Questions Left After San Diego Chargers' 1st Preseason Win

The San Diego Chargers won their first preseason game of 2015 against the Dallas Cowboys 17-7 last Friday, but questions of depth along the offensive line and defensive front-seven still remain from a season ago. 

Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego reported Saturday that injuries to offensive lineman Johnnie Troutman and linebacker Tourek Williams will have both players sidelined for what head coach Mike McCoy called "some time." 

Troutman has been diagnosed with a fractured right arm, while Williams will undergo surgery on his broken right foot, according to the report. 

Troutman provided consistency and depth for a ravaged Chargers offensive line in 2014 after winning the starting right tackle job before the season started. The 6'4", 325-pound lineman stepped in admirably, starting 15 games until he was hurt in a matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. 

While Williams lacks any impressive career regular-season stats, the third-year linebacker had a decent game against the Cowboys, recovering a fumble and being credited with three quarterback hurries. He was expected to provide depth behind starters Melvin Ingram and second-year player Jerry Attaochu. The injury hurts a pass-rush that only generated 26 sacks a season ago.

The only good news for Chargers fans here is that neither player has been placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Going forward, the Chargers will rely on left tackle King Dunlap, former fist-round pick D.J. Fluker, newly-acquired lineman Orlando Franklin, second-year center Chris Watt and free-agent acquisition Joe Barksdale to hold down the team's front-five, although no official lineup has been announced yet.

The biggest question is how the Chargers' offensive line holds up during the course of the season, especially with the team featuring an impressive stable of running backs. The group includes Danny Woodhead, Branden Oliver and 2015 first-round pick Melvin Gordon.

There will be a lot of pressure on the line not only to pave the way for Chargers runners but also for quarterback Philip Rivers, who was recently signed to a four-year extension by the team.

While the unit's depth is certainly a concern, San Diego's group of running backs could make the line look better than it actually is during the season. Take a look at this run by Oliver, courtesy of NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo's Vine account, and you'll notice he takes things into his own hands and jukes his way into the end zone: 

The Chargers line will be tested early in 2015, as the team begins the season against the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings, all of which have solid front-sevens. The Chargers play the Bengals and Vikings on the road, so it'll be imperative that the offensive line gels quickly to combat the 11th and 12th ranked defenses from 2014 in points allowed.