The Los Angeles Chargers could be about to lose a key piece of Joe Hortiz’s front office ahead of Jim Harbaugh’s second year as head coach, of course.
But Hortiz feels ahead as the Chargers look toward free agency.
Hortiz, after all, was just getting to know the people and the organization as a newcomer this time last year. Today, things seem to be speeding up – in a good way.
“From a general manager perspective and from a staff perspective, you feel like you’re ahead of the curve right now. Me personally, ” Hortiz said this week. “Go back to last year, I was still in Baltimore at that time. You definitely feel ahead and ready to go. We’ll hand out the coaches’ assignments next week and let them start the offensive evaluations and continue to go through them.”
This must be an encouraging thought for Chargers fans. After his late arrival last year, Hortiz made a slew of key moves that culminated in a “rebuilding” year that turned into a playoff appearance. That meant moving on from key names like Keenan Allen to fix cap space, signing underrated and critical free agents like Poona Ford and signing Ladd McConkey (after an aggressive trade), and unearthing gems like running backs fifth-round cornerbacks Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.
What could Hortiz do now that he feels ahead of schedule? Hard to say, but rest assured, Harbaugh feels the same way.
Fittingly, the Chargers have seemed ahead of schedule since his arrival.
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