The Los Angeles Chargers put themselves back on the NFL map in 2024. After a horrendous 2023 season that cost Brandon Staley his job, the team brought in Jim Harbaugh and did what many expected them to do.
Under Harbaugh, the Chargers put together a stingy defense and a strong running game, two areas that should only get better in the years to come. Despite a tough loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round, the team had a successful 2024 campaign.
The league will soon hand out its own awards at the 2025 NFL Honors Awards Show, but here, we are going to give out some awards for the Chargers. Many of these categories will be handed out at NFL Honors but here, it’s all about the Chargers. Who were the players that stood out this season?
Los Angeles Chargers 2024 award winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Ladd McConkey
Most teams around the league won’t have a rookie be their top offensive player, but Ladd McConkey was all the team had on offense at times. He had a remarkable rookie year.
McConkey’s rookie season was all the more impressive when you consider that the Chargers didn’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver to help take some of the pressure off of him.
He caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, breaking franchise records in the process. The Chargers expected him to be good when they moved up in the second round to get him, but he was even better than expected.
Defensive Player of the Year: Daiyan Henley
This might be a bit of a surprising selection, but Daiyan Henley was a workhorse for the Chargers this season and his statistics are not all that different than what Zack Baun posted for the Philadelphia Eagles and he is a candidate for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Henley was eighth in the league with 147 tackles and he also had one sack and one interception.
Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipolotu, Derwin James and Tarheeb Still all had good seasons as part of a solid defense, but Henley gets the nod.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ladd McConkey
McConkey grabs his second award here. Though he wasn’t nominated for Offensive Rookie of the Year across the league, he easily gets the award here.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Tarheeb Still
The Chargers drafted two defensive backs in the fifth round of last year’s draft and the second of those, Still, made quite the impression as a rookie and should be one of the team’s starters going forward.
He had four interceptions on the season but his two-interception performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13 led to him being named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown in that game.
Comeback Player of the Year: J.K. Dobbins
When you’re a nominee to win this award across the entire league, it’s obvious you’re going to get the team award.
J.K. Dobbins was easily the best running back for the Chargers this season and it was obvious how much the rushing attack suffered during his 4-game absence. He rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.
Play of the Year: Cameron Dicker’s fair-catch kick
This wasn’t the most exciting play from the season, but its place in history is the reason it wins the award for Play of the Year.
In Week 16 against the Denver Broncos, the game was just about to go to halftime but a penalty against the Broncos on a punt helped set up a fair-catch free kick — something the NFL hadn’t seen since 1976 — and it led to this.
A rare fair catch free kick results in a Cameron Dicker 57-yard FG for the @Chargers 🤯
It’s the first free kick FG since 1976! pic.twitter.com/yb0cyPuKnR
— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2024
You very well may never see this again in your life.
Team MVP: Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert had a poor showing in the playoffs against Houston, but to throw for nearly 4,000 yards while having only three interceptions in a season is remarkable.
The Chargers aren’t a playoff team, in fact, they’re not even a very good team, without Herbert.
McConkey was a big bright spot and Dobbins ran well and should be brought back in free agency. But the Chargers need to prioritize finding Herbert some help in the offseason and then this team could really make a run.
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