 4,267 yards and 31 touchdowns on 336 receptions. He did that while playing with quarterbacks who couldn't work to his strengths.

The former Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers pass-catcher understands the value of playing with Rivers, as he told Ricky Henne of the Chargers' official website:

"

It's a good feeling. Sometimes I feel like, 'Man, I wish I had [him] earlier in my career.' But it is what it is. You've just got to take care of your body and make sure you can stay [healthy] because it's a hell of an opportunity to be playing with this quarterback.

It's like a feel thing. When you are out there, you can't really speak on it. You've got to be within the play. Like if a DB is guarding you [a certain] way and you make a break, he may throw you [the ball] in a way to get you open instead of you having to work to get open. I've experienced it a lot out here. ... He makes it a little easier to work.

"

That "feel" Johnson speaks about is intelligence. Rivers knows how to throw with anticipation and reads coverages as well as anyone in the league. That allows him to put the ball in spots that favor Johnson's route running.

While the Chargers don't have a top-tier wide receiver, they do have a top-tier quarterback. 

Even while playing behind a depleted offensive line and without his health, Rivers was still able to direct a passing game that ranked seventh in Football Outsiders' DVOA. Furthermore, the team's running game was among the least efficient in the NFL, ranking 25th in the league.

Adding Gordon and playing with healthy bodies on the offensive line will balance the offense and allow Rivers to push the passing game toward the top two or three in the league. 

Outlook

The Chargers are as talented as any other team in the AFC.

Rivers is still a premier quarterback and has more than enough support on the offensive side to put the defense into a complementary role. With one of the best safeties in the league, a top cornerback combination and two enticing edge-rushers, the defense has more than enough talent to create turnovers and make timely plays.

Picking an AFC favorite is tough because there is no clear-cut choice on paper. Each team is significantly flawed, so it's more about personal preference rather than defined logic.

Even if the Chargers can't raise themselves to the height of favorites in the AFC, they should be receiving more respect. Listing them as just another average team in the weaker conference is understating their talent and potential.