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How Mike Williams can fix the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive weakness

By Tyler Schoon

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Wide receiver Mike Williams #7 of the Clemson Tigers makes a reception against defensive back Marlon Humphrey #26 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the fourth quarter of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Wide receiver Mike Williams #7 of the Clemson Tigers makes a reception against defensive back Marlon Humphrey #26 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the fourth quarter of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Chargers were lackluster in the red zone last season, but are hoping their former No.7 overall pick can fix that…

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams doesn’t necessarily need yards to have a great second season, and fans should not be surprised if he fails to surpass 700 yards on the year. Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen, and Tyrell Williams will likely go 1-2-3 in leading the team in total yards. Here are the team’s offensive stats from 2017:

  • 6,026 total yards (fourth-best)
  • 376.6 yards per game
  • First in total passing yards (4,431)

That, coupled with the third-best defense in terms of points per game allowed, translated to — nine wins. Nine. That’s it.

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You could blame the kicking game, and rightfully so; a historically bad 66.7 percent conversion rate is atrocious, and key field goals blew much of the Chargers’ chance at the post-season before the year reached the halfway mark. There’s no mistaking that the decision to let Josh Lambo leave cost the team.

However, the Chargers were also one of the worst teams in red zone scoring percentage (in terms of touchdowns). If you can score touchdowns, why kick field goals? The Bolts are 28th at 46.81 percent success rate. The top three teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, and New England Patriots, had red zone touchdown percentages of 68.97, 64.06, and 62.65 respectively. All three of those teams made the Conference Championship, two made the Super Bowl, and one won the whole thing. The Chargers went 9-7 and didn’t touch the postseason.

Enter Williams. Catching touchdowns in the end zone is what he was born to do, with toughness and ball-tracking ability some of his biggest strengths coming out of college. So far in training camp, he’s been showing off just that.

One of the recurring criticisms of Tom Telesco’s selection of Williams revolves around the idea of positional “need”. On paper, the Chargers didn’t need Williams as much as they needed (at the time) a safety or lineman.

However, the selection appears to become more clear now, as I believe Telesco had nothing but red zone offense in mind. The Bolts were 21st in the red zone (51.61 percent) in the year Williams was drafted; all four 2016 Conference Championship teams ranked higher.

Confidence and health are key for Williams, and it’s unfortunate that neither presented itself last season. He looked lost running routes, had trouble with injuries, and couldn’t do the one thing that defines a receiver: catch the ball. His 2017 campaign ended with 11 catches for 95 yards and no touchdowns.

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If his training camp performance is any indication of things to come, however, that trend looks to be broken early and often this season. The Chargers don’t need yards from him; they just need touchdowns.

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