Justin Herbert has taken strides forward in each of his two NFL seasons, showing flashes of brilliance along the way.
re-signed Mike Williams, added tight end Gerald Everett and bolstered the offensive line and running back depth in the draft with first-rounder Zion Johnson stepping in to start at right guard and fourth-round running back Isaiah Spiller pairing up with Austin Ekeler in the backfield. General manager Tom Telesco sent a clear message this offseason: The Chargers are absolutely not settling for second, third or fourth fiddle in the AFC West. The secondary shouldn't be overlooked, as there are young, versatile game-changers throughout the defensive backfield. Devin White is the best linebacker in the league and Lavonte David is still steady heading into his 11th season. The front line is in good hands with rookie Logan Hall joining veteran edge rusher Shaq Barrett and defensive linemen William Gholston and Vita Vea, the best nose tackle league-wide.
The defense is full of playmakers at every level, and there's room to improve if general manager Jason Licht decides to re-sign Ndamukong Suh or Jason Pierre-Paul.
It'll be a bonus if he does return, as the Bucs have viable players at the tight end position in Cameron Brate and rookie Cade Otton.
It also feels like a matter of time before free agent Rob Gronkowski re-signs with the team. The run game is solid with Leonard Fournette and the wide receiving corps will be in the conversation for tops in the league when Chris Godwin returns to full health. The offensive line underwent changes - they lost Alex Cappa in free agency and Ali Marpet to retirement - but after trading for New England's Shaq Mason, this unit should be more than capable of keeping its QB upright. Brady has raised the level of play since the minute he arrived in Tampa two offseasons ago. The seven-time Super Bowl champion's presence in the building is paramount to this team's success. He was second in the MVP voting in 2021 and shows no signs of slowing down even though he'll turn 45 years old in August. But Tom Brady's decision to unretire changed things significantly. For 40 days this offseason, the Bucs would not have made this list.