Moore eager to roll up sleeves and get to work

COSTA MESA » Slowly but certainly over the past few days, weeks and months, Kellen Moore's position as the Chargers' new offensive coordinator has ceased to be a “desk job,” as he put it Wednesday. With OTAs underway and minicamp around the corner, his vision is starting to come into focus.

It's one thing to study on video as Justin Herbert throws strikes to Keenan Allen, Mike Williams or Austin Ekeler while wellprotected behind a young but talented offensive line anchored by veteran Corey Linsley. It's another to get to watch them live on the field and during team meetings.

It could be one of the best jobs in the NFL, given all the talent and experience the Chargers have stockpiled on a roster that's all the more talented and experienced after a return to the playoffs during the 2022 season and a draft that added depth at the wide receiver spot with first-round pick Quentin Johnston from TCU.

Or it could be one of the worst jobs, lofty expectations being what they are.

Ask former Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

The Chargers' offense lacked the anticipated explosiveness last season. Given their level of talent from quarterback to wide receiver to running back to the offensive line, conventional wisdom suggested the Chargers underachieved, which was why Moore is now their offensive coordinator.

“I think this is a very good process because it's new to a lot of guys,” Moore said of his initial work with the offense during OTAs, after he was hired on Jan. 30 to replace the fired Lombardi after spending four seasons as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator.

“We're able to carry over what we can from the past couple of years and build off some of the Dallas stuff that's coming from a scheme standpoint. But you've got to keep it tight and keep it condensed. There's a lot of different ways of playing football, but you've got to keep it tight and condensed so these guys can play fast.”

So, how do you transform a very good and occasionally great offense, directed by the NFL's second-leading passer last season, and make it even better? How do you get more out of Herbert's prolific arm? How do you create more explosive plays for Allen, Williams, Johnston and Ekeler?

Above all, how do you improve a subpar running game?

“That's a great question,” Moore said. “There's a lot of good things here, so certainly we've tried to embrace that as much as we can, to keep all the good that's in place and, hopefully, bring a few things in some other areas that can help us, as well.

“Statistically, the run game, you want a little bit more out of it . ... Schematically, there will always be little adjustments, little flavors, that may look different.”

Keeping things simple — so far, anyway — could pay dividends.

“For us, up front, he's really simplified a lot of things,” offensive lineman Rashawn Slater said of Moore. “He's allowed us to go a lot quicker and not think as much, which we always love. I think it's going to be really fun. I think, like I said, simplification. You'd be surprised how much can change in the run game whenever certain rules are re-arranged, just the coaching points change a little bit. I think that's going to allow us to play really fast and give us a chance to get explosive-type plays.”

Allen and Johnston were in attendance Wednesday, but Williams, Ekeler, Herbert and Linsley opted not to participate in the optional workout. Herbert had a personal commitment, according to a team spokesman, and is scheduled to join his teammates for a charity golf event on Monday.

Ekeler has worked out on his own in the past, joining his teammates for the mandatory minicamp. That's expected to be the case again after Ekeler, who is in the final year of his contract, and the Chargers reportedly agreed on an additional $1.75 million in incentives to avoid a holdout.

Moore said he was looking forward to working with Ekeler in person during the Chargers' minicamp June 13-14 and, of course, beyond.

“Excitement,” Moore said of his reaction to the news that Ekeler would be with the Chargers for at least one more season. “Really excited to get to work with Austin. I think that he's been, obviously, one of the top guys in this league. He has had such an impact on this place. Really excited to start building this thing together and building his role in this offense. I'm really, really excited.”