The Los Angeles Chargers poached Joe Hortiz from the Baltimore Ravens to build a team that can compete in a division that has the marauding Kansas City Chiefs in it.
It will be a tough task for the executive to create a team that could topple the Chiefs, but it’s a challenge that he’s more than happy to take on.
Los Angeles Chargers’ Joe Hortiz: I want to build a winner
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper was present during Hortiz’s introductory press conference and was happy to field questions by the media. The 48-year old made it clear that he’ not the team’s general manager just to build experience: he wants to build a team that’s capable of beating down a dynasty.
“Our goal is to build a winner every year,” Hortiz said. “We want to compete, to win a championship every year. OK? That’s going to be starting now. That’s not going to be, let’s gut it and start over. … What balance of players gives us the best opportunity to go out there and compete this year? I know what we’re trying to be, all right? We know what we’re trying to be, all right? And we’re gunning. We’re going that direction. We’re not mailing in a season. No way. We’re going to try to win this year. But you make the right decisions and the best decisions that gives us flexibility this year and going forward.”
It will be a challenge for him to reconfigure the squad that finished 5-12 during the regular season into a proven winner. Most of the team’s key contributors—who are also taking up much space in the salary cap—are in their late 20s or early 30s. De-aging the squad while keeping it competitive against the Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Denver Broncos will be a tough ask for the GM.
However, he is working with Jim Harbaugh, a proven winner of a head coach who is also targeting one of the league’s most exciting running backs. The Los Angeles Chargers also have a talented QB in Justin Herbert who is tied down to a long-term contract.
As long as he supplies high-quality players who can fit Haurbaugh’s scheme and mesh well with Herbert, the dream of the Los Angeles Chargers finally beating the Chiefs in the playoffs will no longer be a pipe dream.
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