The Los Angeles Chargers have a brand-new coaching staff and a nucleus of talent capable of reaching the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2018 and second time since 2013.
And although the team isn't favored to win its own division, there's reason to expect significant progress from them this upcoming season, according to Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com.
"Justin Herbert, we knew he was really good last season -- I don't know if we really realized how special he was," Dunne told the Reiter Than You show on Friday. "His numbers were unbelievable, his arm, his athleticism. And you're talking about with a cursed franchise and a coaching staff that frankly didn't make the best decisions late in games.
"So, to bring in a new coaching staff, to bring in more weapons, the defense has to be better -- I think the Chargers are in a position to make a huge, huge leap. It's tough, that division with Mahomes and the Chiefs. But I don't think we've seen many rookie seasons like [Herbert] had, and it can only go up from here with a full offseason... He's absolutely going to be in that top-five Super Bowl quarterback conversation."
Los Angeles, which finished 7-9 last season, will be led by Herbert, who won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2020. In 15 games, the 23-year-old Oregon product completed 66.6-percent of his passes for 4,336 yards, and set new NFL rookie records for touchdowns (31) and completions (396) in a single season.
Despite their bevy of weapons on offense, the Chargers have struggled mightily to close out games in recent seasons, and turned crushing losses into an art form. Since the start of 2019, they're a measly 7-16 in one-score games, and these missed opportunities prompted the organization to fire four-year head coach Anthony Lynn in early January.
The Chargers will open the 2021 campaign on the road against Washington on Sept. 12. According to the William Hill Sportsbook, Los Angeles currently has the second-best odds to win the AFC West (+600), and the eighth-best odds (+1500) to win the conference.
The entire NFL conversation between Dunne and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.